2004 Honda Odyssey Ex on 2040-cars

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Honda Project 2&4 is our kind of sidecar sideshow [w/video]

Honda makes cars and Honda makes bikes. It makes a whole lot of other things, too, but those are the two areas of expertise that have given rise to the thoroughly enticing Project 2&4 concept. It's one of the smallest vehicles unveiled here at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, but also among the most enticing. The result of a global in-house design competition, Project 2&4 was envisioned by the company's motorcycle studio in Asaka and brought to fruition with help from the automotive studio in Wako. It's powered by the 1.0-liter V4 engine Honda developed for MotoGP competition, driving 212 horsepower and 87 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed, dual-clutch transmission. With less than 900 pounds to motivate, that adds up to blistering performance of the kind we'd give most anything to experience firsthand. The 14,000-rpm redline would be enough to make our heart sing all on its own, but the novelty of Project 2&4 is its design. As you can see, it hands the driver's seat and controls off the side, with room for a hold-on-for-dear-life passenger seat on the other side. The neo-retro styling is inspired by the company's RA272 grand prix racer from the Sixties, but gives up on the center driving position for an altogether more original configuration. The result looks ready to take on the likes of the Ariel Atom and BAC Mono... to say nothing of the curbs of Suzuka and Fuji. If only Honda were (able) to put it into production.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
Mitsubishi Mirage

Honda's I Like Sports ad will have you reaching for your pom-poms

Autoblog editor Greg Migliore recently wrote a great piece looking at the burgeoning re-emergence of Honda as the performance brand. Now, the company is showing some reasons why that really might be the case, with a short ad from Japan titled I Like Sports. The commercial acts as a showcase for Honda's performance prowess on the street and around the track from the recent past, present, and the near future. The spot gives the company's models a chance to show why they are worth getting excited about. There are glimpses of vehicles like the Japan-only S660, upcoming Civic Type R, S2000, the preceding and forthcoming NSX, the MotoGP bike, and Formula 1 car. Despite being just a minute long, the ad does a great job at hinting at a brand that can appeal to people who want a little excitement during a drive.