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Acura spotlights NSX pace car at Pikes Peak

You can't just have any old street car setting the pace at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, can you? Of course not. For that task, you'd need a supercar with exceptionally high performance capabilities. Something like the new Acura NSX, for example. Fortunately that's just what the organizers of the annual Race to the Clouds selected to serve as official pace car this year. Honda's new hybrid supercar, set to be built in Ohio, donned a unique livery, a senior PR rep behind the wheel, and a smattering of GoPro cameras to speed up the 14,110-foot mountain. Naturally the twin-turbo V6 engine, nine-speed, dual-clutch transmission, and three-motor Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system formed an integral part of the package as well, even if its output hasn't been officially released more specifically than the "over 550 horsepower" we've been told to expect. The Japanese automaker also placed another couple dozen cameras along the 12.4-mile route and its 156 turns. Which is a good thing, considering that most of us weren't there in Colorado to see it make its run up the mountain, and nobody was there at each corner as it passed – except, of course, for the driver, Sage Marie. The rest of us will want to check out the minute-long clip Acura has released to see the NSX gun for the sky.

Honda CEO says we shouldn't expect any new sports cars

It wasn't so long ago that Honda was known for its sporty two-door models, with models ranging from the Civic del Sol to the Prelude and from the Acura Integra and RSX to the Honda S2000. But look at its range today and all you'll see are the Civic and Accord coupes. Honda has essentially let competitors like the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ and Nissan 370Z take the place it once claimed as its own. But if you were hoping Honda would fight back with a new coupe or convertible of its own, we're afraid you're going to have to downgrade those hopes to pipe dreams.
While in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show, Autoblog had a chance to sit down with American Honda CEO Tetsuo Iwamura (pictured at right). When we asked about the potential for a new sports coupe or convertible in the Honda or Acura lineup, he pointed to the current Civic and Accord coupes - not to mention the upcoming new NSX - but said that Honda has no replacement for any of the aforementioned models (or a rival for the FR-S or 370Z) in the pipeline, saying only that the company is monitoring potential demand.
What Iwamura-san did note was that he's a personal fan of the new S660 roadster (pictured above) set to be unveiled tomorrow, and he is pushing (or at least hoping) that it will come to North America. Given that he's head of both Honda's American office and its global automobile operations, one might think that the only person he would have to persuade is himself (well... himself, and potential buyers), but the sporty droptop looks to be about kei-sized, which sadly suggests that it may be too small for American tastes and perhaps not designed with US crash-test standards in mind anyway.

Suspect leads LAPD on slow speed chase down the 405

A man wanted for attempted murder led Los Angeles police on a strange and erratic chase along the 405 freeway earlier this week. According to KABC, Marcos Tulio Flores was wanted by the LAPD for allegedly shooting his sister-in-law early on January 8. On the evening of January 9, police spotted Flores driving a silver Acura around Sherman Way at about 10:40 p.m. and gave chase. With police on his tail, Flores fled down Sherman Way. As he drove along, he sped up, slowed down, occasionally stopped, and got out of the car to taunt police. Eventually, he jumped on the 101 and then on to the 405 with dozens of cruisers and interceptors in pursuit. Once he was on the 405, which the LAPD immediately shut down in both directions, he began firing at the pursuing police vehicles. Thankfully, despite Flores and officers firing wild from moving vehicles, no one was hit during the short firefight. "This is one of the most intense chase scenes I've ever seen," said KABC reporter Desmond Shaw who was riding in the station's Sky2 helicopter. At around 12:20 a.m., Flores approached the Sunset Boulevard off ramp and pursuing officers decided that they'd had enough of his shenanigans. Police called in two SWAT vehicles which hemmed him in and forced him to stop using a PIT maneuver. Officers then sent in a K-9 unit to bring Flores down. Once the dog had him under control, police arrested him and charged Flores with attempted murder. Related Video: