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Honda Civic Type R blitzes five iconic European circuits

European automakers habitually produce some of the best hot hatches. So it took the revival of a Japanese legend to beat them on their home turf when the Honda Civic Type R stole the front-drive lap record at the Nurburgring away from the likes of Renault and Seat. Volkswagen struck back and reclaimed the prize for Europe with the new Golf GTI Clubsport S, but rather than return to the Green Hell for another attempt, Honda took revenge on five other Grand Prix circuits across the continent. The campaign started in April at Silverstone, where three-time British Touring Car champ Matt Neal set a lap time of 2:44.45 in the wet, then returned once it was dry to beat his own time at 2:31.85. With the front-drive record at the home of the British Grand Prix now in hand, Honda moved on to Belgium, where factory driver Rob Huff tackled Spa-Francorchamps and its infamous Eau Rouge complex to set another lap record at 2:56.91. Then it was off to Monza, home of the Italian Grand Prix, where the Civic Type R – still mechanically unmodified and on road tires – set another record at 2:15.16 at the hands of World Touring Car Championship driver Norbert Michelisz. Former F1 driver Tiago Monteiro was supposed to tackle the Estoril next, until he was taken out of commission in a WTCC crash. So on short notice, the series' safety-car driver Bruno Correia stepped in and lapped the former home of the Portuguese Grand Prix in 2:04.08. The last record fell at the Hungaroring where Michelisz returned to the cockpit and set another front-drive lap record at 2:10.85 last week. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Honda Civic Type R sets new benchmarks at five legendary European race circuits - Honda announces new benchmark times set by Civic Type R at five legendary European circuits - Lap times achieved in standard production car with no mechanical modifications - Benchmarks set at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Estoril and Hungaroring - Stars of Honda's WTCC and BTCC squad pilot Type R throughout five circuit campaign Honda's 'race car for the road' Civic Type R has crisscrossed Europe in an effort to set new benchmarks for front wheel drive production cars at five legendary circuits across Europe.

Watch this to get excited about seeing Honda back in F1

Honda engines were the dominant force in Formula One through portions of the '80s and '90s, powering championship-winning teams at Williams and McLaren. It tried to recapture some of that magic in the 2000s but wasn't nearly as successful. For the 2015 F1 season, the Japanese brand is returning to the paddock yet again as a partner with McLaren, and in a new video it's acknowledging all of those past victories while looking forward to the uncertain future.
The video offers yet another chance to hear Honda's mill, and this time it's doing a simulated lap of Suzuka. Unfortunately, it's not entirely a joy to listen to. Like most of the current F1 field, it's a bit droning and just lacks the piercing scream of yesteryear.
With so many years out of the F1 game and completely different engine rules to overcome, the brand is essentially coming back to the sport blind. But any new competitors are a welcome addition to a series that can sometimes get rather staid. Maybe Honda and McLaren can rekindle their old flame to win another championship.

Edmunds ranks the best used cars for 2013

When people ask us what car we would recommend for them, it's usually not easy to answer. To make a useful recommendation we must consider which of the numerous vehicle segments fits their needs best, and then choose one of the many vehicles offered in each segment. For some people, new cars don't meet their expectations of value, because they lose so much of it the moment they are purchased and driven off the dealer lot. For them, there's always the used-car market, where great deals can be found, but cars' histories of reliability and maintenance records - and perhaps that Certified Pre-Owned warranty - become ever-important factors playing into purchase choice.
To help out, Edmunds has done us the favor of assembling a list of the best used vehicles money can buy, covering model years 2006-2011, according to what it considers the most important criteria when shopping for used autos: reliability, safety, value and availability. That means unreliable, unsafe, super-expensive or limited-edition models don't appear on the list, but instead cars from each segment that are more likely to satisfy the general population.
There are some real goodies on the list, including but not limited to vehicles such as the capable Honda Fit, the cultish Honda Accord coupe (which can be had with a 240-horsepower V6 and a six-speed manual transmission some years), and the powerful Chevrolet Corvette. While Edmunds' choice of the Volvo C70 for best used convertible baffled us at first (not that it's a bad car), it redeemed itself by stating that the Mazda MX-5 still is an unofficial top choice if you don't require more than two seats.