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2015 Civic Type R will make 'at least' 276 hp from 2.0L turbo [w/video]

Honda may not actually be showing off the production form of its upcoming Euro-only 2015 Civic Type R at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year, but it did take advantage of the focused media attention to make a pretty cool announcement. In addition to dropping a really hot video of the new Type R testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Honda Europe president, Manabu Nishimae, gifted us with some juicy details about the coming hot hatch.
Nishimae confirmed rumors that this Type R would make use of a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, while telling us that the mill would be good for an output of "at least 280 PS." A raw conversion from PS (metric horsepower) to standard horsepower gives us a figure of about 276 hp, or very near the rumored figure of 300 galloping, front-wheeled ponies.
The company will need each ounce of output from its new 2.0-liter engine if it is to meet its stated performance target: making the Civic Type R the fastest front-wheel-drive production car around the 'Ring. Apparently this last session of testing, with World Touring Car Championship driver Gabriele Tarquini at the wheel, has already gotten Honda close to the lap record. Scroll down to read Honda's brief press release about the upcoming Type R, and, more importantly, to listen to the car as it's throttled around the track.

2015 Honda Fit set for Detroit reveal

We've got one more debut confirmed for next month's Detroit Auto Show, as Honda has announced that it will be showing off the 2015 Fit in the Motor City. Honda has released a singular image of the new Fit's rear taillight, above.
From the sole image, we can see that the American-spec Fit will share at least its taillights with the Japanese variant, which we've helpfully included an image of to the right. Now, technically, the blue car to the right is the Fit Hybrid, a car we aren't expecting to see in the US market. But the gallery of images we've included below should give those interested in the car a very good idea of what the new Fit will look like when it hits the auto show stage next month.
As for what will be under hood when it debuts in January, Honda is touting its Earth Dreams Technology engine, which we take to mean some sort of four-cylinder, gas-powered mill. Expect excellent fuel economy from the new car, and according to the Japanese brand, "leading-edge connected car technologies."

Buckeye Current back on track at Pikes Peak with new rider [w/video]

After suffering a major setback, the Buckeye Current electric motorcycle racing team of students from Ohio State University looks set to take on the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 28. The squad's longtime rider Rob Barber suffered a crash on the bike during practice for the event. Now, three-time Pikes Peak 450 Pro Class winner Joe Prussiano (pictured above) has taken over to challenge the mountain for the group. In some ways, Buckeye Current is the scrappy underdog of the electric motorcycle racing world. The student team has definitely shown speed, though. In 2013 and 2014, its bikes took consecutive third place finishes in the Isle of Man TT Zero with Barber in the saddle. This year the squad's sights are set on Pikes Peak with a new bike called the RW-3, and the aim is for a possible overall motorcycle record. Utilizing a frame from a Honda CBR1000RR, the students created the 7.8-kWh battery pack, carbon fiber fairing, and electronics system. The team estimates the cycle is making over 134 horsepower and is capable of an average speed of 76 miles per hour up the hill climb. Following Barber's crash, the RW-3 had to be rebuilt, but it has now passed tech inspection to race up the mountain again. Scroll down and check out Prussiano's first ride of the RW-3 on America's Mountain. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. BUCKEYE CURRENT RALLIES TO COMPETE IN THE 2015 PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB Buckeye Current, the student electric motorcycle team at The Ohio State University, has completed its latest all-electric racing motorcycle. RW-3 will compete in the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb June 28. This follows on the success of the team's 2013 and 2014 Isle of Man TT Zero performances in which renowned rider Rob Barber piloted the team's RW-2 and then RW-2.X vehicles to third place victories, achieving the title of the world's fastest collegiate electric motorcycle two years in a row. After earning two podium finishes at the Isle of Man, the team was looking ahead to a new challenge. This year the team had to create an entirely new bike to conquer Pikes Peak. RW-3 is designed to average 76 miles per hour through the course with a top speed of 125 miles per hour. The battery pack holds 7.8 kilowatt-hours of energy on board and contains 972 individual 18650 cylindrical battery cells.