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Honda's first production jet takes off from North Carolina

Plenty of automakers have backgrounds in aircraft manufacturing. BMW, Bristol, Mitsubishi, Saab and Spyker all started out in the airplane business. But Honda is going the opposite direction, expanding its automotive (not to mention motorcycle, ATV, marine engine and power equipment) business with the launch of the HondaJet. And that project has just taken a big step forward.
After starting production a year and a half ago, the Japanese industrial giant recently completed its first customer HondaJet, and has now taken that initial production aircraft to the skies for its landmark first flight. The aircraft left the production facility in Greensboro and took off on Friday morning from Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina - the same state where the Wright Brothers undertook their first flight over a century ago.
The HondaJet undertook an 84-minute test flight, climbing to 15,500 feet and reaching a speed of 348 knots. That works out to 400 miles per hour - assuredly faster than any Honda (save for maybe a prototype for the same aircraft) has traveled before. The aircraft is designed to cruise at a maximum of 420 knots (483 mph) and reach a maximum altitude of 43,000 feet.

This is what Honda's new F1 engine will sound like

It appears that not even the legendary pairing of McLaren and Honda can produce a 2015-regulation Formula One engine that sounds as good as the current V8s. Much like Mercedes-AMG Petronas, McLaren Honda have released a clip of their turbocharged, 1.6-liter V6 ahead of next season, and well, at least to our ears, it's not the sweetest of singers.
We've reported on concerns that the new engines wouldn't sound "right," after years of the high-revving V8s and V10s. The more we're hearing of these new engines, the more reasonable those worries seem. That said, we'll need to wait until we really hear these cars driven in anger to render a final verdict.
Scroll down to view the official press release from Honda and to hear what the future McLaren Honda will sound like when it hits the grid in 2015. For comparison, we've also included some on-board footage of Jenson Button's McLaren's V8 from last season.

Honda reveals scrambler-style CBSix50 concept at EICMA

Honda brought some seriously cool concept motorcycles to this year's EICMA show in Milan, Italy, and two of the wildest were a pair called the CBSix50 and CB4. The company based both of them on the CB650F and its four-cylinder engine, according to Lanesplitter. However, the designers overhauled the styling to imagine one of them as a scrambler that could play a little in the dirt and the other as an urban-focused naked bike. The CBSix50 (pictured above) looks ready for any environment thanks to the chunky treads on the tires, guards on the handlebars, and a skid plate to keep the vital mechanical parts safe. The camouflaged body might blend into the city a little, but the bright red accents don't allow the rider to hide completely. Honda's designers craft the CB4 concept (pictured right) to be ready for the street. The bike's body wears a modern mix of white and black, but red accents on the calipers and suspension provide a pop of color. The front features a round headlight for a more classic style than the rectangular unit on the CBSix50. The cycle also gets more traditional road tires than its sibling, and the stubby exhaust provides an aggressive look. You can easily imagine this machine slicing through crowded traffic in cities all over the world. Check them both out in the gallery above. Related Video: