2005 Honda Civic Ex on 2040-cars

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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.

2015 Honda Civic Type-R benchmarks the cream of the hot hatch crop

Honda has something wicked up its sleeve, based on the latest batch of spy photos we've received. This is purportedly the next Honda Civic Type-R, out testing in Germany and on the Nürburgring. The last generation of the Type-R went out of production in Europe in 2010, and while we admired it from afar, it's 2.0-liter, four-cylinder produced similar figures to the American-market Honda Civic Si.
From the looks of both it and the cars Honda engineers are benchmarking, the next Type-R will be much more powerful. In the spy photos, we can see four meaty exhaust pipes along with what is quite clearly an intercooler hiding behind the rear bumper. That's right, the next Type-R will be turbocharged. It'll need to be, though, if it's meant to tackle cars like the Opel Astra OPC, Ford Focus RS500 and Renault Megane RS Trophy (not pictured, but there according to our spies).
300 horsepower from a 2.0-liter engine should be on offer, and would match the competition quite well. Other obvious tweaks from the ho-hum five-door Civic are mainly aerodynamic. It sports an aggressive body kit with a meaty chin spoiler, rocker panels and a big rear wing. Red Brembo brake calipers can also be seen behind the sporty wheels and low-profile tires.

2017 Honda Civic rolls into dealerships Monday starting at $20,535

Honda announced pricing for the British-built Civic hatchback today as well as availability. Starting this Monday, you'll be able to walk into a Honda dealership and pick up a hatch for as low as $20,535. For that price, you can take home a base-level Civic LX with the 1.5-liter, turbocharged engine and a 6-speed manual transmission to channel the 174 horsepower and 167 lb-ft of torque to the pavement. Stepping up to the Sport trim adds a dual-outlet center-mounted exhaust and brings the power total to 180 and torque up to 177. The price also jumps to $22,135. Adding the CVT to either trim adds an extra $800 and, although horsepower ratings remain unchanged, the torque output drops down to 162 on both models. The highest Civic hatchback trims are the EX, EX-L with navigation and Sport Touring, and they are all only available with a CVT. The EX and EX-L trims start at $23,635 and $26,135 respectively, and bring niceties including heated seats and dual-zone climate control. The new Sport Touring trim tops the range and takes everything the EX-L and normal Sport trims have and adds red illuminated instruments, and a 540-watt 12-speaker sound system. Unlike the other trims, the Sport Touring model will not be available until later this year and pricing hasn't been announced yet. Compared with other hatchbacks in the compact car segment, the Civic hatch has a slightly higher starting price. Most of the competition starts at just under $20,000. However, the Civic does effectively top the charts for horsepower. The only car that beats it is the Mazda3 hatchback with the 2.5-liter engine, which produces 184 horsepower. However, you'll have to spend at least $26,280 to get that version of the 3. The next closest model is the VW Golf with 170 horsepower and a starting price of $20,715, and the rest of the competition produces 160 horsepower or less. So if you're looking for some pep on a budget, the Civic looks like a solid choice, and if it drives like the sedan and coupe, it looks even better. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Honda Civic hatchback Image Credit: Honda Honda Hatchback Economy Cars pricing honda civic hatchback compact cars civic hatchback