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Honda Accord sets the pace as Indy safety car with HPD upgrades

Honda has rolled out a new pace car to lead the pack in the IndyCar Series. But it didn't just slap some graphics and auxiliary lighting on a production model and call it a day. Honda Performance Development (HPD) was tasked with giving the Accord coupe a thorough overhaul to prepare it for the task at hand. To the 3.5-liter V6, HPD bolted a Borg-Warner turbocharger and fitted high-flow fuel injectors and custom intake, exhaust, pistons, connecting rods and intercooler as well as the crankshaft from the Acura RLX to drive output up to 400 horsepower. The transmission was beefed up as well, with a limited slip differential to help get the power down to the track surface. To keep it all in check, HPD fitted new brakes, a stiffened suspension and rolling stock. It's all been topped off with a factory aero kit, special graphics and lighting, with Sparco seats and four-point racing harnesses fitted inside. The latest in a series supplied by Honda since 2006, the Accord safety car made its debut this weekend at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. Honda Unveils 2015 Accord Safety Car Apr 24, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. - Will pace IndyCar Series races starting Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park - Latest in series of Honda safety cars for Indy car competition - Production 2015 Honda Accord modified by Honda R&D Americas Honda today unveiled the 2015 Honda Accord Safety Car, which will lead the Verizon IndyCar Series field to the green flag for Sunday's Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. The latest in a series of Honda Safety Cars utilized since 2006 for Indy car competition, the 2015 Honda Accord Safety Car is a production model featuring performance enhancements created by Honda R&D Americas, Inc., for its new role. "The 2015 Honda Accord Coupe is an ideal match for IndyCar Safety Car duties," said Jim Lee, manager of Experiential Marketing for American Honda. "Taking its already large and powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine, we asked the team at Honda R&D Americas to enhance and develop a car that is perfectly suited to lead the Verizon IndyCar Series field. I think they accomplished all that we asked, and more." The Honda R&D team started with a production Honda Accord Coupe, then added a mix of engine and chassis modifications to create a fun, fast vehicle fully capable of pacing Indy cars at both road courses and oval tracks across North America.

Honda speeds towards its dreams with new Civic Type R Concept [w/videos]

A war is coming. It's been brewing for some time between the top-performing hot hatches, and will be determined by the ultimate bragging rights: the lap record at the Nürburgring for front-drive cars. Renault claimed it and reclaimed it again with successive versions of the Megane RS, then Seat took it by some margin with the new Leon Cupra. But this could take it from both.
It's the new Honda Civic Type R - or at least a conceptual preview of the one to follow. We drove an early prototype of the forthcoming Japanese hot hatch while in town for the Tokyo Motor Show a few months ago, where Honda made no secret of its Eiffel-bound aspirations. Now it has taken a big step closer with the concept you see here.
Previewing the extreme styling that will set the next Type R apart from ordinary Civics (or the European-spec hatchback on which it's based), the concept has a giant rear spoiler, enlarged grilles, hood vents and widened fenders packing both 20-inch alloys and additional air vents.

Honda customizing Vezel to headline Tokyo Auto Salon lineup

With the Tokyo Motor Show now behind it, the Japanese automotive industry is gearing up for the next big event. That'd be the Tokyo Auto Salon, Japan's equivalent to SEMA or Essen, set to take place at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba. Subaru has already announced what it has in store for the tuner expo, and now Honda has followed suit.
Most interesting of all the tuner concepts Honda has lined up are a pair of modified Vezel crossovers. The one pictured above is kitted out with parts from the Modulo catalog, while a second one is being prepared by Mugen (similar to the one recently leaked). Both look pretty sharp and hint at the possibilities in store for the Fit-based crossover that'll come to these shores with turbo power.
Honda is also displaying Modulo and Mugen versions of a number of other vehicles, including its N family of Kei cars, the new JDM Odyssey and the Fit. There's an N-WGN kitted out like a cookie delivery truck, an N-Box+ modified to look like an Element, a series of Ninja Turtles-inspired Grom motorbikes and an array of racing machinery. Check 'em all out in the gallery above and the press release below.