2003 Honda S2000 Base Convertible 2-door 2.0l No Reserve!! on 2040-cars

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100th Pikes Peak Hill Climb brings bad weather, heartbreak

Hill climb? Please. While Europeans spent the weekend driving up a nobleman's driveway at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we in 'Murica got down and dirty with the 100th running up Pikes Peak. In a reversal of stereotypes, it is we who have understated. The "hill" climb ascends one of the tallest peaks in the Rockies, to a finish line that's 14,115 feet above sea level. To get there, it takes 156 turns over 12.42 miles, some of which just look like paved sky, because they have have no guardrails between the asphalt's edge and sheer dropoffs. In reality, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is even older than 100 years. The first event took place in 1916, but in 1917-19 and 1942-45, the so-called Race to the Clouds was put on hiatus due to a couple of world wars. This year's event was marked by damp weather that dashed the hopes of several teams' efforts to break new records. David Donner's Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight Package, for example, was widely expected to reclaim the production car record this year. Donner is a three-time PPIHC champ, and set the 2014 production car record in a 991-generation Turbo S.  A Bentley Continental GT piloted by Rhys Millen beat it in 2019, so Porsche was keen on taking it back. Donner broke the production qualifying time earlier in the week, but even the seasoned pro couldn't put his skills to tarmac due to moisture-laden surfaces and low-visibility from thick fog on race day. The result was 10:34.053, over 15 seconds slower than Millen's 10:18.488, still good enough to land the class's top spot and second overall. Acura arrived in Colorado to conduct its much-touted motorsports debut of the 2023 Integra. While the entry-level sports sedan, equipped with a stock engine but modified with a slew of HPD goodies, came in ninth in the production class, Acura didn't go home emptyhanded. A 2022 NSX Type S driven by Nick Robinson took the category's third spot. Taking second was Daijiro Yoshihara with a Tesla Model S. In recent years, electric cars have become a force to be reckoned with, especially since they are immune to high altitudes that negatively impact internal combustion cars. Poor conditions sent newcomer Levi Shirley's Ultra 4 buggy off course. Fortunately, it was near the lower sections, where there's still a significant amount of runoff past the pavement's end. Amazingly, Shirley landed wheels down in the video above, and simply continued driving through the pea soup haze.

2017 Honda Ridgeline: Not a 'youth truck'

When the Ridgeline debuted back in 2006 I predicted it would be a game changer, that it would shake up and redefine the truck market, much like Honda's CB750 four-cylinder motorcycle redefined the big bike market back in 1969. Boy was I wrong. Or perhaps more accurately stated – hang on, because I still think it could happen with this new model. Maybe not to the same degree of the CB750, but I definitely think this gen-two model has the right stuff to make truck buyers give it a second look this time around. Also, the truck market has changed over the last decade. People have had a chance to see the Ridgeline in action, and many have come to the conclusion that, used as intended, it's really not so bad. ...And then look what's happened to the commercial van market: Euro-style vans – which are dramatically different from Detroit-style vans – have virtually taken over that market segment. Typically conservative truck buyers have shown that they are willing to accept new thinking – if they prove to be better mousetraps. In the last 10 years, Honda – and specifically Honda marketing – has learned a lot about what worked and what didn't work with the gen-one model. Yeah, it barely sold, but those who bought the truck absolutely loved it. So Honda was indeed on to something. The problem was not enough people knew about it. I blame Honda corporate and their marketing department squarely for that. After the initial customer reluctance, Honda gave up on it. There was virtually no money spent on advertising this truck. It literally died on the vine because it wasn't watered. Also, there were a number of factors going on here not specifically related to the Ridgeline. Honda, the corporation, was in a severe crisis. Sales were sliding, many of its products disappointed, and the styling of many of its vehicles was polarizing. Also, the Acura division was in a free-fall. In short, Honda had lost its mojo; and as such, money and efforts were re-diverted to righting the ship, and marginal models (Ridgeline) were abandoned in terms of promotion; or just abandoned, period. So here we are now in 2016. Honda has been in the process of exorcizing all the evil from it's products, and is again showing signs of life. They have a slew of new vehicles that look good and are getting good if not excellent reviews, and a new Ridgeline is soon to hit showrooms. The Honda mojo is back. This time around there is no attempt to hide its parentage.

Andretti Autosport switches to Honda power

The IndyCar grid was split pretty evenly this season between Honda and Chevy power. Thing is, most of the front-running teams have been running Chevrolet engines. Except for Chip Ganassi Racing, the team that fields the likes of Ryan Briscoe, Scott Fixon and Dario Franchitti - but earlier this month Chip Ganassi announced it was switching to Chevy engines too, just like most of the other pack-leading teams.
Honda insisted it didn't need a flagship team to replace Ganassi, but that's exactly what it announced this weekend with the signing of Andetti Autosport. The team run by Michael Andretti won a few IndyCar Series titles under Honda power (in 2004, 2005 and 2007), and two Indy 500 wins (in 2005 and 2007), but switched to the Bowtie two seasons ago, winning the championship last season. But the vast majority of the team's victories - 39 out of 48 race wins - have been powered by Honda, and the two outfits undoubtedly hope they'll return to the winner's circle again with their new multi-year partnership that takes effect next season.