2004 Honda Civic Ex Coupe 2-door 1.7l on 2040-cars

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There was once a Honda Civic named the Honda Integra

So it turns out there was a Honda Integra that was actually a Honda Civic. This as opposed to the Honda Integra we already knew about that was just like our Acura Integra but with Honda badges sold in different markets. We noticed the oddity while crawling about used car listings (as one is wont to do). A sedan popped up that looked suspiciously like a mid-90s Honda Civic, but there was a shiny Integra badge on the back of it. Surely, this must be somebody’s idea of being funny, right? Wrong. The Honda Integra SJ exists, and itÂ’s essentially a rebadged Honda Civic Ferio. Or "Civic Sedan" as we knew it here. In other words, that means Honda sold two Honda Integras at the same time. One of them was the Integra that we all think of upon hearing the Integra name. The other was just a Civic Ferio that was half-prettied up to increase its appeal. After all, the Integra name was luxury. Maybe you already knew all of this, but the lack of definitive information online and presence of this car for sale prompted us to do a little research. In case you were wondering, SJ stands for Sedan Joyful, so this carÂ’s full name is the Honda Integra Sedan Joyful. It was sold as such from 1996-2001 in Japan. Its mini Wikipedia entry indicates that Honda created the SJ to bring a formal sedan to the Integra range. ThatÂ’s a bit weird, though, as there was literally an Integra four-sedan at the time. You could even get it as the hot GS-R version in the United States. Japanese buyers were even luckier, as Honda offered a sedan version of the Integra Type R there. Since the Integra SJ was a rebadged Civic Ferio, it came with the same equipment and engine. The 1.5-liter D15B four-cylinder engine was being used in the Ferio at this time, so thatÂ’s what the Integra SJ was rocking. ItÂ’s one of HondaÂ’s SOHC VTEC offerings, and it made a very respectable 128 horsepower. The D15B wasnÂ’t as potent as an engine like the B16A2 found in the 1999-2000 Honda Civic Si sold here that put out 160 horses, but it was also down one camshaft. Only the intake valves are affected by the cam here, which results in less power than the DOHC VTEC engines. All that said, the engine still revved to 7,200 rpm, and its power is respectable for the size of car.  ThereÂ’s a third name for the Civic Ferio/Integra SJ, as well. If you go to Thailand, you may come across the Isuzu Vertex, which is yet another rebadged Civic Ferio.

Fernando Alonso expects to retire after McLaren-Honda

When Fernando Alonso was three years old, his father gave him a model of a McLaren-Honda grand prix car. That's where his path to Formula One started, and it's where he wants his career to end as well. Speaking with Autosport, the two-time world champion indicated that he intends to retire after he's done at McLaren, rather than switch to another team. Of course, he didn't indicate just when that would be, but as far as he's concerned, the road ends in Woking. The highly rated and immensely successful Spanish driver has been on the grid for fourteen years now. He started out with Minardi (precursor to Toro Rosso) in 2001, then spent four seasons with Renault, where he scored back-to-back world titles. He then switched to McLaren for one year, where he won four races, then back to Renault for another three where he and the team fell off their form. Fernando subsequently switched to Ferrari where he spent the last five seasons, thrice finishing second in the world championship but never quite managing to clinch an elusive third title. This year he's back at McLaren but has had a bumpy start. After crashing during a pre-season test session, he sat out the season opener, and failed to finish the second round in Malaysia. He's now in Shanghai preparing for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Like this writer, he'll be turning 34 in July, making him the fourth oldest driver on the grid this year. So he's still got a good few years in him, and will likely want to see the troubled rekindling of the McLaren-Honda partnership through to winning form. But while nobody can tell what the future will bring, it looks like any other team that hopes to lure the champ away could end up disappointed.

Honda returning to F1 as McLaren partner

Honda must really love Formula One racing, as evidenced by today's announcement that the Japanese automaker is returning to the world's most popular motorsport for the fifth time in its history. Honda has entered into a team partnership with McLaren to develop and manufacture power systems - the engine and energy recovery system - for the 2015 F1 season. McLaren will be in charge of chassis development and running the day-to-day operations of this newly formed team, which will be called McLaren Honda.
Honda says its decision to reenter F1 racing had to do with new regulations for the 2014 season that require cars to be powered by a 1.6-liter direct-injection turbocharged V6 engine paired with an energy recovery system. Apparently the chance to develop this particular powertrain for F1 racing was too enticing for Honda to pass up, which suggests it has bigger plans for the knowledge learned while developing these systems beyond just winning races.
As mentioned, this is Honda's fifth foray into F1 racing, the first being back in 1964 when it participated as its own team through 1968. Its longest stint came from 1983-1992 as an engine supplier, during which time it partnered with many teams, including McLaren, and won six Constructor Championships. Honda then returned from 2000-2005 as an engine supplier for British American Racing (BAR) before buying that team outright and running it as Honda Racing from 2006-2008. Then the global economic crisis hit. Honda's return to the sport will surely be welcomed by fans as its partnership with McLaren should produce a formidable team. It's a strong signal that the company has returned to health after a few tumultuous years, and hopefully its rediscovered motorsports mojo will help yield more passionately engineered street cars.