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Honda Project 2&4 concept has 212 hp, 893 lbs, and our hearts

Take one look at the Honda Project 2&4 concept, and it's immediately clear that the minimalist track special is the result of a collaboration between automotive and motorcycle designers. The body's styling is a modernized take on the Japanese brand's RA272 Formula One car from the 1960s, but then you notice the weird driver's seat that's fully exposed and suspended just inches above the road. The result is a vehicle that looks absolutely deadly, but like an absurd thrill to pilot, too. The Project 2&4's floating seating design simultaneously evokes both a sport bike and a go-kart. There's no dashboard or windshield at all, and the driver simply gets a steering wheel and a glass panel for the instruments. It's hard to imagine pairing things down much more than this, especially since the whole vehicle weighs just 893 pounds. The concept's other major piece of motorcycle DNA is the mid-mounted 1.0-liter V4 sourced from Honda's RC213V that races in MotoGP. Tuned here for road use, it puts down over 212 horsepower when spinning at 13,000 rpm, and peak torque of 87 pound-feet hits at a still stellar 10,500 rpm. The redline is at a stratospheric 14,000 rpm. The high-revving engine bangs through the gears through a six-speed dual clutch transmission. Unfortunately, the Project 2&4 has zero provisions for even a modicum of driver safety, and that makes it exceedingly unlikely for one to ever see customer orders. We still look forward to seeing that bizarre, floating seat on display at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, though. HONDA PROJECT 2&4 POWERED BY RC213V TO DEBUT AT FRANKFURT: A COMBINATION OF GLOBAL CREATIVITY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP Winner of Honda's 'Global Design Project' to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show Cabin-less structure features a floating seat design for immersive driving experience Powered by Honda's MotoGP RC213V engine, modified to run on public roads 'Honda Project 2&4 powered by RC213V', the winning entry from Honda's 'Global Design Project', will make its global debut at the 66th Frankfurt Motor Show at stand B11 in Hall 9.0. Embodying the concept of 'creative craftsmanship', Honda Project 2&4 celebrates Honda's position as the world's leading engine manufacturer, providing engines to 28 million people per year across two- and four-wheel automotive, power equipment, marine and aerospace applications.

Petrolicious profiles the Triple Nickel, a 1968 Honda CB160

Petrolicious often puts as much of a focus on the owners as it does on their machines in its videos, but the latest one goes even further as a short documentary that tells the story of a woman getting back into vintage motorcycle racing after an accident. Stacie B. London bought her first bike in 2009, but she jumped into the hobby with both feet. Not too long after getting her cycle, she started competing on two wheels. Fantastic cinematography is always one of the great strengths of Petrolicious' clips, but it absolutely nails the audio here, too. If you enjoy the sound of vintage bikes revving for all they can, then this is a must see. Of course, the story of someone getting into vintage motorcycle racing is also fascinating. London's 1968 Honda CB160 wears the 555 number when on the circuit, hence the nickname Triple Nickel. Not only do we get to see her open up the bike up on the salt flats, but we get to watch part of her first competition on track after recovering from a serious crash. For a relative newcomer not only just to riding a motorcycle but also racing one, London already seems to be hooked.

Consumer Reports says infotainment systems 'growing first-year reliability plague'

The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey (right) is out, and the top two spots look much the same as last year's list with Lexus and Toyota in first and second place, respectively. However, there are some major shakeups for 2014, with Acura plunging eight spots from third in 2013 to 11th this year, and Mazda replaces it on the lowest step of the podium. Honda and Audi round out the top five. This year's list includes six Japanese brands in the top 10, two Europeans, one America and one Korean.
Acura isn't the only one taking a tumble, though. Infiniti is the biggest loser this year by dropping 14 spots to 20th place. Other big losses come from Mercedes-Benz with an 11-place fall to 24th, and GMC, which declines 10 positions to 19th.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not traditional mechanical bugs hauling down these automaker's reliability scores. Instead, pesky problems with infotainment systems are taking a series toll on the rankings. According to Consumer Reports, complaints about "in-car electronics" were the most grumbled about element in new cars. Problem areas included things like unresponsive touchscreens, issues pairing phones and multi-use controllers that refused to work right.