2005 Honda Accord Ex-l V-6 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Honda slowing US production due to ports dispute

The labor dispute that idled 29 ports on the West Coast last the weekend, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA, is about to make its effects felt on the showroom floor, according to Reuters. Honda, Toyota and Subaru have been trying to work around the labor disagreement, cutting overtime and airlifting parts to factories, but Honda says parts shortages at plants in Indiana, Ohio and Ontario, Canada, are now severe enough to impede production. The lack of transmissions and some electronic components will slow output of the Honda Accord, Civic, and CR-V – as well as unnamed Acuras. The three affected factories will rework their production schedules from Feb. 16-23. The ports have reopened this week, and US Labor Secretary Tom Perez has flown to San Francisco to mediate a new agreement between the 20,000 dockworkers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the terminals and shipping companies. Talks have been going on for almost nine months and the issues aren't settled; meanwhile, the West Coast ports that handle half the nation's maritime cargo and 70 percent of cargo from Asia are putting all kinds of industries on the ropes, and it's estimated to cost the economy $2 billion a day. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Acura Honda Crossover Sedan

280-bhp Elemental RP1 revealed, now with bike-engine option

The Elemental RP1 might be Britain's next big boutique roadster success story. Designed by a team with Formula One experience, it aims to mix road car drivability with racecar performance in a single, adaptable package weighing less than 1,000 pounds. It was first previewed a few weeks ago, but the secrecy has finally disappeared due to its upcoming debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The backbone of the RP1 is a carbon fiber and aluminum tub onto which the front and rear subframes bolt on. Inside, it has an F1-like, feet-up driving position that allows for additional underfloor aerodynamic aids to improve downforce. Despite its hardcore nature, Elemental says that it wants the car to be very user friendly. Buyers should be able to drive the RP1 to the track, adjust it with some wrenches, go racing and drive it home. The company even claims the storage areas to either side of the engine offer enough room for a helmet and other racing gear. Hopefully, buyers don't crash, though, otherwise they might be stuck. Elemental is adding two more engine options for the RP1, as well. In addition to the previously announced tuned Ford 2.0-liter EcoBoost with 280 horsepower, buyers can also choose a upgraded version of Ford's three-cylinder 1.0-liter EcoBoost or a model aimed at pure track use with a 999cc Honda Fireblade motorcycle engine. The 2.0-liter uses a six-speed sequential manual gearbox, and a limited-slip differential and alternate gear sets are available as additional options. The first RP1s built will be pure racers for the 2015 season, and the first road cars will follow in the early summer of next year. Pricing isn't set yet, but scroll down for more details and full specs of Britain's latest feather light car for road and track. Introducing the Elemental Rp1 Press Release: 23/6/2014 British sports car manufacturer, Elemental Motor Company Limited, today released further details of their new and innovative, road legal track car, the Rp1. The Rp1 is an open top, road legal, mid engined sports car that incorporates state of the art road and race car technologies. Designed, Engineered and Built by a team with decades of experience in the Formula One and Supercar industries, it brings the concept of a road legal track car firmly into the 21st Century. The Rp1 will be revealed to the public for the first time, this weekend, at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it will located in the Moving Motor Show tent "First Glance" display.

Acura NSX will use Cosworth block, plus other neat tidbits

The blue NSX you see here was built just two weeks ago. Prototype number six, it rolled off Acura's newest assembly line in Ohio and was rushed out to the Monterey peninsula for various car week activities. We had a chance to sit down with several members of the NSX team to discuss the car, the long road from concept to production, and some interesting details. Below are some choice bits from our conversations. Acura is pretty proud of the fact that NSX version 2.0 was designed and is being built in the US. The new assembly line, called the Performance Manufacturing Center, is in Honda's hometown of Marysville, Ohio. While the line is brand new, the building has seen many uses over its lifetime, most recently as a warehouse facility. PMC staff numbers about 100, with 60 technical and 40 non-technical associates. The car uses parts sourced globally, and one of those sources is Cosworth. The engine blocks and heads come from the English firm and get assembled into twin-turbo powerhouses at Honda's nearby Anna, Ohio, engine plant. The Cosworth name is rarely associated with a bad engine, so we were geeked to hear the NSX's 550-plus-horsepower hybrid powertrain has good genes. Acura hasn't decided how many cars will come to the US each year, but supplies will be limited. We're told there is a total figure for global sales – basically anywhere Honda and Acura vehicles are sold – but they're not ready to divulge that number. Dealer allocation is also yet to be sorted out, although we're told that any dealer that has the necessary tools and equipment to service the new NSX will be able to sell them. Acura currently has 272 US dealers. The switch from the transverse engine originally planned to a longitudinal twin-turbo engine threw everyone involved for a loop. The designers had to lengthen their nearly finalized design, and the engineers working on the production process had to revise or redo much of their work. Though we've been waiting a while for the car since the concept first surfaced in 2012, it's pretty amazing to think that the car was engineered one and a half times and a new factory was built in about three years. But yeah, it's delayed, with series production now set to commence in the spring of 2016. One result of the switch to a longitudinal engine is a transmission hump in the cargo area aft of the engine. The hold is still sized to fit a bag of golf clubs, though it will be a tight fit.