2008 Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan 4-door 1.3l on 2040-cars

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McLaren-Honda drops the bling for stealth F1 livery

Watch a Formula One grand prix and you can instantly tell which are the McLarens, visible as they are from a mile away with their reflective chrome livery. But that's all about to change as the British team has dropped the chrome in favor of the more subdued livery you see here. Unveiled in time for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, the new McLaren livery replaces the bling with a gray so dark that it borders on black. The red accents remain, albeit in a revised pattern. The new livery promises to be less reflective at sunset and flood-lit night races especially, while providing more of a visual break from the Mercedes era now that the team is powered once again by Honda. McLaren first adopted the silver and black livery in 1997 after Marlboro (with its white and red livery) left for Ferrari and the West tobacco brand was brought in instead. The team parted company with West after the ban on tobacco advertising in sports was instituted in Europe in 2005, inserted some red into the livery and replaced the flat silver with chrome. This weekend's race will mark the first time in a decade, then, that McLaren will be racing without the chrome. Featured Gallery 2015 McLaren-Honda MP4-30: Gray Livery News Source: McLaren via Facebook Motorsports Honda McLaren Racing Vehicles F1 livery mclaren-honda

Honda builds up new Civic Type R ahead of Geneva debut

It's been a long time coming, but it's almost here. Or almost there, we should say, because it sadly won't be coming (at least in this form) to the United States. We're talking, of course, about the new Honda Civic Type R – a hot hatch we've been anticipating for about a year and a half now through a series of prototypes and concept cars. It's finally set to bow just weeks from now, in final production form, at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. But before it does, Honda is giving us yet another taste of what to expect with a trio of teaser images and some juicy details. That Honda's new hot hatch would be powered by its new 2.0-liter turbo four we already knew, but now the Japanese automaker is telling us that it'll produce enough juice to propel the Euro-spec pocket rocket up to a top speed of 167 miles per hour. In a hatchback. That feat will be enabled in large part by its advanced aerodynamics, elements of which we can begin to see from the teaser images – including a big front splitter, deep side skirts, a giant rear wing and an almost completely flat underbody. It'll also be kept in check by a set of Brembo brakes with 13.8-inch drilled discs clamped by four-piston calipers up front and packed into a unique set of 19-inch alloys. It'll all be wrapped for the show stand in classic Japanese racing white, and we're even given a glimpse inside the cabin, where we can see red-glowing instruments, a red center marker at the top of the steering rim and that +R button we were promised. It's all shaping up to be a rather tempting package indeed, but will have to fend off the likes of the new Ford Focus RS and ever-improving challengers from the likes of Renault and Seat to dominate the European hot hatch scene. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to see in what form Honda brings the fight to America, too.

Honda Civic Concept is your average neon green, turbocharged show stealer [w/video]

At an auto show where the hottest cars and concepts are increasingly shown off the night before the official doors even open, surprises are rare. But Honda pulled off a big one this afternoon, with a nuclear green Civic Concept that takes dead aim at the brand's naysayers. Honda "concept" cars have tended towards the literal in recent years, and never has that been more exciting than with this coupe. The prelude to the tenth-generation Civic has a face that fits in well enough with the company's current lineup, but the rest of the bodywork feels far more JDM-inspired. The sides are complex without being too busy, and the bold graphic elements, especially the wraparound taillight, seem punctuate the mass. You might not dig the green meanie as much as we do, but if you're a Honda fan (even lapsed) the performance news should have you high-fiving your nearest bro. To start, Honda has confirmed that this Civic will be the first in the US to incorporate turbocharged VTEC engines. The turbo'd 1.5-liter four will get hooked up to both a six-speed manual and a CVT. Civic is also going to get a bodystyle that Honda has neglected in our country for too long: the five-door hatchback. A moment of silence, please... Of course sedans and coupes will be part of the mix, too. But perhaps the most exciting news for lead-footed fan boys will be the inclusion of both a Civic Si and the Nurburgring-champion Civic Type R for our market. We'd both hoped and suspected that the Type R might make the leap to North America, and Honda hasn't disappointed. The gen-ten Civic will go on sale in the US this fall, though no specifics have yet been offered about which variants will be first and last. Stay tuned. Honda Debuts Sportiest Civic Design in Brand History with 10th-Generation Civic Concept at New York International Auto Show - 10th-generation, 2016 model year Civic focuses on sporty, fun-to-drive dynamics - Civic lineup to include Sedan, Coupe, and 5-door Hatchback body types, as well as Si and Type-R versions - First Honda model to apply new VTEC® Turbo engines in North America Civic, America's most popular small car is designed, developed and produced in North America Today Honda unveiled its ultra-sporty Civic Concept at the New York International Auto Show as the brand prepares to launch its completely reimagined 10th-Generation Civic models beginning this fall.