Japanese rumour-mag Best Car has weighed in (yet again) with more speculation of Nissan's impending FR coupe, putting the next-gen Silvia even closer in size and spec to its main rival, the Toyota/Subaru FR sports. As we reported before, the low-cost coupe's powerplant is likely to be a turbocharged inline-four equipped with Nissan's Variable Compression Ratio technology. Best Car says the most likely candidate is the HR16 used in the Tiida, except in the FR Coupe's case it'll be...
Honda's S2000 is getting a little bit long in the tooth these days. You know it, I know it and Honda knows it. What we don't know, however, is when Honda will let the venerable AP2 S2000 retire and pass the baton to a newer, more modern sports roadster, nor do we have any idea what such a car will eventually look like. For a short while, Honda's OSM concept car was heralded by many as being a precursor to the next generation 'S' car, however with its CRZ-derived FWD hybrid powertrain and...
Barely a year since its debut, Mitsubishi has already released its first major addition to its performance flagship, the Lancer Evolution X. Mitsubishi have tacked on a pair of Recaro front pews, a nine-speaker Rockford Fosgate stereo and HDD sat-nav system to the GSR and called it the GSR-Premium, which now takes up a position at the top of the Evo tree. 18-inch BBS alloys and body-coloured vents feature on the outside, however power and transmission options remain the same. That means...
It's been a while since we've heard or seen anything about Nissan's upcoming 370Z, but lately there's been a small outbreak of spy images and info about the new Z-car, giving us a more detailed glimpse at the latest car to wear the coveted Z badge. Clear as day is the 240Z-esque rear quarter window treatment, fatter fenders and bulldog-like front bumper. The body itself also appears shorter, squatter and generally more solid than the 350Z, while the be-fanged front bumper also appears to...
By now most of you will have heard that Porsche has kicked up a stink regarding the GT-R's epic 7:29 Nurburgring lap time, saying that after completing its own tests using a US-spec R35, it couldn't get within 20 seconds of Nissan's claimed record. Porsche are saying Nissan "cheated" on their record attempt by using either R-comp tyres, a juiced-up engine or both, but now Nissan has issued their own official rebuttal to the German automaker's allegations - and it intends to introduce hard,...
Yeah, we've all seen the various Silvia/180SX-based drift "utilities", (you 'Muricans call them "pickup trucks"), but what about a cut-down load hauler based on the venerable R32 Skyline? The car in this video is the first such vehicle that I've ever seen and it sure does look well executed. A credit to its owner then, who appears to hail from one of Japan's NATS technical colleges. After some further digging, however, I also stumbled upon a similar yellow GT-R-kitted example as well as...
Remember that R35 GT-R that Nismo campaigned at the recent Tokachi 24-hour enduro? Well, here's some in-car video of it strutting its stuff during a pre-race practice session, and boy does it look quick. Video after the jump. [Source: Youtube] [Video: GTR-World.net]
The garcons over at Le Blog Auto happened upon this rather unassuming GH WRX STI at the recent Motorsport Japan event in Toyko, which after some further investigation turned out to be something called the "Subaru Impreza WRX STI Concept Takumi". Okay, so maybe someone in Subaru's motorsports division has a bit of an Initial D fetish (who doesn't these days?), but what's more significant about this car is that it may preview the much-rumoured-about Spec-C version of the WRX STI that's due to...
Not only did Mitsubishi debut their delicious Lancer Sportback Ralliart at the Paris Motor Show, but they also showed off their heavily-revamped Colt Ralliart to the crowds as well. The Colt is the first model outside of the Lancer family to receive the new 'Jet Fighter' face, and initial impressions are.. well... mixed. Yes, the gaping grille and restyled tailgate are easy on the eye, but are they necessarily an improvement on the old Colt Ralliart? For starters, that Evo-esque bonnet...
As part of a raft of changes being made to the Euro-market Civic, Honda has made a number of revisions to their FN2 Civic Type R hatchback. The only major change is the addition of a Special Edition model to the CTR lineup, which among some minor cosmetic changes also boasts a limited slip differential. While the JDM FD2 CTR has benefited from a helical LSD since its introduction in 2007, the European and Australian-market Type R's have made do with a open diff, limiting the amount of...
Mazda has finally lifted the lid on its 2009 update for the NC MX-5, which made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show yesterday. We'd already glimpsed the MX-5's refreshed bodywork last month, however what we didn't know then was what mechanical revisions were in store for the evergreen roadster. Now we do. As expected, equipment changes have been subtle, with no increases being made in either power or torque production. Instead, Mazda have opted to refine the existing NC's mechanical...
Japanese rumour-mag Best Car has weighed in (yet again) with more speculation of Nissan's impending FR coupe, putting the next-gen Silvia even closer in size and spec to its main rival, the Toyota/Subaru FR sports. As we reported before, the low-cost coupe's powerplant is likely to be a turbocharged inline-four equipped with Nissan's Variable Compression Ratio technology. Best Car says the most likely candidate is the HR16 used in the Tiida, except in the FR Coupe's case it'll be...
Honda's S2000 is getting a little bit long in the tooth these days. You know it, I know it and Honda knows it. What we don't know, however, is when Honda will let the venerable AP2 S2000 retire and pass the baton to a newer, more modern sports roadster, nor do we have any idea what such a car will eventually look like. For a short while, Honda's OSM concept car was heralded by many as being a precursor to the next generation 'S' car, however with its CRZ-derived FWD hybrid powertrain and...
Barely a year since its debut, Mitsubishi has already released its first major addition to its performance flagship, the Lancer Evolution X. Mitsubishi have tacked on a pair of Recaro front pews, a nine-speaker Rockford Fosgate stereo and HDD sat-nav system to the GSR and called it the GSR-Premium, which now takes up a position at the top of the Evo tree. 18-inch BBS alloys and body-coloured vents feature on the outside, however power and transmission options remain the same. That means...
It's been a while since we've heard or seen anything about Nissan's upcoming 370Z, but lately there's been a small outbreak of spy images and info about the new Z-car, giving us a more detailed glimpse at the latest car to wear the coveted Z badge. Clear as day is the 240Z-esque rear quarter window treatment, fatter fenders and bulldog-like front bumper. The body itself also appears shorter, squatter and generally more solid than the 350Z, while the be-fanged front bumper also appears to...
By now most of you will have heard that 
Porsche
Yeah, we've all seen the various Silvia/180SX-based drift "utilities", (you 'Muricans call them "pickup trucks"), but what about a cut-down load hauler based on the venerable R32 Skyline? The car in this video is the first such vehicle that I've ever seen and it sure does look well executed. A credit to its owner then, who appears to hail from one of Japan's NATS technical colleges. After some further digging, however, I also stumbled upon a similar yellow GT-R-kitted example as well as...
Remember that R35 GT-R that Nismo campaigned at the recent Tokachi 24-hour enduro? Well, here's some in-car video of it strutting its stuff during a pre-race practice session, and boy does it look quick. Video after the jump. [Source: Youtube] [Video: GTR-World.net] 
The garcons over at Le Blog Auto happened upon this rather unassuming GH WRX STI at the recent Motorsport Japan event in Toyko, which after some further investigation turned out to be something called the "Subaru Impreza WRX STI Concept Takumi". Okay, so maybe someone in Subaru's motorsports division has a bit of an Initial D fetish (who doesn't these days?), but what's more significant about this car is that it may preview the much-rumoured-about Spec-C version of the WRX STI that's due to...
Not only did Mitsubishi debut their delicious Lancer Sportback Ralliart at the Paris Motor Show, but they also showed off their heavily-revamped Colt Ralliart to the crowds as well. The Colt is the first model outside of the Lancer family to receive the new 'Jet Fighter' face, and initial impressions are.. well... mixed. Yes, the gaping grille and restyled tailgate are easy on the eye, but are they necessarily an improvement on the old Colt Ralliart? For starters, that Evo-esque bonnet...
As part of a raft of changes being made to the Euro-market Civic, Honda has made a number of revisions to their FN2 Civic Type R hatchback. The only major change is the addition of a Special Edition model to the CTR lineup, which among some minor cosmetic changes also boasts a limited slip differential. While the JDM FD2 CTR has benefited from a helical LSD since its introduction in 2007, the European and Australian-market Type R's have made do with a open diff, limiting the amount of...
Mazda has finally lifted the lid on its 2009 update for the NC MX-5, which made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show yesterday. We'd already glimpsed the MX-5's refreshed bodywork last month, however what we didn't know then was what mechanical revisions were in store for the evergreen roadster. Now we do. As expected, equipment changes have been subtle, with no increases being made in either power or torque production. Instead, Mazda have opted to refine the existing NC's mechanical...