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McLaren F1 team sets deadline for engine decision amid Renault speculation

BUDAPEST - McLaren says the next five weeks will be the key to deciding which engine it will use next season, with speculation mounting that the former world champions could ditch Honda and switch to Renault. Chief operating officer Jonathan Neale told Reuters at the Hungarian Grand Prix that "everybody is talking to everybody," but time was running out. "We've got to land those decisions in the next four or five weeks," he said, speaking from a design perspective and because drivers like McLaren's Fernando Alonso were waiting to see what engines teams had before committing to new deals. "I think there is a solution out there for everybody and I hope it's one that will be able to retain Fernando in this team." McLaren scored their first double-points finish of the season in Budapest on Sunday with double world champion Alonso finishing sixth, a day after his 36th birthday, and Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne 10th. The nine points lifted McLaren off the bottom of the standings just before the August break and factory shutdown, a result that Neale compared to scoring a goal before halftime. Alonso's future is a key concern, with the Spaniard out of contract and saying McLaren needs to provide a competitive car to keep him. Honda's power unit has been beset with problems since the partnership started in 2015, the engine neither reliable nor competitive. Hungary, the slowest permanent circuit on the calendar, reduced those shortcomings, but the next two races in Belgium and Italy are two of the fastest, where engine horsepower is of critical importance. McLaren is Honda's sole team in Formula One. A proposed partnership with Sauber terminated last week with the Swiss team choosing to stay with Ferrari. A split from McLaren could force the Japanese manufacturer out of the sport, but Neale hinted at an alternative. "You'll have seen the media speculation that there's discussions with Toro Rosso," he said. Toro Rosso use Renault engines, but a switch to Honda — which could bring welcome funding to a team whose Red Bull parent has considered a sale in the past — would free the French units for McLaren. The Renault engine has won a race this season with Red Bull and could satisfy Alonso, who won both his titles with the French manufacturer. The other alternatives to Honda are Mercedes and Ferrari, but Neale recognized that putting a Ferrari engine in a McLaren, the Italian team's historic arch-rivals, was highly unlikely.

Check out these cool displays from Honda's new Ohio museum

Honda undoubtedly has its roots in Japan, but when it comes to its US operations, the automaker holds some very deep ties to the Buckeye State too. The company has been building cars at its Marysville, OH, campus since 1982 and over 10 million Accords have left there since then. The latest addition there is something that might actually bring brand fans to the site, though. The newly opened Honda Heritage Center museum is part of the recently constructed 160,000-square-foot Technical Development Center. The place offers a chance to take a tour of the company's history. While it's not the lavish, multi-story affair from Japan, the site still shows off some quite cool vintage products. The exhibits include an area dedicated to Honda's racing efforts, examples of its many motorcycles and several of its early models, including a '70s Civic. A HondaJet and displays of some of the company's engines are there, as well. The Heritage Center will open to the public in January, and other portions of the Technical Development Center will be responsible for training Honda employees. The Marysville campus will keep growing in the near future too with production of the upcoming Acura NSX taking place at a new facility nearby there. Check out the gallery for a glimpse of just some of what Honda has on display at its new museum. Honda Heritage Center: A tribute to the past, a focus on the future New Museum in Ohio Showcases Honda History in North America Dec 18, 2014 - MARYSVILLE, Ohio The Honda Heritage Center in Marysville officially opened its doors today, offering the world a glimpse of the innovative history and growth the company has achieved in Ohio and North America during the past 55 years. "The new Honda Heritage Center is a collection of Honda dreams in the form of products that are responsible for millions of customer relationships," said Takuji Yamada, chief operating officer of Honda's North American regional operations. "The great variety of products on display – including powersports, power equipment and automobiles, as well as aviation and robotics – together with the major milestones highlighted, tell the stories of Honda associates in Ohio and from throughout North America." Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined Honda officials and state and local community leaders to celebrate the opening of the new $35 million, 160,000-square-foot facility, which includes a museum, Technical Development Center and office space for Honda North America.

eBay Find of the Day: Ayrton Senna's 1993 Honda NSX

It's not often that things owned by the late Ayrton Senna come up for sale, but the seller of this black-on-black 1993 Honda NSX (aka, Acura NSX) eBay find claims it was once owned by the Formula One legend, and that he left a footprint on the factory carpet that can still be seen today. (Footprint, or vacuum lines?...)
NSX no. T000999 was given to Senna as a gift from his mentor and sponsor, Antonio de Almeida Braga, the seller claims, and it was stored at a palace near the Estoril F1 circuit in Portugal. He also was known to drive two other NSXs, a black one and a red one - the latter in which he was seen often.
The seller claims to have owned T000999, which is still in Portugal, for 17 years, and the 31,000-mile odometer indicates it was driven about 1,500 miles per year on average. Thankfully the car has been kept stock, so whoever buys it can enjoy driving it just as Senna did - that is, if the car actually is what it's claimed to be. If the story checks out, then this is one valuable NSX, which is reflected in the high minimum starting bid of 47,500 pounds ($73,620). There have been no bids at time of writing, but with nine days left in the auction, we'll be keeping our eyes on this one.