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Honda to show off conceptual new Ridgeline truck at SEMA

The SEMA show is coming up fast, and Honda is not about to miss out on the festivities. To that end, the Japanese automaker has announced a raft of customized vehicles it's bringing to the tuner expo in Vegas early next month. Potentially one of the most enticing debuts will be the Ridgeline Desert Race Truck. Following the preview sketch (seen above) of the next-gen pickup released at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year, the new concept is set to give us an even better glimpse at the 2017 model of the four-door, short-bed crossover pickup to come. The vehicle's debut will also mark the factory's return to off-road competition, which ought to come as a welcome development for racing fans. The Ridgeline won't be Honda's only debut at the SEMA show this year, however. There'll also be four modified versions of the HR-V compact crossover, each customized by a different American aftermarket firm, and custom takes on the CR-Z hybrid, Civic sedan, and Pilot crossover. Look for the Powersports and HPD divisions to showcase their latest at the event as well, while the Acura division does its own thing. Honda to Showcase Ridgeline Desert Race Truck Concept, HR-V Tuner Project Program, Refreshed 2016 CR-Z and more at 2015 SEMA Show Oct 23, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. - Honda Ridgeline Desert Race Truck to showcase design direction for all-new Ridgeline pickup debuting next year - HR-V project vehicles will bring extreme performance and personality to the compact crossover segment - Updated 2016 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe to make first appearance on North American soil - Honda Powersports hits show floor, including Moto GP Race Replica RC213V-S, Pioneer 1000 and more - Honda to once again host the Honda Soiree at Hakkasan Nightclub Honda will ignite the floor at the 2015 SEMA Show with a full portfolio of performance products, including race bikes, HR-V project vehicles, and the debut of the Ridgeline Desert Race Truck. The Ridgeline Desert Race Truck will offer a first look at the styling direction of the highly anticipated 2017 Honda Ridgeline pickup. The "racing Ridgeline" also marks Honda's re-entry into Honda Performance Development (HPD)-powered factory off-road racing. Also within the Honda display will be four Honda HR-V project vehicles, built in partnership with several highly creative U.S.-based automotive tuning houses.

2015 Mexican Grand Prix is a lot like old times

The last time Formula One visited Mexico, in 1992, 26 cars powered by eight engine manufacturers (counting Honda and Mugen-Honda separately) lined up on the grid; it would have been nine engine makers but the Brabham-Judd cars failed to qualify. In 1992 Lewis Hamilton was seven years old, Sebastian Vettel was five, Max Verstappen was still five years away from being born. Two of the current Sky Sports F1 commentary team, Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert, were drivers. The starting three were Nigel Mansell on pole – 39 years old, this the year he'd win his only World Championship – and Riccardo Patrese both driving Williams-Renault cars, followed by Michael Schumacher in a Benetton-Ford. Only 13 of the 26 starters would finish. The circuit is has been reworked to today's safer standards, the track surface is brand new and slippery, but the atmosphere and packed grandstands haven't changed. Nico Rosberg was another point of consistency, scoring pole position for the fourth race in a row to beat his now-World-Champion teammate Hamilton by almost two-tenths of a second. The last time Rosberg turned pole position into a victory? The Spanish Grand Prix back in May. Vettel locked up third for Ferrari, followed by the Infiniti Red Bull Racing duo of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. Williams went two-up as well, Valtteri Bottas in sixth ahead of Felipe Massa in seventh. Max Verstappen turned in a great late lap to reserve eighth place, Sergio Perez did all he could in front of his home crowd to get ninth, teammate Nico Hulkenberg the caboose in the top ten. In that 1992 race the first three on the grid finished the race in the same order after Mansell dominated, and it was almost the same in 2015. If Rosberg had driven the whole season like he drove today the Driver's World Championship would still be up for grabs. He got a great start and held his line through the first corner, coming out ahead of Hamilton through the initial kinks, pulling away as soon as he got to the straight. Hamilton was never more than a few seconds behind, but every time the Brit inched closer the German found a few more tenths to keep his distance. The field got bunched up when the Safety Car came out on Lap 53 after Vettel spun and got stuck in the barriers, but Rosberg handled the restart perfectly. Both drivers made small mistakes in the last few laps while driving on the edge, but Rosberg earned a strong victory, crossing the line two seconds ahead of his teammate.

Pair of perfect Honda NSX Type Rs go up for auction in Tokyo

While the original Acura NSX is a brilliant supercar in any of its iterations, we never got the best version of it here in America: the Type R. Those came with Honda badges and are right-hand drive only. Unless you're in Japan or are lucky enough to come see an imported example elsewhere, you're not going to come across one of these. To see two practically perfect examples go up for auction at the same time is an even rarer sight. Some first-generation NSX Type R models (1992-1995 model years) can be imported to the U.S. now that they have surpassed the 25-year mark. However, this 1995 model is still a hair too new. Should that stop you from buying it and waiting a few months to take U.S. delivery? Certainly not. This car being offered at Tokyo's BH Auction with a grand total of 534 miles on its odometer. The seller claims it's 100% original and in pristine condition. Honda did a lot to transform the NSX into the first Type R of many to come. To start, engineers cut 308 pounds out of the car by using aluminum in even more places than before, deleting sound deadening, eliminating the A/C and stereo and using carbon-kevlar Recaro bucket seats. The 3.0-liter V6 was balanced and blueprinted. Then the suspension was given a full makeover with stiffer dampers, springs, bushings and a larger front sway bar. There were plenty of other little things throughout, but we'll spare you the long list. The number you need to know most is the estimated auction price. BH Auction thinks this NSX Type R will go for $227,000 - $272,000. 2005 Honda NSX-R View 21 Photos Next up is the ultra-rare 2005 Honda NSX-R. This R was based-off the NA2 NSX, so it has a 3.2-liter V6 and six-speed manual transmission with the new bodystyle that ditches the pop-up headlights. The 2005 model year was the last for the first-gen NSX, meaning this R is just about as new as they come. Many of the modifications that Honda did for the first Type R were repeated here. This model used carbon fiber more judiciously, though, replacing the hood, deck lid and spoiler with the lightweight material. The auction house claims just 140 NA2 NSX-Rs were made, so this is an incredibly rare car. Sadly, nobody here will be able to import it and drive it on American roads for quite some time yet. The price is estimated to come in at $345,000 - $436,000. That's pricey but this NSX has an even lower odometer reading than the other at just 348 miles.