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Ugly Moto makes beautiful motorcycle art [w/video]

Ugly Moto is a horrible name for a company that makes such wonderful motorcycle art. The creation of artist Francis Ooi, the company's illustrations focus on some of the iconic racing bikes of the 1960s and 1970s.
The artwork has an elegant simplicity that really makes it pop. It would fit just about anywhere from a home office to the bedroom of a young gearhead. Ooi has completed six illustrations so far covering classic cycles from Honda, Ducati, Yamaha and even Harley-Davidson. According to his site, the Suzuki RGB500 ridden by Barry Sheene will be the next one released. All of the prints are priced at $65 and are limited to 100 copies. They are all about 16.53 inches by 23.58 inches in size.
According to his website, these prints are just a hobby for Ooi and his real career is as the creative director at an ad agency. He creates the illustrations on his Mac, and he estimates that each design with about 800 components and layers takes about a month to complete. You can get idea of the process involved in the time-lapse video below.

Honda CR-V caught wearing facelift in Europe

A few years on from its 2011 debut, the current Honda CR-V is preparing to go under the knife for a refresh. Typical of these sort of mid-cycle deals, the changes for Honda's popular CUV are minor.
The front of the car is home to the most dramatic (a relative term here) changes, with revised headlights sporting what looks like a slimmer profile. The three-bar grille has been heavily tweaked and is now a two-bar item, with a larger lower bar and a nose badge that covers both upper and lower sections.
The fascia itself has been modified with what looks like a larger lower intake, while the foglights have gone from the circular pattern of the current car to a rectangular pattern on the facelifted model. It looks like they'll still sport conventional bulbs, although the shape of the lights themselves look like a natural fit for a set of LED running lights (as is the trend).

Toyota Camry to go turbo

As automakers strive to meet regulations, turbocharging is rapidly becoming the norm whether looking at pickups, sports cars or family sedans. However, Toyota remains a stalwart to the changing tide, and for the time being a trip into one of the brand's dealers shows nary a hint of forced induction – probably not for long, though. With models like the Lexus NX 200t and forthcoming IS 200t pointing the way, a big shift is afoot for one of the Japanese automaker's most popular products. Obviously, Toyota is no stranger to forced induction for performance applications like the turbocharged models of the Supra and MR2 in the '90s. But rather than reducing lap times, the latest application is more about improving emissions and fuel economy. According to Automotive News, the Camry is getting a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder in the near future as a replacement for its V6 engine option. The 3.5-liter six currently in the venerable sedan already makes 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, versus 235 hp and 258 lb-ft in the NX 200t or 241 hp and 258 lb-ft in the IS from the new four. The base four-cylinder also might receive some upgrades. It could grow larger and run on the Atkinson cycle to find improvements, according to Automotive News. There might be a move towards CVTs, as well. Toyota is hardly alone in the shift towards forced induction. Honda is known to have a 1.5-liter turbo mill on the way for the next-gen Civic. In addition, that engine might find its way into the Accord and CR-V as well, according to Automotive News. Among the major Japanese automakers, only Nissan is taking a more measured approach towards forced induction in mainstream models. Rather than going all-in on turbos, the company is expected to shift more of its engines to direct injection to go after fuel economy gains.