2004 Honda Accord Ex Sedan 4-door 2.4l - 5 Speed Manual - Red on 2040-cars

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See the evolution of McLaren F1 cars in one GIF

If you dig racecars and history, you'll enjoy the .gif file on display below. It comes to us from the folks at automotive parts website PartCatalog.com, and it shows how McLaren's Formula 1 cars have changed from the very first one to this season's black and orange Honda-powered machine. And they have certainly changed. That very first car had scarcely an aerodynamic aid to the radically winged racer of today.It's also interesting to see how driver positioning has changed over the years. Through the '70s and '80s, the driver was pushed farther and farther to the front. Then in the '90s and '00s, the driver started to be pushed back to the middle, and longer noses became common. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This .gif file isn't just interesting for seeing how the cars have changed, though. It also features some of the most famous F1 cars of all time. Fans of vintage F1 racing and of the film Rush may recognize the McLaren M23 James Hunt piloted to a championship victory over rival Nicki Lauda in 1976. There's also the 1985 McLaren MP4/2B that was the last McLaren Nicki Lauda would drive, and the car that would take Alain Prost to a championship. Prost's rival Ayrton Senna also has a car in this .gif, and that's the 1988 Honda-powered car he drove to his first ever championship. There are many other cars in this .gif we don't have time to cover though, but you can learn more about them and the cars we mentioned by checking out McLaren's great history page. Each car there has a brief profile covering the stats, and lengthier articles with more background. It's a great way to spend a morning. Related Video:

Why Japan's government is looking to curb its adorable kei car market

Each region around the world has its stereotypical vehicle. The US has the pickup and Europe the five-door hatchback; but in Japan, the kei car reigns supreme. These tiny cars are limited to just 660cc of displacement but they've also come with lower taxes to make them more affordable. To make of the most of their small size, they've often had quite boxy styling like the Honda N-One shown above, and because they're Japanese, they've often had quirky names like the Nissan Dayz Roox. However, if the Japanese government has its way, the future popularity of these little guys might be in jeopardy. The problem facing them is that Japan is an island both literally and figuratively. After World War II, the Japanese government created the class as a way to make car ownership more accessible. The tiny engines generally meant better fuel economy to deal with the nation's expensive gas, and the tax benefits also helped. It's made the segment hugely popular even today, with kei cars making up roughly 40 percent of the nation's new cars sales last year, according to The New York Times. The downside is that these models are almost never exported because they aren't as attractive to buyers elsewhere (if indeed they even meet overseas regulations). So if an automaker ends up with a popular kei model, it can't really market it elsewhere. The government now sees that as a threat to the domestic auto industry. It believes that every yen invested into kei development is wasted, and the production takes up needed capacity at auto factories. The state would much rather automakers create exportable models. To do this, it's trying to make the little cars less attractive to buy, and thus, less attractive to build. The authorities recently increased taxes on kei cars by 50 percent to narrow the difference between standard cars, according to the NYT. If kei cars do lose popularity, it could open the market up to greater competition from foreign automakers. Several companies complained about the little cars stranglehold on the Japanese market last year, but since then, imported car sales there have shown some growth thanks to the improving economy. Featured Gallery 2013 Honda N-One View 20 Photos News Source: The New York TimesImage Credit: Honda Government/Legal Honda Nissan JDM kei kei car

Thieves still love older Hondas and pickups most, says NICB [w/video]

No one wants to have their car stolen, but a new study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau has some bad news for older Honda owners and pickup drivers. Fortunately, it has better news for drivers overall. The group is reporting that according to preliminary data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, thefts were down 3.2 percent in 2013 (versus 2012) to fewer than 700,000 cars. That's the lowest figure since 1967. That's also less than half of the peak of over 1.66 million thefts in 1991. "The drop in thefts is good news for all of us," says NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. "But it still amounts to a vehicle being stolen every 45 seconds and losses of over $4 billion a year."
Honda drivers might not find it such good news with older Accord and Civic models topping this year's theft study. Toyota and Dodge can't really celebrate, either, with two models each on the list, as well. Overall, this year's list was split evenly between foreign and domestic models, which were mostly pickups.
The 10 most likely vehicles to be stolen in 2013 were: