#going against honda nsx

[slowestlap]

Max’s Machine by Viaplay | Imola, 12 October 2022

[onboardsorasora]

I wrote it @arturleclerc and @123pixieaod! A cute lil kid fic. Sequel to this my first ever f1rpf drabble, and based on this adorable party. (I hope it's good 🫣)

Edit: we now have a continuation here

Daniel wouldn't say he was overwhelmed but it was a near thing. Overwhelmed with so much happiness. He stood in the middle of his and Max's living room looking around to make sure the decorations were perfect.

Of course, everyone knew the first birthday party was for the parents and not the child. And maybe he and Max had been more than a little self indulgent when they agreed on the Formula 1 theme.

Of course, all of the ready made decorations were in red and even suggesting that to Max had been tantamount to treason. So, they had designed everything themselves. Between the both of them they were; creative, detail oriented and anal retentive.

Max designed the cake and wall decor and Daniel tackled the birthday boys outfits, the photo backdrops and the floor decor. Then they'd sent them off to their party planner and waited.

Daniel had to admit, it had been a lot of work– lots of phone calls and organizing and dates– but everything came together beautifully. While Red Bull wasn't the actual theme, no one could even suggest that this was a Ferrari themed party.

Noah was currently cooing in his Papa's arms, banging a rubber duck – gifted by his uncle Carlos– on Max's shoulder. He was delighting in the short squeaks. Max held him sturdily, glancing over with a smile when Noah offered the duck to him.

Daniel thought Noah looked adorable in his mini race suit that closely matched the race suit his parents wore back in 2017, the deep navy with the bright red racing stripe on the side.

He was a chunky pale thing with blue eyes and blonde hair; all Max and barely any Daniel. If he hadn't carried him and went through nine hours of labour, Daniel would have thought that he was Max's clone. (His short blonde hair was finally showing maybe the possibility of a curl or wave and Daniel couldn't be happier).

"Everything looks amazing, Danny. You did well." Sebastian offered him a beer, clinking their bottles together.

"Thank you. It was a lot." Daniel laughed, side-stepping Isaac, his nephew, who was chasing another friend in the matching electric bumper cars that looked like an Aston Martin DBS and Honda NSX.

"Noah seems to be enjoying himself."

Daniel snorted, "oh that duck is his new best friend. I'm not even mad because before, it was one of the protein shaker bottles."

"Daniel! Where is my beloved nephew?" Charles entered the room with a flourish. He deposited his gift bags in a seemingly safe corner and beelined for Max who turned from his conversation with Lando and Carlos. Charles only had eyes for Noah, altering his voice and making faces to get the toddler to giggle.

Noah acquiesced to being held by one of his uncles and Max begrudgingly let him go. Charles immediately walked to one of the photo backdrops, the one proclaiming Noah the future F1 Champ and demanded photos be taken of them. Lando rolled his eyes but soon was taken in by his unofficial duties as photographer.

"Uncle Daniel look! I have tattoos like you now!" Isabella ran up to the pair, showing off her arm that now sported multiple racing themed temporary tattoos. Daniel crouched to her level with a wide Ricciardo grin, his eyes squinting with his happiness.

"We match!" He said excitedly, pressing his larger forearm against her tinier one. Kissing her racecar with his Love. She squealed in happiness, kissed his cheek and ran off to play with the other children running amok in the den.

Max came over and flung his arm around Daniel's waist and it was then that Seb saw the matching tshirts. 'Dad of Champ' 'Papa of Champ'. Max's smile could only be described as proud.

The chaos continued with a car race around a 'track' set up in the den and extended to the patio and back. Issac won the first race, a little girl named Brin won the second and Isabella won the third. The trophy ceremonies were the stuff of dreams; Daniel and Carlos taught the kids to spray the sparkling grape juice like winners. Charles snuggled comfortably with Noah, pointing out all festivities with adorable commentary.

When it was time to cut the cake, Noah 'drove' to the table in his DBS that had his name on it. He squealed happily when Daniel scooped him up and kissed his chubby cheeks. He reached for the cake before anyone could stop him and the group laughed and sung happy birthday while he happily munched on cake and blue icing.

Max leaned over to kiss Noah's stained cheek and Daniel felt like his heart was bursting out of his chest. Yeah, he was officially overwhelmed and life was good.

[f1]

Alpine still moving up despite complicated start to 2023 CEO | RaceFans Round-up

In the round-up: Renault’s CEO is pleased with the progress their team has shown in Formula 1 this year, despite being on course for a lower position in the constructors’ championship than they achieved in 2022. In brief Alpine still “moving up” despite “complicated” start to 2023 – CEO Alpine is still making progress in its plan to move up the grid in Formula 1 despite slipping back at the start of 2023, says Renault CEO Luca de Meo. The team finished fourth in the constructors’ championship last year but lies fifth in the standings after the first eight rounds this year. However De Meo remains satisfied with the progress they are making. “The team is moving up. Two years ago we were a distant sixth, really. We fought against AlphaTauri, that was the fifth car but they only had one driver. Last year we finished fourth. “This year it’s a little bit complicated at the beginning of the season but it’s getting back into order. I hope we can just continue.” Although the team has fallen behind rivals Aston Martin, De Meo said they are still making gains on their rivals. “We have a roadmap,” he explained, “it’s progress that you build one step at a time because it takes time to find the people, find the resources to complement our team because our team is slightly smaller than top teams.” Aston Martin to apply F1 tech to future EVs Aston Martin says it will apply technical knowledge gained from its F1 team into its future electric vehicles. Aston Martin Performance Technologies, which consults on behalf of the F1 team, will apply its knowledge gained from F1 operations to the brands future cars following a powertrain and battery agreement with Lucid Group. The company intends to adapt active aerodynamics and drag reductions systems in an effort to increase efficiency and prolong battery life and range. Tsunoda to join Red Bull Nurburgring event AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda will join Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo and retired four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel as part of Red Bull’s ‘Formula Nurburgring’ event at the Nordschleife in September. Tsunoda will drive a Honda NSX Evo GT3 car on a demonstration run around the 20 kilometre circuit. “I’ve never driven at the Nurburgring before, so I’m really looking forward to the event in September,” said Tsunoda. “The Nordschleife is a legendary circuit, I just experienced it on the Gran Turismo videogame and already enjoyed it a lot.” Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Happy birthday! Happy birthday to Dan N, Gdog and Melody! On this day in motorsport 30 years ago today Emerson Fittipaldi won the CART IndyCar race at Portland by four seconds from points leader Nigel Mansell. via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[gtr24h]

Frustrations from Rocket Simsport

Frustrations from Rocket Simsport. Different types of sim racing require different skillsets. Sprint races need more aggression (within reason), as the driver has less time to make moves happen or recover from a mistake. Rallying requires a huge amount of concentration, determination and a big amount of lunacy to drive sideways along roads at 150 KPH or more, lined with trees or huge drops. Endurance races need patience and....well, endurance, the energy to keep your concentration for several hours at a time, which is hard enough when driving on public roads at the normal speed limit for hours on end, but in racing conditions, it can be difficult to maintain a level head, especially when things don't go well during the race. Such circumstances were experienced by Rocket Simsport at the Mobileye Intercontinental GT Challenge 8 hours of Indianapolis race. Rocket, who are competing in this series in the Silver category, had qualified the Honda NSX 5th in class, and 11th on the grid, which was packed with some of the very best drivers and teams in the ACC world, so Rocket were looking forward to a good result, judging by their pace. Drivers Elvin Smith and Kieran Prendergast were representing the Rocket squad in this race, and Smith took the start, however, the team were involved in a three-wide moment at turn four, which sent the Honda into a spin and an impact with another car, eventually dropping Smith outside of the top 40. So not even two minutes into an eight-hour race, the car is wounded and the great efforts in qualifying already nullified, the team now has to rely on their skill to drive the car in conditions that are far less familiar to the drivers, certainly until the first pit stop. But they still have hours to recover, right? Whilst that is true, the team's frustration is no less palpable. All the hours of practice, all the time perfecting the setup of the car, discussing strategies, finding the optimal lines and braking points, all feels wasted within seconds of the start, and not just for the driver in the car at the time, but also for the teammates taking part in the race, and also the organisation being represented. For the rest of the race, the Rocket Simsport Honda changed hands between Smith and Prendergast, and they did the best they could throughout the rest of the race, but it is always difficult to refocus following an incident, and as the race entered its final 12 minutes, Smith was caught up in a final incident where, whilst being lapped by the leaders, he got tangled with the Triton Bentley, who was in 2nd place. Whilst Triton still came home in 2nd place, the contact caused the Bentley to fall over 10 seconds behind the eventual race-winning Veloce McLaren. The Rocket team were handed a stop-go penalty, and the Honda came home in 31st position in the end. The chequered flag was not the end of the issue though. Because of the manner of the final incident (which was not seen by the main stream), Smith was called out for unsportsmanlike conduct, for heavily defending against a car coming to lap him, and Rocket Simsport made a public announcement following the incident: SRO IGTC Esports yesterday's actions from our driver Elvin Smith are not something we at Rocket Simsport management take lightly We work hard on driver's mentality and work ethic, and yesterday we essentially had a bad day at the office Elvin Smith has been suspended from taking part in the next round of the SRO IGTC Esports series whilst continuing to race for us in other series If deemed to have improved, he will be back into the car at the following round, representing the team at the highest level of Assetto Corsa Competizione We would like to publicly apologise to the organisers, teams and drivers of the series We will come back stronger We have mentioned before the importance of properly representing yourself as a driver and the organisation you are driving for, and Rocket is showing what can happen when the standards of the organisation are not properly represented by the driver. - Chris Buxton Read the full article

[mintzias]

i don’t think a real introduction post is necessary for me, but i’m still gonna yeet my new character your way. relatively new, beau has been a wip for a while but i never wanted to bring him anywhere for some reason. didn’t feel right before but now i’m gonna try.

anyway, since he’s been under works for a while i actually have a proper info sheet about him saved, so i’m just gonna tweak it a bit and post it under a readmore for anyone who might be interested! he’s not as infuriating as james thank god, so there might be some more connections to me made.

and this is a way for me to feed my obsession with supercars lmao.

tw car accident, death, violence, long post.

born in london to an american mother and english father. spent the first two years of his life in england, being tended to by countless nannies his parents eventually found useless and hired a new one. luckily for beau being so young, he hardly felt the impact of the familiar faces always changing.

on his third year of life he moved to america when his parents were offered a new businesss proposition that required them to be on site most of the time. he lived a posh life in manhattan and was graced with the finest kindergarten while the chaos with the nannies kept on going. not too academically inclined even as a youth, he spent most his time causing trouble and running around like a rascal he still is. this did help him make friends and he was a more physical kid than mental, so he fell easily into the stereotypical boy group.

he was twelve (and his new baby brother was four) when another move came upon them and the family rented out their home and packed their bags. tokyo was calling them for the future and beau was grumpy as hell that he had to leave behind all his friends, and everything he had learned to know just because his parents found a new project to take part in.

they moved, and beau had a hard time adjusting to new culture and new language. he became reclusive and very emo about the injustice his parents made him go through, and it took him close to three years to get his life relatively normal again. he went to school and learned the ways of his new hometown, and reluctantly made friends with his classmates. 

things started to go well and his parents’ project calmed down enough for them to spend more time as a family and not just two businesspeople with a child. things were normal for them, beau continued his academics and his role as an older brother, which would become twice as difficult when his youngest brother was born.

a simple life went by quickly and the next memorable moment was when beau enrolled in university. he wanted to attend a vocational school but his parents scolded him for such menial ideas and told him to keep up his image by getting himself a business degree. he begrudgingly agreed just to please his parents, and with a promise that he would be taking over the million-dollar business.

most of his high school friends parted ways when he started his new studies, but he had a safety new of four when he first stepped into his adulthood, and the harder studies he knew he wouldn’t be able to finish. it was hell, and even if beau tried his hardest, he barely got acceptable grades and was close to flunking. that’s when he met ayame.

romantic meeting or not, she started tutoring him first and eventually they fell in love. they began dating at 19, and it looked like it would last forever. his parents approved of her, and her parents approved of him even with his insecurity about being a foreigner and a whiny white boy.

she was a classic girl-next-door until she dared to show her rebellious side. it took her a year to gather the courage to bring him along to her nightly escapades, and that’s how beau was introduced to street racing. it was a tight community, the underbelly of the tokyo he had learned to know and the racers he had only heard rumors about. ayame was right at home with the gangs and introduced him to them. it became a frequent thing they did together, and ayame taught him their ways, how to race like a pro. it was an adrenaline spike and beau became addicted to it, spending more and more time with the crew while his academics plunged below the point where they could’ve still be saved.

it didn’t take him long to drop out and focus his entire attentions to the races. he never told his parents about his failure as a student, but they didn’t have time to ask him either. he kept his illegal activities away from the eyes of his family and never pulled them into the dangerous lifestyle he was leading.

being acquainted with the wrong side of the law helped beau fake his graduation as well, the fear of his parents knowing of his incompetence fresh on his mind. after the papers were presented, he told them he’d found a job and would be moving in with his girlfriend for better access to the workplace. they agreed and wished him well, and that’s when he became his own man.

he did indeed live with ayame, and they were happily together for four years before he popped the question and they got engaged. it was the happiest time of his life, and the engagement held for a year forward before they would be tragically torn away from each other. 

they partook in a race as a celebration, ayame with her own car and beau with the one he had won some time before. it was a high-stakes race, every car on the line, winner takes all sort of situation. the couple was confident of their chances to walk away with three new supercars, the confidence coming from countless of races won in the past.

the winding roads were coming to an end and beau held his first place while his soon-to-be wife was second. it seemed like a clear win for them until the third placer abandoned the rules set for the race and rammed his car against ayame’s, causing her to lose control in the speed. her wheel hit the curb and spun out, crashing violently, spinning on the asphalt for several meters before coming to a stop.

there was not even a thought spared for the possible win when beau caught what happened through the rearview mirror. the two others that were in last place were the next ones to stop by ayame’s wreckage, and beau yelled at them to help him get her out of the car. when her body finally laid in his arms, she was barely breathing. he tried everything he could to get her to wake up and come back to him, but despite his best efforts, she drew her final breath.

beau was crushed. his entire life fell into pieces when he held his wife for the last time. he was forcefully pulled away from her when the ambulance and police were closing in and his fellow racers tried their best to keep him from going into a rage when he arrived at the finish line. reasoning with him was impossible and his keys were confiscated when he tried to get back to her, his wife. when there was no way to get out, he lashed out at the one that ran her off the road, beating him into a bloody mess. he was restrained before he could take it too far, but the still fought the men holding him back.

he informed his parents, and mourned with her family. the support of her parents helped him stay in line and not lash out too violently even if no day went past that he would cry his eyes out and hit the walls. as much as her accident haunted him, he didn’t withdraw from the races and became determined to get revenge on the man that caused her death. 

avenging her was nothing short of wrathful. on the same road, the same time of the day, same conditions. he abandoned the set rules and swerved full-body against his car when passing him, sending the man into an uncontrollable spin. the wreck wasn’t as bad and the man survived, but beau didn’t stop to help him. he didn’t finish the race and went home, sent a message to his friends and family telling them he was moving back to america. 

trying to adjust back to the american life was hard and without a proper education he didn’t get a job that could support him. as much as he wanted to give up his career in racing, he weaseled his way back into similar crews and got his debut on the streets. it was no different from what he did in tokyo and the competition was the same, still falling behind him after the starting line. he built his reputation from ground up until his name was just a hushed whisper during the meets, their glances full of fearful respect. he left everything behind in tokyo and tries to live his life to the fullest. death doesn’t deal with warnings, a motto to live by.

FUN FACTS!

his everyday car is a 2017 McLaren 570S, while his main racing car is a 2002 mazda rx-7 spirit.

races independently but has claimed a crew for himself nonetheless ( forest hill riders | f.h.r )

owns a private garage where he stores the best cars he has won.

out of sentimentality, the license plate of his day to day car is ‘AYAME’.

he still tells his parents he works in business that pays extremely well. sound weird to say “yeah i make a couple of mil for driving and selling illegal cars”.

he doesn’t admit that he flexes his cars but he absolutely flexes his cars.

careless af with his money. hears someone say “i want that” and he’ll step up and buy it.

takes his work very seriously and is very stoic when it comes to preparing for a race.

fluent in japanese and english, and can put on a british accent like no ones business.

refuses to drive white cars. hates them in fact. does not like white cars.

bought a 1992 honda nsx and restored it to the same condition as ayame’s car was before the crash, down to the smallest imperfection and craziest mods. it’s not in use, but has stood in the garage for nine years.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

another racer, a type of frenemy situation where the competition is playful yet serious. they would have known for at least ten years and hang around each other during meets, but have a wedge between friendship due to different crew affiliation.

either one of his brothers (born 1993 and 1995) who don’t know about his lawless lifestyle but have made something of themselves. or not. i haven’t put much thought into them, just that beau was fiercely protective of them before leaving tokyo. all they know is that he makes money, has a job, and that he’s still shaken from the accident years ago but kept to himself.

any other connections are welcomed too! i’m bad at coming up with these lmao. if you got this far, thanks! 

[localocksmithnearme]

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[mechanicsden-blog]

The Risky Business of Skirting Trademarks (re-publish)

Due to shutdown of Pretend Race Cars blog (since the admin, under the pen name “James”, although the sim racing community knows who’s him), where I originally submitted this, I’ve archived one of my reader submissions here. This post was originally published on April 6, 2016, at the height of Automobilista F1 livery controversy that led the game being delisted from Steam for a while. Unfortunately, I am unable to restore any of the pictures, although every pictures there are just taken from the interwebs.

James’ thoughts are in italics. (except for italicizing of game titles) My commentary/fixes are in [italics in brackets]. 

A snapshot of the original is here.

As the debacle surrounding Reiza Studios and their battle with Formula One Management continues into its second week – with Automobilista still failing to appear on the Steam marketplace – avid PRC.net reader FMecha has sent in a beautiful Reader Submission chronicling the long list of copyright claims across various driving games. A great entry that is well worth your time to read on this otherwise quiet Friday afternoon, the piece goes to show that Reiza Studios weren’t the first developer team to run afoul of copyright technicalities, and they certainly won’t be the last.

Hello PRC! I would like to discuss the issue and examples of skirting trademarks in racing games, in light of a recent controversy – what allegedly forced Steam to de-list Automobilista.

Dodging, evading, or skirting trademarks – whatever you want to call it – just like the alleged reason behind the de-listing of Reiza Studios’ Automobilista is nothing new. Other racing game developers, just like Reiza, when they are unable to afford license(s) for something they want to represent in their racing games, may chose to take shortcut and attempt to thinly disguise it. There are three types of skirting trademarks I have witnessed in racing games:

The first kind involved deliberate misspelling of trademarks, like it was a counterfeit brand or something. This was prevalent in Japanese racing games around the 80’s and the 90’s. [Supposedly because Japan at the time do not really protect trademarks.] Examples of games using this technique include Video System’s (best known for the Aero Fighters arcade shmup series) Tail to Nose (based on the 1988 F1 season and also known as Super Formula in Japan), and Visco’s Drift Out. Of note, both games had sequels with licensed vehicles – Video System would later create licensed F1 games based on early and late 90s seasons, while Visco’s Drift Out was followed with Drift Out ’94: The Hard Order, that had licenses for all manufacturers (except Ford) and Neo Drift Out, the best known of all three due to the fact it was one of few racing games for the Neo-Geo platform and had licenses for all three Japanese WRC racers featured in the game.

This method was not free of repercussions. Tobacco giant Phillip Morris sued Sega because of the “Marlbobo” logos in early revisions of the arcade version of Super Monaco GP, primarily on grounds it was seen as marketing cigarettes to the youth. Sega was forced to issue a revised version of the game with many of the fake “sponsors” edited out; the title screen, which featured a Marlboro-sponsored McLaren car and a partially visible Marlboro ad, had to be edited as well.

The second method involved changing everything that belongs to the original cars (usually race car sponsors) with something original, and invented by the developer, while keeping the livery intact – this is usually done only on the race cars. This tactic was probably as closest I can to describe what Reiza did; apart from that, a small, obscure developer, Prism Arts, released two arcade rally racers, Rally de Africa and Rally de Europe, both for PlayStation and only in Japan. Both games featured various rally cars that have the body and the livery of the original cars, but all sponsor decals have been changed to those invented by the developer. (For example, the Diac logos on the Renault Megane Maxi were changed to Juno, etc). A similar act was done in Grand Prix Legends, after Sierra/Papyrus’ inability to secure Honda and Cooper licenses forced them to thinly disguise both teams as Murasama and Conventry, respectively.

I don’t know if this belongs to the first or the second method I described, but BATracer did something similar after the debacle with Ferrari that lead to the birth of Team Wales; every other manufacturer and team names were changed, most of them were play of the name of the originals. For instance, McLaren became McLewis, Red Bull became Red Bell, Toro Rosso became Roro Torso, Lotus became Sotul, etc.

Japanese racing games that deal with JDM cars, such as Shutokou Battle (Tokyo Xtreme Racer) series, play it differently. Most of them opt to just put the chassis codes of the car directly in their games, since every car nerd – their target audience – practically knew them and under assumption that those are not trademarked. AE86, BNR34, NA1, CE9A, GC8, FD3S, JZA80, EK9, S14, you name it. The risks were displayed when Crave, the company that localized the PS2 Shutokou Battle/Tokyo Xtreme Racer series (Genki developed them), was asked by Honda – a manufacturer that [at the time] has a flip-flopping stance against street racing (they were absent in Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3/Shutokou Battle 01, the first game in the series with licensed cars – as well in the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune series, yet appearing in Need for Speed Underground games, as well as the latest NFS title [NFS 2015], albeit late in the development) to rename their cars’ chassis codes to something unrecognizable, as well as redrawing the front box art of the game (recycled from TXR2 for Dreamcast; fitting since TXR0 is retelling of TXR2’s story) so that one of cover cars’ front fascia resembled the NSX less. (Unfortunately, not only the disc art went unchanged, they left a Honda chassis code unchanged: RF2, for Honda Stepwgn, a Japan-only MPV. Yes, you can play as an MPV in TXR0).

Yes, I mentioned lots of obscure racing games and yes, thinly disguising things when a developer doesn’t have the license is nothing new, and a carries a high legal risk.

A great write-up, and I can’t say I have much more to add. Any time a developer tries to interpret copyright laws in their own way, it turns into a giant game of roulette. Either they get away with it and it becomes a part of the game’s lore – as seen with Tokyo Xtreme Racer – or it gets a developer in deep shit, which is what most likely happened to Reiza Studios.

Retrospective Commentary

I forgot to mention one method of trademark skirting (or actually, one variation of the method) when road cars are involved: developers would take a car exactly it is and slap a made-up name on it. That’s what happened when the Honda chassis codes got renamed in TXR0, actually. Many cheaply developed racing games on Steam and mobile platforms go this route (as well as many Chinese developed arcade racing games). Look at the incident where the Mercedes Vision GT sneaks into to Dubai Drift.

Something to note, several months/years after I wrote this, Honda officially joined Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune’s car list in 5DX+ along with Lamborghini, although their appearance is currently restricted to NSX old and new.

Also in the end, Automobilista ended up recoloring some of the F1 cars (the not-McLarens now wear the Madonna colors from Super Monaco GP, probably since Brazilians love that game, for instance). And it’s actually easy to go back to old liveries... provided you keep backup of old liveries, or knew someone who uploads it.

Maybe next I can make a rogue’s gallery of those trademark skirtings...

[adriansmithcarslove]

2020 Acura NSX Interior Review: This Is a Supercar?

Remember how long it took for the Acura NSX to come to life? We endured years of concepts and spy shots, only for Acura to delay again and again in its quest to create a worthy successor to the iconic original. Fortunately, that wait paid off. The new NSX’s hybrid power and brilliant handling deliver a thrill. Unfortunately, its interior was apparently finalized early in the development process—it seems outdated and uninspired compared to the rest of the car.

Walk up to the NSX and you’re stricken by the aggressive, angular design. It’s hard to believe any Acura could look like this. Step inside, however, and it’s the opposite impression. It’s hard to believe any supercar could look like this. That’s not to say it’s badly designed; it’d look perfectly appropriate in a $35,000 TLX. But this is a $160,000 flagship, and its interior doesn’t have the pizzazz to complement its exterior or performance.

“If only the interior felt like a six-figure vehicle,” wished associate online editor Stefan Ogbac. The cabin’s stitched leather and carbon-fiber details contrast with far too much plastic for this price point. Executive editor Mark Rechtin noted, “Some of the form factors feel a bit last-decade.”

Ogbac also noticed “bits and pieces that reek of Honda parts bin,” like the push-button shifter. It looks to be the same unit found in the RDX crossover—and strikingly similar to the one in the Honda Insight. Against competitors whose shifters are wrapped in beautiful leather or hewn from glimmering crystal, this NSX touchpoint doesn’t feel special. That said, once in gear, the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters feel great and work just as well.

The infotainment system seems borrowed, too. Features editor Christian Seabaugh called it “old-school” given its low resolution and slow responses, likening it to what one might find in a 2014 MDX. The same goes for the digital instrument display. It’s driver-focused, devoid of extraneous details and with a large central tachometer. But again, the screen is low resolution and seems outdated. While other manufacturers boast crisp, clear, full-width digital instrument clusters that can be reconfigured to the drivers’ preferences, the NSX’s is basic. Its setup might have been modish three years before it hit the streets.

Hydrate well before you drive the NSX: Its cupholders are rudimentary. To stow beverages you must install the clip-in cupholder, which only has space for two cups and somewhat infringes on passenger legroom. Your keys, phone, and wallet have to share space in the tiny cubby behind the shifter, or inside the glove box.

A point of contention in the NSX and other Acura vehicles is the drive mode selector. It’s a large silver knob, prominently placed ahead of the shifter buttons. Instinct might suggest it controls audio volume, but the only volume it amplifies is that coming from the exhaust. Rather, to turn up your tunes, use the toggle beside the infotainment, or the dial on the steering wheel. Those methods work fine, but it takes time to learn to not reach for the mode selector. We’re all for drive modes that tangibly alter a car’s character, and the NSX’s do. But how they’re chosen seems overwrought. A smaller dial or buttons elsewhere would be more sensible.

Adjusting the seats in the NSX is simple, given their limited four-way adjustment. The result is a seating position that’s hard to optimize, especially for taller drivers, given the “insufficient thigh support and crude lumbar support” felt by six-foot-tall Rechtin. Those aside, the seats’ bolstering and grippy faux-suede trim support well when exploring the limits of SH-AWD. Seabaugh called out how “the seating position, low and slicked back, alone sets the expectations that this car doesn’t really care about your comfort—it just wants to go fast.”

Perhaps that’s the magic of the NSX’s interior. Its foibles fade as you glide on electric power away from a stop. Mat the accelerator and the interior vanishes as the twin-turbo V-6 whooshes and howls, building speed at an alarming rate. Guide it through corners and feel futuristic performance that’s entirely at odds with the materials around you.

No one should buy an NSX for its interior, nor should they let the interior deter them from buying an NSX. Its abilities as a supercar far overcome any shortcomings its interior might have. The NSX’s dynamics give us hope for our electrified future, even if its cabin comes from a bygone era.

The post 2020 Acura NSX Interior Review: This Is a Supercar? appeared first on MotorTrend.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8134279 https://ift.tt/2SLJZ3H

[perksofwifi]

2020 Acura NSX Interior Review: This Is a Supercar?

Remember how long it took for the Acura NSX to come to life? We endured years of concepts and spy shots, only for Acura to delay again and again in its quest to create a worthy successor to the iconic original. Fortunately, that wait paid off. The new NSX’s hybrid power and brilliant handling deliver a thrill. Unfortunately, its interior was apparently finalized early in the development process—it seems outdated and uninspired compared to the rest of the car.

Walk up to the NSX and you’re stricken by the aggressive, angular design. It’s hard to believe any Acura could look like this. Step inside, however, and it’s the opposite impression. It’s hard to believe any supercar could look like this. That’s not to say it’s badly designed; it’d look perfectly appropriate in a $35,000 TLX. But this is a $160,000 flagship, and its interior doesn’t have the pizzazz to complement its exterior or performance.

“If only the interior felt like a six-figure vehicle,” wished associate online editor Stefan Ogbac. The cabin’s stitched leather and carbon-fiber details contrast with far too much plastic for this price point. Executive editor Mark Rechtin noted, “Some of the form factors feel a bit last-decade.”

Ogbac also noticed “bits and pieces that reek of Honda parts bin,” like the push-button shifter. It looks to be the same unit found in the RDX crossover—and strikingly similar to the one in the Honda Insight. Against competitors whose shifters are wrapped in beautiful leather or hewn from glimmering crystal, this NSX touchpoint doesn’t feel special. That said, once in gear, the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters feel great and work just as well.

The infotainment system seems borrowed, too. Features editor Christian Seabaugh called it “old-school” given its low resolution and slow responses, likening it to what one might find in a 2014 MDX. The same goes for the digital instrument display. It’s driver-focused, devoid of extraneous details and with a large central tachometer. But again, the screen is low resolution and seems outdated. While other manufacturers boast crisp, clear, full-width digital instrument clusters that can be reconfigured to the drivers’ preferences, the NSX’s is basic. Its setup might have been modish three years before it hit the streets.

Hydrate well before you drive the NSX: Its cupholders are rudimentary. To stow beverages you must install the clip-in cupholder, which only has space for two cups and somewhat infringes on passenger legroom. Your keys, phone, and wallet have to share space in the tiny cubby behind the shifter, or inside the glove box.

A point of contention in the NSX and other Acura vehicles is the drive mode selector. It’s a large silver knob, prominently placed ahead of the shifter buttons. Instinct might suggest it controls audio volume, but the only volume it amplifies is that coming from the exhaust. Rather, to turn up your tunes, use the toggle beside the infotainment, or the dial on the steering wheel. Those methods work fine, but it takes time to learn to not reach for the mode selector. We’re all for drive modes that tangibly alter a car’s character, and the NSX’s do. But how they’re chosen seems overwrought. A smaller dial or buttons elsewhere would be more sensible.

Adjusting the seats in the NSX is simple, given their limited four-way adjustment. The result is a seating position that’s hard to optimize, especially for taller drivers, given the “insufficient thigh support and crude lumbar support” felt by six-foot-tall Rechtin. Those aside, the seats’ bolstering and grippy faux-suede trim support well when exploring the limits of SH-AWD. Seabaugh called out how “the seating position, low and slicked back, alone sets the expectations that this car doesn’t really care about your comfort—it just wants to go fast.”

Perhaps that’s the magic of the NSX’s interior. Its foibles fade as you glide on electric power away from a stop. Mat the accelerator and the interior vanishes as the twin-turbo V-6 whooshes and howls, building speed at an alarming rate. Guide it through corners and feel futuristic performance that’s entirely at odds with the materials around you.

No one should buy an NSX for its interior, nor should they let the interior deter them from buying an NSX. Its abilities as a supercar far overcome any shortcomings its interior might have. The NSX’s dynamics give us hope for our electrified future, even if its cabin comes from a bygone era.

The post 2020 Acura NSX Interior Review: This Is a Supercar? appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/acura/nsx/2020/2020-acura-nsx-interior-review-this-is-a-supercar/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

[tokupedia]

Kamen Rider 45th Anniversary File:Drive

2014-2015:

Godzilla returns for his 60th birthday to theaters in an American film adaptation reboot simply titled Godzilla. Unlike last time America did this stunt, the film was well done and was a success.

Fans celebrate and sing with Moon Pride with Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, a modern reboot that fully adapts the original manga for the franchise’s 20th anniversary.

Ultraman Ginga got a sequel season on TV, Ultraman Ginga S. Ultraman X would come the following year and Tsuburaya would sign an exclusive streaming and simulcast deal with the California-based internet streaming company Crunchyroll to broadcast entries of the Ultra Series legally on the web. (despite Chaiyo being jerks and trying to stop the deal with the fake “We own Ultraman” thing again)

Zing Zing, AMAZING! As long as there is love in the world, Cure Lovely is invincible! Pretty Cure celebrates its 10th Anniversary with HappinessCharge Precure, which introduces the concept of non-super mode form changing to the shoujo series thanks to Kamen Rider writers on the staff.

The Super Sentai Series hits a rough patch with ratings and toy sales as ToQger and Ninninger come and go. Super Sentai celebrates its 40th year of existence on April 5, 2015 and for the first time ever, a Power Rangers actor cameos in a Sentai!

Japan finishes switching to full digital HD TV broadcasting. Now we can see all the pretty lasers, sparks and explosions in glorious high definition!

Shout! Factory shocked Ranger Nation with a bombshell, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger was coming to DVD in the United States! Due to positive reception by fans and sales, the company would become the official distributor of Super Sentai DVDs in America!

Power Rangers celebrated 20 years of the franchise. The Mighty Morphin’ Red Ranger gets a spot in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a balloon!

Power Rangers Super Megaforce frustrates longtime fans of the series, with reviews ranging from “meh, it’s okay” to fan rage of the highest caliber for the mishandling of such a special occasion as the 20th anniversary. It really is a divisive season.

Kikaider Reboot attempts to relaunch Kikaider for its 40th anniversary, but later Shotaro’s son and president of Ishimori Pro Akira Onodera would put the Kikiader’s licensing to Japanese filmmakers under indefinite lockdown as he was unhappy with the direction the film took.

Cyborg 009 comes to America again with a graphic novel adaptation in 2013, intended to be the first of a series of graphic novels featuring Shotaro Ishinomori’s super heroes (”The Ishinomori Universe Books” as they were to be called). After a year of waiting for the next one, fans are disappointed to hear from F.J. DeSanto that the next set of books were put on hold and then cancelled indefinitely due to Ishimori Pro’s “cultural issues” with the project. Thus, the planned Skull Man and Kikaider novels are cancelled during their early draft phase. 

The Garo Series turns 10 years old and a vast array of projects are announced and debut on TV, video and in theaters, increasing the franchise’s media output to levels never seen before.

The Patlabor franchise gets a series of live action films with Erina Mano (Kamen Rider Nadeshiko) as one of its stars.

When Drive was being planned; the producers had an idea of utilizing aspects of another cult favorite “Rider” show: Glen A. Larson’s cult 1980s TV show Knight Rider. In an interview, producer Takahito Omori even outright stated that Drive would be “Kamen Rider meets Knight Rider”.

Now imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but you need to be subdued to avoid lawsuits when you are dealing with TV. (Especially with tyrannical copyright strikedowners and suers like NBC Universal if you are simply doing a tribute). But the overall feeling is there in some regard: Rinna is Bonnie, we have a KARR expy on two accounts and a sentient A.I. in a car that accompanied a law enforcer. But that is where the some of the Knight similarities end as Drive tries to be its own thing, a quirky, sometimes goofy, sometimes serious show with sentient Hot Wheels cars, special tires that give the heroes super powers and a talking belt.

The planning involved Riku Sanjo, who fans remember from the beloved Kamen Rider W. He wanted a police procedural drama integrated into the action. Oddly enough, the original concept was to make the hero a former criminal and then revised into a crook turned cop!  This idea was bounced around before the TV Asahi network executives got into a hissy fit about an anti-hero as a lead and said/demanded that the hero should be “pure”. So they decided to just make the show about cops with the main hero being an officer of the leu. (as Peter Sellers used to say).

A second concept idea was the use of games but the staff thought the age demographic they were aiming for was “too young for that”. This will still come... eventually in another Rider show years later.

Another aspect that chose the direction of the show was a more somber one, the choice of a car as the main Rider Machine. Ishinomori famously claimed in an SIC story that “cars didn’t work” for Kamen Rider the last time they tried it. But according to the Asahi Shimbun in 2014, with the dwindling population and low birth rate of Japan, motorcycles are becoming less and less common in number on Japan’s roads. No extra babies being born means less future rebellious youngsters and some of those who have bikes registered are getting older and greyer. 

So the staff chose a car as 1: Cars are steadily beginning to rise in number on Japan’s roads and 2: small car toys like Hot Wheels are and always will be popular with the young male demographic. Plus the staff thought it would be “innovative” as unlike with Black RX, the car would be the main hero’s sole vehicle. Also helping the car motif was Carranger director Ryuta Tasaki being on the show as a consultant and episode director, who wanted to “break a few conceptions about Heisei Kamen Rider”. 

So after the decision, the production crew took a used 1992 Honda NSX, got some custom seating, racing style safety belts and trim from TS Tech, took her to a body shop and went to work. Several months of hard labor and custom parts made in-house and spare/modified parts donated from Honda later.....

We got a souped-up custom super machine! Sure, Tridoron doesn’t have a style that is to everbody’s taste, but in the show it can fly like a certain Delorean, turbo boost, shoot lasers and can go a little over 340MPH and drive itself!

The cars and speed didn’t stop with the main hero, as we got a TRON-lined high tech Mercedes-Benz AMG GT (the first non-Japanese manufactured car in the Kamen Rider series) and a modified Mazda Miata with machine guns as villain cars for the movies. 

Another cool aspect of Drive is the indirect Marvel connection, the main lead actor Ryoma Takeuchi is a fan of Marvel Comics. This shows as his portrayal as Drive is a sometimes Spider-Man-esque snarky superhero. But Ryoma also studied hard to learn English really for one purpose: To meet Stan Lee and tell him how much he loved Marvel. A year after his show ended, he did! 

(Yes, even in other superhero fandoms, Stan ”The Man” Lee will make that cameo! 94 and still awesome and kicking, God bless him!)

Word is Ryoma’s now trying to get into Hollywood to be a Marvel superhero on the American big screen or TV. If that doesn’t prove Ryoma is One of Us, what will?  (Good luck Ryoma! We’ll be cheering for you and we hope your dream comes true!)

Chris Peppler, a Japanese-American radio DJ was chosen to be the other half of Kamen Rider Drive: the KITT-esqe Mr. Belt. Since he was fluent in both Japanese and English, it gave him room to play around as an actor and his performance even spawned a Rider meme or two.

But now, let’s START OUR ENGINES! Cuz’ ALL WE NEED IS DRIVE!

DRIVE! TYPE: 45 File! 

The First Kamen Rider (Proto) Drive

Real Name: Roidmude Proto-Zero

“Those who are about to die do not need to know my name”

A scientist named Dr. Krim Steinbelt was working on a device called Core Driviars which he hoped could be used to benefit mankind.

His colleague Dr. Banno had borrowed his invention when his own research on advanced A.I. androids called Roidmudes hit a dead end. Krim wanted to help his friend and aided in the development of Banno’s research. But then Banno had other ideas and used the androids human mimicry ability to enact his revenge fantasies of destroying those who mocked or didn’t support his research without Krim’s knowledge. But Krim found out about Banno’s petty and sadistic behavior and ended their partnership.

Banno then intended to implant the negative emotions of humans into his creations so they would understand the concept of hate and violence and be used as his military force to conquer the world. 

However, Banno’s plan seemingly went awry as the 108 Roidmudes he built gained sentience and rebelled against their cruel creator and like so many films and TV about AI, they decide we fleshy meatbags are not worth protecting or keeping around.

However, Krim had a contingency plan if Banno’s evil work bore fruit. After his home was attacked and he was killed by a Roidmude, a protocol was activated to download his consciousness into a belt-like device and he reactivated an early Roidmude that didn’t have Banno’s programming installed into him. The evil Roidmudes initiated a disaster later referred to as the Global Freeze, where a large quarter of the Earth was slowed down by the Heavy Acceleration phenomenon the Drivairs in the Roidmudes created. Many people were hurt or died and thousands of buildings were destroyed, but then a savior came in the form of a black Kamen Rider. The Rider drove away the evil forces but could not destroy the Cores that keep them alive. The Rider eventually fell in battle when one of the stronger Roidmudes defeated him and discarded a helpless Krim aside. Some say he is dead....but is he really?

The second and current Kamen Rider Drive (Officer Tomari circa 2015)

Real Name: Shinnosuke Tomari

When all the Global Freeze ruckus was about to go on, two police officers were in pursuit of a suspect of the terrorist cell Neo-Shade. When one of the suspects tried to ambush Officer Tomari’s partner Hayase by cornering him, Tomari panicked and pulled out his gun intending to disable the crook. But then the Global Freeze wave hit and slowed Officer Tomari down, causing his bullet to miss and hit a flammable generator near Hayase. The generator exploded and Hayase fell with steel pipes threatening to crush him after he fell. Tomari tried to save his partner but was slowed down again unable to reach him. Thankfully, due to the slowdown, Hayase was still alive after the pipes fell but was badly hurt. But being the cause of his best friend’s injuries haunted Officer Tomari and he became a broken man, unable to focus on work and losing all motivation. 

He was transferred to a special investigations unit as Krim had a friend in the Police force who could pull the strings to find a candidate worthy of being the next Kamen Rider and formed the unit. Half a year later, Shinnosuke is still in that department but has a lax motivation to do anything at first, constantly being scolded for his slacking by his co-worker Kiriko. Upon hearing there may be a Heavy Acceleration case, he gets interested at first but is easily discouraged by his low self esteem. He keeps hearing a voice coming for the red car he drives telling him to not give up and offers him a chance to be a “warrior”. Shinnosuke is a bit weirded out by this but tells the voice he still refuses as he is a has-been. But the voice tells him he knows he has greater potential and then when Shinnouske finds where the voice is coming from, Krim attaches himself to Shinnouske which freaks him out. After investigating another attempted murder with Heavy Acceleration in the area, they find the suspect: Roidmude #029. Unable to save a bystander as even with the Shift Cars help, he cannot do much as he is ambushed by more Roidmudes.

Kiriko tells him he must use Krim and transform and the Shift Cars give him a brace and a red car to go with the belt. He uses it to become Kamen Rider Drive Type Speed.  After a bit of a learning curve, Drive makes quick work of the Roidmudes using his new powers. (though at least one survived the attack via his Core escaping to antagonize the hero next episode)

When the day is saved, Kiriko shows him their base of operations under the Kuruma Driver's License Center: the Drive Pit. She tells Shinnosuke they must keep the base a secret from the Special Investigation Unit and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. So Shinnosuke must investigate the cases of the Roidmudes to stop and eliminate them as the secret Kamen Rider of law enforcement and supported by his allies in the Special Investigations Unit.  Many twists and tuns happen along the way, with new allies, new powers and new dangers and mysteries around every corner!

Gear:

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Core_Driviars

The Drive Driver aka “Mr. Belt” - Krim’s current form and Shinnosuke’s partner. Unlike KITT from Knight Rider whom partially inspired his character, Krim can leave the car and be mobile to help his partner whenever and wherever he is needed and is a vital part of the Drive System’s functions.

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Shift_Brace

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Shift_Cars

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Shift_Car_Holder

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Tridoron Its full “Format Number” is the Tridoron-3000. 

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Tire_Specific_Items

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Handle-Ken

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Door-Ju

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Trailer-Hou

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Ride_Booster_Set - Go karts which combine with the Tridoron to change into hover conversion tech! Best of all, they were a free gift from Rinna, no $39,999.95 worth of body work needed!

Powers: 

Super Speed, enhanced strength and reflexes, weapons proficiency, Immunity to singularity events such as Heavy Acceleration if Shift Cars are on his person or his Core Driviar in his Rider Suit is active. 

The Shift Cars give a wide variety of powers:

Flame Generation and projectiles

Ninja based-powers such as cloning jitsu and throwing shuriken construct projectiles  

Spike projectile shooting

Entrapment of an enemy via a cage.

Twin Shields, Playing card projectiles and smokescreen/Coin projectiles, the coin ones depend on Drive’s luck though.

Teleports a fraction of Drive’s Body to another area or creates portals.

Enhanced power and defense

Gives Drive analytical power, enhanced reflexes and the ability to multitask and detect enemies from behind him. 

Enhanced Super Speed with rocket boosters and more power. Able to resist Super Heavy Acceleration.

Healing Factor, albeit a very painful one.

Self-repair to Drive’s armor

Nitro power boost to enhance speed

Hologram projections

A Drill that can pierce the Roidmudes!

Light projection to blind enemies

Grappling hook!

Spanner fist

chomping claws and elastic “tongue” on the claws.

freezing blast ability

Cement gun

Fire extinguisher and extendable robotic arm

Acme 10 ton weight and gravity distortions

lifting jack

Able to fuse the power of 3 Shift cars into one super ability or all of them. Able to resist all forms of Heavy Acceleration. Energy Shield

Also, like Fourze, Wizard and Deacde, Drive’s powers are compatible with Super Sentai powers as he can use a Ninninger Nin Shuriken to turn Tridoron into a Zord. Though that was just a one-off thing.

Signature Finishers:

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Full_Throttle_(finisher)

Weaknesses:

A big one is Shinnosuke needs Mr. Belt to transform and given that he is an A.I., that means he is vulnerable to hacking or tampering to make the once friendly scientist into a violent killing machine via evil programming and use Drive’s body in Type Tridoron to hurt others. 

The Shift Cars can be captured, immobilized or damaged. In some cases, the villains could even control them and use them against Drive.

Shinnosuke can be killed, even when in Rider form as the battle with Freeze seemingly showed. Meaning a more powerful opponent with devastating firepower can kill Drive if enough effort is put in or he somehow has no access to his defensive abilities. Despite being protected from singularities, he is not entirely immune to distortions in time and can be affected by them. (Though this was a bit inconsistent as he somehow remembered being a hero later when this happened.)

Stronger Heavy Acceleration waves can severely damage Drive or slow him down. But modifications and successions to his base Core Driviar system thanks to Dr. Hendrickson and Rinna in newer forms slowly negates this weakness to the point it is not an issue as he can maintain his movement. 

Enemies:

Roidmudes:

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Category%3ARoidmudes

Androids created by Tenjiro Banno and Krim Steinbelt who possess sapient, advanced level intelligence, human mimicry abilities and a wide variety of powers as well as the ability to generate Heavy Acceleration. 

In a nice nod to the original Kamen Rider, the low level types of Roidmudes are divided into three of the classic Rider mythology monsters: Bat Type, Spider Type and Cobra Type.

Roidmudes are capable of evolving to even stronger forms: Advanced, Giant, and the rare Super Evolved State, which grant Roidmudes new abilities and greater power and stronger Heavy Acceleration effects. Their goal is to create a utopia for their race by attaining The Promised Number of evolution.

Among the Advanced Roidmudes are several generals/leaders:

Heart 

Brain

Medic

Freeze

And their enforcer/reaper: the mysterious Mashin Chaser.

And secretly pulling the strings of these events from the shadows is.....

Tenjuro Banno/Gold Drive:

(The KARR to Krim’s KITT)

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Tenjuro_Banno

Tenjuro Banno was a horrible and insane human being and even worse as an A.I.. An abusive, petty, cold, manipulative, ego-driven, sadistic and narcissistic black soul who believed the world owed him tribute to his “genius”. Seeing those that help him as nothing but pawns, even his own family as his two kids need a therapist after all the stuff he pulled. He is the cause of the first Global Freeze as a “ test experiment” and planned everything, as the rebellion of the Roidmudes was no accident but planned by him. 

Like Krim, he uploaded his consciousness into an A.I. after being killed and slowly let his schemes come to fruition, even faking helping and reforming when reunited with his son and Krim to steal more tech Team Drive used and render it useless against him. He even managed to kill a Kamen Rider fans came to like over the course of the series. (I won’t say who though.)

He truly was a villain fans loved to hate for how dirty he played and demented he was, helped by the fact he was played by voice actor Masakazu Morita whom anime fans know can play crazy in a way that gives you shivers. He also was formidable as an evil Kamen Rider as he could pull off a wide array of powers, including swiping the weapons of the heroes away from them via teleport!

Neo-Shade: 

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Neo-Shade

A Terrorist group that Shinnouske was trying to track down before the series, they resurfaced in the final episode and were dissolved as their leader was captured. No seeming relation to the real Shade from Kamen Rider G other than its name.

Remember, the world has a drive that goes faster than ever, but as long as you yourself have a drive in life, you can be in Top Gear and go along for the Ride! 

Shinnosuke Tomari: A Kamen Rider’s flight into a dangerous world ...the world.... of the Drive Rider. *1980s synth music*

[immedtech]

The Acura RLX Sport Hybrid is an agile car with some outdated tech touches

Luxury cars need more than a smooth ride to appease drivers. When dropping $50,000 (or more) on a vehicle, people want something that glides but can also quicken the pulse. Audi, BMW, Mercedes and even Cadillac are delivering on all of those fronts. Now with the RLX Sport Hybrid (starting at $61,900), Acura is getting close too.

The top-of-the-line Acura sedan takes cues from the automaker's NSX supercar. Make no mistake, these are two different cars, and the chances of seeing an RLX drifting around a corner during a track day are pretty much nil. But what the car lacks in pole-position cred it makes up for in solid AWD (all-wheel drive) handling, comfortable accommodations and aggressive styling. Unfortunately, the infotainment system doesn't live up to the rest of the car.

At its core, though, the RLX has all the attributes of a luxury car: a smooth ride that all but eliminates rough roads, a quiet cabin that forces you to open the window if you want to actually hear the engine and steering that has a casual relationship with the road. During my drives in San Francisco's city streets and on the highway, I half expected the inclusion of an AWD system to be wasted. What's the point of added cornering prowess if the car is going to float all over the road? Then I hit the mountains and pressed the Sport button.

In the switchbacks near Muir Woods, the RLX surprised me with its ability to stick to a line around tight corners. Yes, there was body roll but nothing near what I expected. On twisty roads, it's almost like two cars: an interior that reminds you where all your money went and an AWD system that's up to the task of keeping the wheels planted onto the asphalt.

That impressive cornering has a lot to do with parent company Honda's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). It might be a feature that sounds like it was coined by an eight-year-old, but the tech behind it (especially in the RLX hybrid) makes a potentially boring car almost exciting to drive in the mountains. The system dynamically sends torque to the wheels to adjust for a corner. At a basic level, it pushes more torque to the outside wheels during a turn. On the RLX the electric motors are used to deliver that extra power. Unfortunately, that power never translates into thrilling forward motion.

The RLX's combined power output of 377 horsepower and 341 pounds of torque feels adequate. It's not slow by any means and I had zero issues getting up to highway speeds from a dead stop, but still: It lacks pizzazz. When I stomped on the accelerator, I wanted more.

During my quest for a faster car, the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission worked great on the highway. But during spirited driving I'd recommend switching to the paddle shifters to keep your momentum up.

Because the RLX only has a normal driving mode and Sport, you don't get a lot of control over the hybrid system. Many hybrids on the road today are giving drivers a plethora of options to fine-tune their gas versus electric driving. The RLX, not so much, but after a day I was fine with it. Sometimes you just want the car to figure it out, and the RLX does that with aplomb.

It also does a fine job pampering its occupants. The seats are plush and comfortable. Long hours in the car melted away with nary an ache or pain while the headrest felt more like a pillow than protection against whiplash (it's still protection against whiplash). All four seats have adequate legroom and warmers so that driving home after a day on the slopes is an opportunity to raise your core temperature via your butt.

While the car is great at making your rear end feel cushy, its infotainment system is disappointing. With a dated color scheme and design that reminded me of the Windows BIOS screen, it feels out of place in a car with this many amenities. It's like putting a Compaq computer into a smartly furnished apartment. The information it shares about the vehicle's efficiency feels cluttered, and the media player looks more like Real Player than anything else on the market right now. Navigating the system is a chore, and it doesn't get better when you talk to the car.

The voice control is also frustrating -- it forces you to follow a script with multiple choices. It made me pine for the natural voice control found in other cars, smartphones and smart speakers. To make matters worse, the car does not support Android Auto or CarPlay.

But if you can get past the infotainment shortfalls and you're not expecting too much based on the "Sport" moniker, Acura's sport sedan makes for a comfortable cruiser. Thanks to Honda's stellar SH-AWD, the car will pleasantly surprise you in corners. Plus will likely to give you peace of mind in inclement weather.

Source: Acura

- Repost from: engadget Post

[vsplusonline]

Narain Karthikeyan will be back after a break

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/narain-karthikeyan-will-be-back-after-a-break/

Narain Karthikeyan will be back after a break

He is no Dominic Toretto from the Fast and Furious films but Narain Karthikeyan — the ‘straight outta Coimbatore’ former Formula One racer — is as close a real life parallel as you can get for someone who lives by these words: “I live my life a quarter mile at a time.”

It is not far fetched to propose that the man holds a unique distinction with the average Indian ‘petrolhead’ — nobody else can claim ownership to a name that is so synonymous with the world of motorsports, especially for a whole generation of racing enthusiasts since the 1990s.

When he completed his drive up the hill to the pinnacle of racing in the summer of 2005, the first Indian to do so, it inspired many to pursue the dream of getting behind the wheel of a car that can go insanely fast around a corner.

But motorsport’s image — of being a niche sport that opens its corridors only for the super rich — did not evolve, and Narain, in these last 15 years, remains only one of two Indians ever (Karun Chandhok is the other) to have made something of a mark in Formula One.

“Being the first one [in F1] was always very difficult. I got there against all odds. It was not a walk in the park. For a boy from Coimbatore… you know, when I started 27 years ago, I virtually had nothing. So, for me to race with the likes of [Michael] Schumacher, [Fernando] Alonso and the rest of them… sometimes you need to pinch yourself to know that you have really done it,” says Narain.

Coimbatore Central

The 43-year-old is in Chennai for the launch of Usha International’s Racer Chrome fans, when he takes a few minutes off to speak to us. Narain has been the firm’s brand ambassador for a year. “[Usha] is a brand we have all grown up with. It was a perfect fit.”

Something else that is a perfect fit is Coimbatore and its love for fast cars. The city is a hotbed for racing enthusiasts. “It is a city full of engineers and enthusiasts. We like to mess with our cars and tune them up. We have a deep culture and all racing cars, to this day, are manufactured in Coimbatore. I suppose it is part of our DNA,” he smiles.

Narain’s father was into rallying and so he was exposed to cars from a very young age. “Maybe, as a 10-year-old I thought that F1 was exciting. I just wanted to see how far I could reach.”

An Indian racer driving in the Indian Grand Prix (at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida) is how far Narain could go. “We all thought that F1 coming to India would do a lot for the sport, but it didn’t actually do much.”

He adds that there still is hope in the form of Jehan Daruvala, the 21-year-old from Mumbai, who was recently signed onto the Red Bull junior team (whose earlier graduates include Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen).

“[Jehan] is the best we have right now. He has done well in Formula 3. Now he is in Formula 2. It is his big chance,” he adds.

Choosing between rivals

While he harbours no regrets over a short-lived career in F1, his one time rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, are set to duel it out for the title in the upcoming F1 season that begins in Australia later this month. Narain, more infamously than famous, had an on and off-track beef with Vettel when he raced in Formula One. With Hamilton chasing his seventh driver’s championship that would pull him level with all-time record holder Michael Schumacher, we asked Narain who he would place his bets on. “Judging by recent performances, it has to be Hamilton. With the car and the driver combination, I think they are going to be unbeatable for a while,” he says.

Narain himself is a while away from hanging up his gloves. Last year, he competed in the SuperGT series in Japan, switching from a career driving single seater race cars that helped him build his fame and fortune.

In the last race of the season, driving for Nakajima Racing, Narain won in his Honda NSX-GT under testing conditions, claiming his first win since the 2013 Auto GP.

Sprightly at dusk

“It felt quite nice,” says Narain, of the feeling of winning after a gap.

“[Racing in] Japan is tough. The whole package needs to come through [for a race win]. Everybody drives on different brands of tyres, engines and manufacturers. Honda NSX is a mid-ship car, and it performed really well in some of the circuits. For the last race, all of us raced on the same kind of tyres and, I think, that made a big difference. I felt happy that I could achieve what I did,” he adds.

But he left SuperGT immediately after prompting speculation on what’s next.

There are whispers that Narain has the European Le Mans series in his sights. In 2009, Narain’s desire to compete in the gruelling 24 hours of Le Mans ended abruptly when he suffered an injury on the eve of race day, leading to disqualification.

Does he want to chase an unfulfilled dream? “At some point, yes. But I’m taking a break now.”

Narain says his desire to get behind the wheel has not diminished. “My reflexes are still quite good, and fitness wise, I keep at it,” he says. “As you grow older, recovery takes longer. But I still love the sport and that is why I do it.”

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[20zagor70]

best local boxer going pro What you need

best local boxer going pro What you need is mental and spiritual rejuvenation, both of which can be found at the Wat Buddharangsi, a Thai Buddhist temple in Homestead. And Ralph Lauren paint? It's true. 1991 Acura NSX in PhotosWe pit new against old icons to track the evolution of Honda performance. These questions are especially tricky when Trump administration veterans interact with news organizations. Florida International University political science professor Marvin Dunn sums up the commissioner: "I have nothing but cheap yeezy shoes praise for the stand that Spence Jones has taken: Show us the money. Finally, it a good core workout. The distance from the front door of Thomas Jefferson High School, where he became a football star, to the main entrance to Heinz Field, is only 12.4 miles. Rediff shopping market place has almost all the things you usually purchase in your Cheap Fake Yeezys everyday life. 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[crarsports]

9 Quick Tips For Parent Company Of Acura | Parent Company Of Acura

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[itsworn]

$150 Electric Power Steering? Junkyard Prius Delivers!

Costs a tenth of the aftermarket solutions, and saves you horsepower and fuel!

While hot rodders begrudge fuel economy regulations like a childhood curfew, the OEMs’ conquest for efficiency has left us with some excellent LEGO bricks for our projects. Namely, the abundance of electric power steering (EPS) systems that have found their way into factory cars over the last decade. Though Honda/Acura was first to introduce the voltage-assisted tech in the 1991 NSX, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that the industry saw widespread adoption of EPS, when the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 bumped Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements (or the average fuel economy of an automaker’s passenger cars) up to 35mpg by 2020. The byproduct of these fuel economy-minded changes? What makes an engine more fuel efficient often helps make more horsepower!

We guess there are more uses for Priuses (Priuii?) than tank fodder. The second-generation Prius was not just popular with eco-nuts, but taxi companies as well – there’s no shortage of them in our local yards.

  By eliminating the hydraulic pump and steering box, a significant – and always present – parasitic drag on the engine is removed. While the Toyota EPS system we’re about to dive into is rated for up to 60amps of current draw, most of the time it will pull a tenth of that as you go about typical driving, and the battery is able to compensate for much of that current draw before it passes the load to the alternator. This means that you can retain one-finger power steering while freeing up a little extra horsepower and maybe even a little fuel mileage. Plus, it removes a lot of plumbing, flammable fluids, and weight out of the engine bay. EPS isn’t necessarily new to the aftermarket, but with most kits starting around $1,000 for universal components, this $150 junkyard jewel makes for a perfect donor.

How does this EPS wizardry work?

EPS is an incredibly simple system that uses a torque sensor to measure driver input (steering position, torque, and velocity), an electronic control unit (ECU) to interpret that data, and a beer-can-sized electric motor on a worm-drive to directly assist the steering column (though some systems, like the aforementioned NSX, place the motor on the steering rack instead). While not necessary for this particular swap, the EPS ECU also takes data from the CAN-bus to interpret vehicle speed and stability control information into how much assist it produces – mostly to provide extra boost at low speed to ease parking lot maneuvers, while lessening the boost at higher speeds so that the steering is less sensitive and tracks straighter with less input.

The torque sensor is the real magician in this system. The steering shaft is magnetized with multiple North and South poles along its circumference, which act similar to the teeth of a Hall Effect crank or wheel sensor. They as an encoder to tell the EPS ECU what angle the steering wheel is and how quickly it’s turning.

  When you steer the wheel and rotate the magnetized steering shaft, the internal magnetic field distorts with the input torque (twist), which is read by the magnetic field sensor and the EPS ECU, and calculated into steering torque number to measure how hard you’re steering and how much feedback is coming through the steering gear.

  With this data, along with the optional VSS input, the EPS ECU decides what direction to spin the motor along with how much force.

  A popular donor for this mod are the GM Delta platform cars: the Saturn Ion, Chevy Cobalt and HHR, and Pontiac G5. The cars were prolific, and with 15 years of production, abundant in junkyards today; but they’re not as brain-dead as the Toyota EPS when removed from the car. The EPS ECU found in the Delta cars still requires a vehicle speed sensor signal, which can be simulated with an extra little module found online for $75 to $100. For the Toyota system, however, it uses a fail safe mode (DTC U0073 and U0121) when it can’t see the CAN-bus or vehicle speed sensor, setting its assist like it would at 43 mph. This sounds like a bodge, but pioneers of this swap have reported thousands of miles of usage with no issues. This makes the Toyota EPS entirely stand-alone, simplifying the swap further while reducing costs by eliminating the need for extra parts. Depending on how your local yard charges, the entire column, motor, and ECU can be had for $50 to $150.

We found ours in a second-gen 2004-2009 Prius, but these can also be found in most 2009+ Corollas and Yaris as well. We’ve read that Nissan, Hyundai, and Kia possibly use a similar stand-alone EPS, but can’t confirm it ourselves.

Installing into a project

We’re going to be a little brief here, as each install is unique to the project it’s going into, but we’ll give you the skinny on what the Toyota EPS needs to operate.

The Toyota EPS only needs three wires to operate. An 8-gauge power feed with a 60 amp fuse supplies the main juice along with an 8-gauge ground (6-gauge or larger may be necessary for longer, trunk-mounted battery harnesses). Next, Pin 6 of Connector P8 is run to a fused, switched 12v source to trigger the system when the key is turned “on.”

First and foremost, the factory fuse is 60 amps, so we’d recommend 8-gauge or larger wiring for the primary 12v and ground wires that power the ECU and motor. While this current draw is one of the highest you’ll see in most automotive systems, EPS operates at about a tenth of that in typical operation. Think of it like a hydraulic system, it builds maximum pressure and stresses the system most when the wheel is against something, like a curb or the steering-stops themselves, and cannot steer further. Next, the only other hook-up needed is to a switched 12v source that turns on with the ignition. Once wired, you’ll hear the ECU click its main power relay, and within a few seconds the motor will come alive. You may notice that without any connection to a steering system, that the motor does basically nothing. The torque sensor needs to see a load on the steering shaft to begin its assist, so be sure to lock down the steering box/rack end of the assembly when testing the unit’s function.

Mounting the Toyota EPS column is project-dependent, but it comes with two very usable factory mounts for 12mm hardware. The lower mount is a simple, using a Delrin-isolated cross bolt that doubles as a pivot for the tilt; and the upper mount incorporates a sliding lock for tilt.

The lower mount can pivot with the tilt mechanism in the upper mount, and is retained by a long, 2.5- to 3-inch-long, 12mm bolt.

Depending on how much of the steering column tube and upper mount is retained when adapting your column, the factory’s upper mount incorporate the tilt mechanism.

  What you’ve got to engineer is the adaption to your factory or aftermarket steering shaft and column to connect the Toyota EPS to your machine’s steering wheel and tie rods. We’ve seen a handful of solutions for this, but it’s similar to the skills necessary to shorten and install any other steering column. Some folks machine (or carefully grind) the Toyota steering shaft to accept a D-shaft coupler, like what’s found in ididit’s universal columns. Others have bored the Toyota shaft out while turning the diameter of the factory steering shafts down to fit inside, then press-fitting and welding the assembly together. We made sure to grab the steering shaft and its U-joint so that adapting it downstream would be easier without needing to source the Prius-specific pieces, saving a few more bucks – but CJ’s Pony Parts sells the appropriate 11/16-inch 36-spline weldable coupler if needed.

You’ll also have to “de-power” your hydraulic steering box or rack, or use a manual-steering unit to complete the swap, but this is required for any EPS conversion.

We’ll focus on install options in a future story, but for now, we wanted to plant the EPS seed in your brain as you chew on ideas for your next project.

The post $150 Electric Power Steering? Junkyard Prius Delivers! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/150-electric-power-steering-junkyard-prius-delivers/ via IFTTT

[s3mag]

These days, it’s easy to dismiss supercars. Sure – I loved ‘em as a kid. But as I’ve gotten older/busier… I’ve realized that filling my head with supercar statistics is more-or-less a waste of my time & brain space. They’re out of my league. They’re usually pretty unusable. Forget about self-maintenance. And there’s the owner stigma. Take it all into account, and supercars/exotics are un-relatable to most of us. And as such, I’ve become more genuinely amused with the excitement of the automotive aftermarket: big turbos on small cars, and/or the old romantic analog stuff.

But look – we all have stereotypes deep-rooted in our heads. Preconceived notions. Blanket statements we throw around… especially in a social media-driven world. But usually – the solution to start dissolving all these things… is EXPERIENCE & PERSPECTIVE. I’ve now had experience in the NSX, and it’s changed my perspective. I’m not going to compare the NSX to other supercars. Because frankly, I don’t have experience in other supercars. But what I am gonna compare the NSX to… is Honda itself. 

Throughout Honda’s early history, they were the underdog when compared to the Euro & American brands in motorsports. Brushed aside. Sent back to the kid’s table. The Cool Runnings syndrome. And because of that – it created a brand with a lot to prove. A lot of heart & fight. Honda employs some of the best innovators, engineers, and creative minds in the world – whether they’re building robots, or Type-Rs, or airplanes. Amongst the automotive aficionados, Honda has historically been undervalued. Yet historically – they come out of top from endurance, performance, and reliability standpoints. How is that? Well the answer, again I assume, is engineering, innovation, and creative minds. Honda doesn’t necessarily follow the format… they kind of rebel against it. And a lot of times, they rewrite it. Today in 2019, every time you get in your car & drive to the store, you see 25-year-old Hondas all around you… I guarantee it. Where are all the 25-year old Audis?

Still – the guys who pose next to their European supercars dismiss the Honda/Acura emblems, for lack of heritage and/or pedigree. But the background I’ve just described above… is the very definition of heritage & pedigree. Over the past 3-4 decades, Honda played a MAJOR role in creating an entire new generation of hot-rodder & racer. They’ve had SUCH an impact on shaping who a lot of us are as car enthusiasts… hell… in shaping our lifestyles. That’s heritage. And Ayerton Senna clinching F1 championships in a Honda-powered car… that’s pedigree. 

  So here’s how I see the NSX. The NSX was conceived from some of the best & most synchronized minds in the automotive universe… and born from a company that’s had to fight for every ounce of credit they’re ever gotten. That may or may not resonate with the posh supercar fraternity clubs… but it damn sure resonates with me. And I love the fact that, even at a supercar level, people still see the NSX as ‘just a Honda.’ lol. When will it ever stop… I honesty hope never. 

  Here’s the specs on the 2nd gen NSX. You have a transverse-mounted, twin-turbo 3.5 V6 gas engine behind the seats. 

Then) – you have a straight-drive electric engine that comes in immediately upon throttle to seamlessly fill in the gap of boost lag.  

Then) – you have two motors under the front hood… driving each front wheel. 

For a total of 580hp to all 4 wheels. And please understand, that this is not the same 580hp that’s in your buddy’s blown Mustang. This is real race car stuff. Fluid, controlled, and structured. It’s a scalpel. The gearbox is a 9-speed twin-clutch that is insanely deliberate & precise. The NSX engineer featured on Leno’s Garage broke it down as essentially a 7-speed gearbox, but with a launch gear (1st), and an overdrive/cruising gear (9th). 

Carbon ceramic brakes diced up the mountain roads effortlessly. Literally… effortlessly.

  And I’m not qualified to speak on the airflow & aerodynamics of this car, because I’m 5 and these people are NASA scientists lol. But again – I reference you to the Leno’s Garage video on Youtube, where Leno spoke with a lead engineer & designer for the NSX. Basically, the NSX was designed to have air run through it… and not just around it.  When Honda/Acura made the decision to turbocharge the car from the original V10 N/A concept, the original design was completely reworked & widened to account for more airflow, large intercoolers, and heat dissipation. Air is collected & routed out of inconspicuous vents above the taillights… and that creates a virtual platform/table for air coming over the roof & decklid to press on for downforce. 

If you’re anything like me, you get a little weird about diving other people’s cars. But listen – if you ever get the chance to drive the NSX, do it! Don’t pass it up! So many of us drive cars that handle mountain roads really well. Some exceptionally well. But a Golf R, Focus RS, STI, Evo, etc… these are all tweaked-out, strengthened versions of their more economical/basic counterparts: Meaning the Golf R is based on a normal Golf, the RS is based on a Focus, the STI is based on an Impreza, and so on. Now as car guys, we take these tweaked versions, and tweak them out even more in the aftermarket, with more power, better suspension parts, stickier tires, stronger brakes, more efficient cooling, etc. And they’re killer! But they were never designed… from conception… to be this! The NSX was made for one thing. It has one purpose. And it is the pinnacle of that purpose. 

  Critics might mention that the interior on the new NSX is not very special. And that’s it’s too similar to a TLX/RDX/MDX. To that, I say in my best Peter Griffin voice, “Oh my God, who the hell cares!” I’m not sure what other journalists are driving on the regular… but the interior of the NSX is just damn fine. Does it share design references with the rest of the Honda/Acura family? Yeah… but so what?? I view the NSX interior & textures as more of a nod to the quality/longevity in other Acura models… rather than a knock on the NSX itself.

The NSX has great visibility front & rear. It’s got great sensory support through the seating position & steering wheel. Yet, it’s easy to get in & out of… easy to run errands in. If it wasn’t for the child-seat situation (and the ‘budget’ situation), I could 100% throw a bike rack on this thing & daily it without much of a care in the world. And to that point – we averaged 18 miles per gallon with a heavy foot. *We never drove the NSX in Quiet Mode. It took about 100-feet to realize Quiet Mode was stupid, and flipping to Sport+  then-on became part of the starting sequence. Therefore all our feelings about this car are based on Sport+ and Track Mode.

Acura NSX Review These days, it’s easy to dismiss supercars. Sure - I loved ‘em as a kid. But as I’ve gotten older/busier… I’ve realized that filling my head with…