VTEC gains boost

Honda have stuck fast to their VTEC engine technology - claiming it will last the test of time....well it hasn't. New emissions laws and increased pressure from other performance hatchbacks have landed Honda in hot water - they've made the decision to throttle back VTEC and throw in boost!

Three new Honda engines have been announced, a 1litre 3 cylinder, as well as 1.5litre and 2.0litre 4 cylinder lumps. All turbocharged. 

The idea is that the VTEC technology will now be put to use in making the engines economical at low revs, whilst the turbochargers develop the power higher up the rev range - herolding the potential end of screaming Civic Type R's at 9,000rpm. 

It was the only obvious choice for the Japanese auto-maker, with their latest Type R producing a gob-load less power than its rival hatchbacks, not to mention the unforgivably low torque figures - a side effect of using VTEC to gain power at high RPM. We know Honda can make awesome engines and utilize incredible engine technologies, hopefully now they'll prove this whilst producing similar HP/Torque figures as their rivals. 

Words: Andy Pilcher             Images: Honda UK

F-Type adds hardtop and awesomeness!

Jaguar have had a rocky 15 years - nobody can deny that. Anyone who can remember the likes of the S-Type and the last run of the old XKR's will have fond memories of the bloated weight, off styling and a noticeable loss of quality. 

Put that all aside though, as the past few years; under the ownership of Indian manufacturer Tata of all people, have been more than prosperous for the luxury brand. It all turned around with the XF saloon; that showed the world that Jaguar was ready to be cool again. A string of new models have come since then, the latest being the F-Type - a gorgeous and devilishly fast drop top, heralded as the long awaited offspring of the 60's E-Type. 

Well Jaguar have stunned crowds again by launching the F-Type Coupe. Adding a fixed hard top roof and somehow making the already beautiful F-Type offensively gorgeous - supermodels used to front covers and red carpets resemble the type you would only pray on at last orders in comparison to this hard top stunner!

Starting at £51,235 for the base V6 coupe ranging up to £85,000 for the top of the line R-Coupe with the snorting V8 Jaguar couldn't be pitching the F-Type more at the Porsche line up. We already know how much of a focused driving machine the F-Type is, with the extra rigidity of a fixed hard top the coupe can only be even more awesome! We salute Jaguar for their new found confidence. 

You can watch the unveiling of the F-Type Coupe here, courtesy of Jaguar UK:

Words: Andy Pilcher             Images: Netcarshow

Why we'll miss Paul Walker...

It is with sadness that we have to write this little article but we feel it necessary to clear up exactly why the untimely death of Paul Walker is so important and has caused such a sad 'buzz' on all the social media sites. 

Paul Walker is best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the hit movie franchise "The Fast & Furious" . It is always a sad time when any celebrity passes away - due to the inherent nature of a single person 'touching' a massive audience through the media, Paul's passing is perhaps even more distressing thanks to that film series. 

The Fast & Furious is not just any old film, it is a franchise that a whole generation of motoring enthusiasts grew up with, us included. Every modifier under the age of 30 (and most over too) will remember vividly that very first scene with Brian (Paul) maxxing out his lime green Mitsubishi Eclipse fondly, it was the start of a film that opened the eyes of many teenagers to the world of car modifying. 

As the series went on and those teenagers grew up they learned to take the films realism with a pinch of salt, every 'meme' page has at least one referencing the seemingly endless gearboxes the Fast & Furious cars had. Be that as it may, put simply - without those films the amount of modified cars on the roads today would be but a fraction of what they are. We all love the modifying culture, so we inherently love the Fast & Furious franchise. 

What does this mean for the franchise? Nobody knows yet - barely 12 hours from the fatal incident and rumours are already circulating the internet about what will happen with the latest planned installment (Fast 7) - as filming was underway when the accident occurred, is it at a point they can finish? Should they? I personally say yes - what greater tribute could there be than to publish the final hurrah of such a terrific actor and gentleman. 

What can we take from this sad incident? This very unfortunate accident disproves what the movies unknowingly told us - even modifiers aren't invincible. Hopefully this will teach people that while owning and modifying fast cars is no-doubt fun, racing them on the streets is not only illegal - but incredibly dangerous! Keep the racing on the tracks and drag strips. 

We salute you Mr Walker, a fine actor - a legend to millions and a charitable, loving family man. 

Words: Andy Pilcher

Lexus unveils sporty coupe

Lexus are desperate to shake off the image of their vehicles being mundane and their buyers ancient and dull. The LFA did a lot to remove this preconceived notion, with its mental powerplant and £350,000 price tag. 

That was a bit unrealistic for most though, what they needed was a small sports coupe with edge and raw visual appeal - paired with a meaty motor. They have delivered. 

The new RC Coupe has been unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show and more than satisfies the above demands; sharp lines, short - wide wheelbase and a proven powerful powerplant. The RC is 70mm shorter than the IS saloon - yet wider and lower, giving it a squat and purposeful stance. Two engines were rumored, the eco-favourite 2.5litre petrol engine twinned with electric motors, and the petrol-heads favourite, the 3.5litre V6 that has shown its flexibility within the IS range over recent years, paired to an 8 speed sequential transmission. 

The aggressive styling might upset loyal Lexus buyers of old, but is that a bad thing? It shows Lexus are moving with the ties, we see more than a hint of the vicious BMW 1-M Coupe in that gorgeous rear end. 

Of course the cherry on the cake with this being a Lexus - is the stylish, well built and luxurious 4 seat interior, which should be a useful 4 seater, rather than the "2+2" setups recently launched by the likes of Audi and Porsche that require the two rear passengers to not own legs. 

No pricing information has been released yet but we'd expect the RC to be pitched right at the Porsche Cayman/Audi TTRS area of the market, so expect the brochures to list a £40,000 start price. We like, keep this up Lexus!

Words: Andy Pilcher           Images: Lexus UK

New Civic Type R hits the track!

We find ourselves a little hard for words when it comes to writing this piece. We've just received news that the development of the new Civic Type R by Honda has been hitting the track for further handling and performance testing. 

That in itself is not cause for speechlessness. However, in the press release I have in front of me it states the official power figure for the new Type R. Now the previous generation Type R, utilizing the VTEC engine system, packed a massive......198hp. This is barely enough to pull the skin of custard and other hot hatch manufacturers snorted with derision as their turbocharged models punched past the 250hp barrier. 

Their snorts may soon be silenced however. I'll just say it, the new Type R will have 280hp. Honda have done quite well in not only matching their rivals, but one-upping them too! That puts the Civic well and truly in the heavyweight division of hot hatches, with its key rivals being the Audi S3 and Focus RS. However it does look to be a big ole beast - making it likely to be a heavy old beast, can it shed its hp to weight ratio and fight the big fight? We'll soon see! One things for sure though - the Civic Type R just got interesting. 

Words: Andy Pilcher              Images: Honda UK

Gadget overload puts lives at risk!

We are living in a wonderful time for technology, it would seem that no period of 24 hours can pass without some new, amazing, incredible microchip or processor allows us to have more entertainment or make more contact with the ones we love. Mobile phones have shrunk in size dramatically and have developed from simply being cordless phones to housing our entire music libraries, allowing us to watch films or the latest television, even telling us where nearby is good to eat! We have satellite navigation, gone are the days of trawling for hours through maps days before a long drive - planning the best route and a backup should you encounter traffic, all this is available in a tiny box that does the thinking for you! 

And that is precisely why UK roads are less safe now than they have been in recent years, according to insurer Zurich anyway. 

Their studies show that mobile phones AND satellite navigation units both rank in the top 10 risks to road users, despite it being illegal to operate a mobile phone whilst driving. Other items on the list include in-car media, such as touchscreen radios and digital TV receivers. 

Our cars are getting posher and posher, packing more and more of the technology we are used to at home - some cars even have built in Wi-Fi now!! Thankfully manufacturers are also working on making those tech-filled cars safer; with curtain airbags now standard on most new vehicles, we just have to make sure the tech-progress doesn't get the better of us and we maintain a high level of concentration on the road when driving!

Words: Andy Pilcher

Another all new Mini...again

BMW really should consider employing some more people in their model naming department, until then, we shall introduce this as the All New....All New Mini! Which isn't really all new at all, but we'll get to that later. 

BMW have decided that late 2013/early 2014, as the UK recession is starting to clear up for good, is the perfect time to give the Mini a bit of a facelift and relaunch!

On the face of it, all they have done is made it more......unique...looking. That's the only word we can really use without sounding too mean. Lets face facts though, the new Mini definitely requires a lot of rose tinted spectacles to make its slightly wide eyed expression look palatable. 

What IS reassuring is the announcement that the rock bottom OTR price of the new range is at the low £15k region - shunning a huge price hike that most manufacturers seem to adopt when botoxing an old model. 

How Mini is it? 

Not very! Oh this isn't off to a good start is it... The new model is a whopping 98mm longer, 44mm wider and 7mm TALLER than its predecessor, which is hardly a shrinking violet. 

Does it do well at being an economical city car? 

We probably could've made that question a bit punchier...moving on. Yes! The new Cooper D will host a 3-cylinder diesel engine, outputting 114bhp and claiming 80mpg average economy!

Do we get a sporty one?

Yes! The Cooper S will return with a 4-cylinder engine producing 189hp, which sounds a lot for a Mini, but lets not forget the size of this "mini", and the inherent weight such size brings - it won't win any straight line drags against its rival hot hatch brothers (the smaller, lighter Ibiza Cupra/Polo GTI has just 6hp less - but boasts a more consistent hp/torque curve across the range AND both feature the fantastically quick and slick DSG gearbox) hopefully though it will retain its point-and-shoot-ability that BMW managed to retain up until now. 

The new Mini will officially launch Spring 2014 and be built at the firms famous Oxford plant. 

Words: Andy Pilcher             Images: BMW UK