1987 Civic Si, Modified Car on 2040-cars

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Pair of perfect Honda NSX Type Rs go up for auction in Tokyo

While the original Acura NSX is a brilliant supercar in any of its iterations, we never got the best version of it here in America: the Type R. Those came with Honda badges and are right-hand drive only. Unless you're in Japan or are lucky enough to come see an imported example elsewhere, you're not going to come across one of these. To see two practically perfect examples go up for auction at the same time is an even rarer sight. Some first-generation NSX Type R models (1992-1995 model years) can be imported to the U.S. now that they have surpassed the 25-year mark. However, this 1995 model is still a hair too new. Should that stop you from buying it and waiting a few months to take U.S. delivery? Certainly not. This car being offered at Tokyo's BH Auction with a grand total of 534 miles on its odometer. The seller claims it's 100% original and in pristine condition. Honda did a lot to transform the NSX into the first Type R of many to come. To start, engineers cut 308 pounds out of the car by using aluminum in even more places than before, deleting sound deadening, eliminating the A/C and stereo and using carbon-kevlar Recaro bucket seats. The 3.0-liter V6 was balanced and blueprinted. Then the suspension was given a full makeover with stiffer dampers, springs, bushings and a larger front sway bar. There were plenty of other little things throughout, but we'll spare you the long list. The number you need to know most is the estimated auction price. BH Auction thinks this NSX Type R will go for $227,000 - $272,000. 2005 Honda NSX-R View 21 Photos Next up is the ultra-rare 2005 Honda NSX-R. This R was based-off the NA2 NSX, so it has a 3.2-liter V6 and six-speed manual transmission with the new bodystyle that ditches the pop-up headlights. The 2005 model year was the last for the first-gen NSX, meaning this R is just about as new as they come. Many of the modifications that Honda did for the first Type R were repeated here. This model used carbon fiber more judiciously, though, replacing the hood, deck lid and spoiler with the lightweight material. The auction house claims just 140 NA2 NSX-Rs were made, so this is an incredibly rare car. Sadly, nobody here will be able to import it and drive it on American roads for quite some time yet. The price is estimated to come in at $345,000 - $436,000. That's pricey but this NSX has an even lower odometer reading than the other at just 348 miles.

Honda Vezel is the Fit crossover we've been waiting for

"Vezel" may sound like the latest miracle cure from Big Pharma, but in truth it's the long-awaited Fit-based crossover from Honda. Unfortunate name aside, this four-door CUV looks ready for production, because it is.
Shown here in hybrid guise, the subcompact Vezel looks quite sporty, with boldly upswept sheetmetal contours, an aggressively raked backlight, "hidden" rear doorhandles borrowed from the JDM Civic hatchback, and an expressive face with LED headlamps.
Honda is presently confirming that the Vezel will go on sale in both hybrid and gas-only guise in Japan, but it isn't offering anything in the way of specifications other than to say that both models will make use of a 1.5-liter direct-injected engine, the "Sport Hybrid i-DCD" powertrain of course getting a "high-output motor" of unspecified power and what could be a dual-clutch transmission. Honda has declined to make clear whether this is the new 1.5-liter turbocharged VTEC engine we told you about yesterday, but it's a good bet that it is indeed the same new Earth Dreams powerplant. Critically, there's no mention of whether all-wheel drive will be offered.

McLaren-Honda goes 8-bit in Turbo Heroes

Formula One is all about speeding forward, but it's not without its spats of nostalgia – from retro liveries to a return to turbo power. Take, for example, this latest animated short from the McLaren-Honda team. It's called Turbo Heroes, and it sends us back to the days of our childhood in the 1980s and 90s in glorious 8-bit form. Part Street Fighter and part Aryton Senna's Super Monaco Grand Prix, Turbo Heroes is a game-style video short – the start to a series from the looks of things. It portrays an epic battle in which basic animated versions of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso (coached by a grumpy Ron Dennis, no less) chase the evil Exhaustus in a race to recover the fabled (and equally fictitious) Jade Dragon of Suzuka to its rightful home in Japan. It's brought to you by the same team responsible for the Tooned series that was targeted at today's kids, only this one takes a decidedly different aesthetic approach. If you grew up around the same time as many of us here at Autoblog did, and got a kick out of films like Kung Fury and Scott Pilgrim vs The World, you'll probably enjoy this one. So put on your snapback, grab a can of Jolt Cola, and crank the ghetto blaster you've got hooked up to that Nintendo Entertainment System for a high-speed race down memory lane. You don't even have to blow in the cartridge.