Honda NSX News

Honda killed the second-generation NSX with its F1-inspired V10 engine before it could hit the road but is now considering a new plan after scoring a string of successes in Japanese GT racing. After consolidating its green technology with the Insight, Civic Hybrid, CR-Z and Jazz Hybrid, Honda believes the is right for a serious re-evaluation of its sports car program. The head of Honda, Takanobu Ito, says the company is "rekindling" the spirit of motorsport and has commenced evaluation of a new car - for sports driving enthusiasts and motorsport - that will meet the expectations of a public wanting greener technology.  The result is likely to be smaller and lighter, and have a smaller and greener powerplant, but still generate a decent amount of power. Ito hints that Honda could put a small number of cars, based on the latest V8-powered NSX racer, into production but does not say when. But Honda is known to be on two other cars, one a medium-sized sports cars with a V6-hybrid, strongly rumoured to debut as an Acura for the USA, and the other a compact lightweight four-cylinder hybrid coupe.

WORLD champion Jenson Button is now officially a member of the McLaren- Mercedes team. He clocked off at Brawn GP on December 31 and made his first public appearance in TeamVodafone colours on January 1, although he is currently holidaying in Hawaii before his first McLaren test drive in February.THE stillborn Honda NSX supercar will be used as a race base in this year's Super GT series in Japan. Honda killed the car before putting it into production but the born-again NSX survives - at least as a body shape - in Japan's domestic touring car series.AUSTRALIAN drivers Damien Harris and Ricky Steffens hold the advantage over American raider Jack Wyatt after the first leg of the Australia- versus-USA nitro funny car challenge at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland. Harris was the standout with a quickest quarter-mile run in 4.968 seconds, also clocking the first 300-miles-an-hour run at the track, but Wyatt plans to turn the tables in the deciding races on January 16 as he tunes his car to the local track and weather conditions.DANIEL Erickson is pressing ahead with plans to race the Star Mazda series in the USA despite losing his CAMS Rising Star backing for 2010. He has also formed a supporters club - details at www.danielerickson.com.au - to try and raise funding for the 13-race series.KIWI veteran Craig Baird picked up a prize in this year's New Year's honours list in New Zealand. The 39-year-old was honoured for services to motorsport after claiming his 21st championship in 2009, and has already re-signed with the Holden Racing Team for the V8 Supercar endurance events later this year.ALFA Romeo will be the featured carmaker at the 21st running of the Phillip Island Classic on March 19-21. The Italian brand celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2010 and many classic cars will be at the event, as well as Aussie Alfa racers Alan Jones, Colin Bond, Tim Schenken, Bryan Thomson, Jim McKeon and Frank Porter. Kevin Bartlett, who won two Australian drivers championships in Alfa-powered open- wheelers in 1968 and 1969, will be the patron of the Phillip Island event.

The share market is shot, superannuation is in “negative growth” whatever that means, house prices are dropping alarmingly and interest rates look like falling. Where can you make an honest investment dollar these days? Well, art has some attraction but the numbers involved would make plenty of people tremble in their boots.What about collectable classic cars?We have all heard the stories about the six figure Falcon GTHOs and Monaros not forgetting the European thoroughbred classics, some of which go for multi-million dollar prices.But what if you're just an average punter and want to get in on the action.Take a look at Japanese collectable cars - is the advice coming from those in the know.This is because they have the potential for increased value from a relatively low base. And depending on the car (and luck) you could have a tidy little nest egg in the garage, one that you can take out and actually enjoy at your discretion.Christophe Boribon is the National Auction Manager for Shannons Auctions and he has some firm ideas on what cars are good buying with potential appreciation and those that are dead certainties.Chris' named the Toyota 2000GT as the most collectable classic Japanese car in Australia because of its rarity (only eight imported) and the specification of the car. He says a good one will go for between $2-300,000.Hardly accessible to the average punter.But other cars from most Japanese manufacturers operating here are shaping up well at the auctions and as long term prospects.Mazda's 1960s R100 coupe is worth a look at 10 grand according to Chris' as is the original, glass back RX7.“The RX3 is also good buying at $25-35,000 if you can get a good one and it should appreciate if looked after,” Chris' said.”Then there is the late '90s twin-turbo RX7 and RX7 SP - a locally fettled hotrod that will appreciate because it was a low volume performance car.”“You will pay big dollars for a Mazda Cosmo (up to 100 grand) but the first MX5 is a good proposition for not much money.” He said the SP versions of the later MX5 will be worth more in the long run and even the Japanese turbo model, the SE, should appreciate over time.Toyota has a few potentially collectable models including the late '60s Celica RA23 and TA23 models as well as the rear drive Sprinter 1.6. Celica GT4s should also be good buying if you can find one that hasn't been raced. Honda's most collectable car is the NSX but Chris' says the first S2000 sports cars are worth a look if you can get one that hasn't been thrashed. The tiny S600 and S800 sports cars are good property and even the quad headlight Integra TypeR could appreciate given time.Any Mitsubishi Lancer Evo in reasonable road condition will be worth a punt as a collectable particularly the Evo 6.5 Makinen edition. And if you can get hold of a twin turbo GTO 3000 (non-factory import) it should be a solid investment.Nissan has plenty of collectable cars dating right back to the 1960s. Think Datsun Fairlady sports cars, Datsun 240Z and 260Z coupes and of course the R32 Skyline GTR Godzilla Bathurst winning car - (Australian spec) of which only 100 were imported by the factory. You'll pay about $35,000 for Godzilla these days and it's on the way up for a decent standard one.Subaru has a couple of collectable cars too, the SVX coupe 3.3-litre flat six all-wheel-drive has possibilities and the 22B two door Impreza WRX STi for which you'll pay about $100,000 and going up.Good luck. 

Detroit is like that.Carmakers go all out to make an impact at the first big car show of every year, knowing they have to do something special to achieve a breakthrough at an event that has produced many great concepts and some critical production cars.For 2007, Chrysler had the Nassau, Jeep had the Trailhawk, Chevrolet had the Camaro convertible, Jaguar showed the C-XT, Ford unveiled the Interceptor and Nissan had the wonderfully ugly Bevel — all concept cars.There was also the Holden Efijy concept, which generated a surprising amount of interest.Japan's brands sparked a performance battle with previews of the next Honda NSX, the near-production Lexus LF-1, the Toyota Supra hybrid and the production model of the forthcoming Mitsubishi Lancer X Evo.Mercedes had a four-door S-Class convertible and showcased its 4Matic all-wheel-drive system with an indoor ice-skating rink on its stand that came with an S-Class and GL slip-sliding around to prove that grip and drive and control are possible on even the most slippery surface."It cost a motza. Well into six figures," a Mercedes-Benz spokesman says of the rink.The real bill was more than $1 million, paid direct from Benz headquarters in Stuttgart, but that's not unusual at Detroit.A typical concept costs at least $1 million — though Jaguar says it spent less on the C-XT — and the big carmakers spend upwards of $250,000 on a single stage-managed "reveal" at the show.Cadillac had a classical string quartet and a pair of black rappers with violins. Chrysler had an African drum team. There were rock bands, smoke screens and what looked to be the world's supply of giant plasma screens.But all the staging and showbusiness was still trumped by the cars and the company officials, who talked about design, technology, driving and sales."Detroit has become probably the most important show on the circuit," Jaguar design director Ian Callum says.Expatriate Australian Geoff Polites, who heads Land Rover and Jaguar in Britain, agrees, saying: "If you go back 10 years it was literally a dealer show, but the manufacturers now see Detroit as a significant platform. It is fast becoming the main show in the world."Detroit has also become a global melting pot at which American, European, Japanese and — for the first time — Chinese brands go all-out to impress.It was also the event where General Motors' vice-chairman of product development Bob Lutz gave the official-unofficial go-ahead for plans to export the Holden Commodore SS to the US as the Pontiac G8.Lexus decided to go after the M and AMG divisions at BMW and Mercedes with an IS500.Porsche showed the facelifted Cayenne.Toyota unveiled a giant Tundra pickup — complete with a hot TRD version — to go chasing the Ford and GM trucks that dominate the top end of the sales charts in the US.But which was the most significant car of all."It has to be the GM Volt," the vice-president of industry analysis at AutoPacific, Jim Hall, says.He is a veteran showgoer and one of the most respected analysts in the American car business."This is the world's largest carmaker staking its future on a new technology that it does not own or control. Very brave," he says of Volt.The Volt is a plug-in hybrid that points to a new technology called E-Flex that has the home electricity grid or an on-board engine charging a car's lithium-ion batteries.These provide all the power to drive the wheels, making any E-Flex car into a genuine electric car and a potential rival to the petrol-electric hybrids touted by most other car companies.Detroit produced plenty of talk about showroom comebacks, particularly by GM and Ford — which both regularly post quarter losses in the billions — and future hopes.But was it a great show? Not according to Hall."It was not a good show," he says. "There was only one car that surprised anyone and that was the new production Lexus LF-A. The rest of the stuff was all pretty predictable." SHOW NOTES* The Holden Efijy concept was a huge hit and won some new fans. They include hip hop superstar Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, who has won permission for the retro coupe to star in his next music video.* Several US concepts had Michelin tyres with a hand-cut tread pattern including the North American International Auto Show logo.* When Bill Ford began the Ford presentation he talked about the event celebrating the centenary of the show. "At this show in 1907 my great grandfather announced plans for his T-Model."* There was a lot of talk at the show about cars that can run on E85 fuel. It is an 85 per cent ethanol blend that is being promoted as a green choice throughout the US.* There was a large Australian contingent led by Jaguar-Land Rover boss Geoff Polites and Kevin Wale, who heads GM China. Apart from the fly-ins — everyone from Holden design boss Tony Stolfo and Chrysler chief Gerry Jenkins to GM Holden boss Denny Mooney and Ford president Tom Gorman — they included Michael Bartsch, who is head of sales and marketing at Porsche North America, and Mike Simcoe, the designer in charge of GM operations in the US.