Lamborghini Murcielago LP650-4 Roadster

Lamborghini said it will build a limited run of 50 units of its new Murciélago LP650-4 Roadster. Official images were released on Friday.

The nomenclature identifies the car's exclusive uprated 6.5-liter V12 engine and permanent four-wheel drive. The engine delivers 641 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque. The Murciélago LP650-4 Roadster can rocket from zero to 60 mph in less than 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of around 205 mph.

Lamborghini has created a special livery for the Murciélago LP650-4 Roadster: a Grigio Telesto exterior paint scheme in gray with orange accents, as well as orange brake calipers and a transparent engine cover.

The orange-and-gray color scheme is carried over into the cockpit, which features black Alcantara Nera on the driver side, including door panel and central tunnel, and black leather Nero Perseus on the passenger side. Seats are stitched in orange, and the steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles are orange.

The striking colors and extra power boost should make this Lambo a standout. Write By : Paul Lienert

Toyota Readies a Honda Insight Competitor

The battle for the cheapest hybrid apparently is ramping up between Toyota and Honda, according to media reports.

On Friday, Japan's Nikkei business daily reported that Toyota plans to develop a new low-price hybrid car aimed at undercutting Honda's Insight. Earlier this week, Honda announced that the 2010 Insight LX will start at $20,470, including a $670 destination charge, when it arrives in U.S. showrooms on March 24. The 2009 Toyota Prius starts at $22,720, including a $720 destination charge. Pricing for the 2010 Prius, which goes on sale in May, has not yet been announced in the U.S.
Honda says it has bragging rights to the title of "most affordable new hybrid available in the U.S."
Toyota's unnamed Insight rival will sell below $20,510, according to the Nikkei report. It will go on sale in Japan as early as 2011.
The new hybrid is said to be a subcompact with an engine smaller than the Prius' 1.5-liter engine.
Toyota appears to want the crown of most affordable hybrid. Consumers can't help benefiting from this kind of warfare.

Write By : Anita Lienert

Mazda RX-7 (FD3S) 92-02 Review
Most people know two things about Mazda's 3rd generation RX-7 - 1) They are one of Japan's most beautiful cars 2) They've got funny engines that are prone to going bang. Point two is often over hyped and having previously owned one, am reasonably qualified to comment.

For me the shape of the RX-7 is superb - the double bubble roof and doors are two of my favourite features with the single side windows giving it that jet fighter look. I often marvelled at the rear panels - seemingly one smoothed piece of metal from the front of the roof all the way around the rear back and sides.

Sold officially in the UK from 1992 - 1995, there are a number of differences to the Japanese import RX-7s, available 1992-2002, rocking up on our shores. Built to compete with the likes of Porsche's 968, the 3rd generation RX-7 (FD3S) gained a much sleeker body than the previous RX-7 (FC3S). Weight was a key issue in the development of the car and Mazda's compact rotary (Wankel) engine helped deliver the goods. The 13B-REW two rotor engine was coupled with a sequential twin turbo system delivering phenomenal performance in a compact package to place the engine behind the front suspension. Developing 237bhp in UK spec, Japanese imports have anywhere between 255bhp and 280bhp - if standard which is a rare thing.

Opening the door via the concealed door handle the door swings open - a keen eye will spot the plastic hinge used for weight saving - and you're greeted with a low slung seat and a dash that wraps around the driver. A large tachometer dominates the centre of the dial arrangement with the speedo to the right and oil pressure, water temperature and petrol on the right. The hand brake and gearstick are mounted high up on the transmission tunnel helping that feeling of being low down with everything to hand.

There are many different variants. As mentioned there's the UK / Japanese choice with the UK spec providing a sun roof, leather, 2 seats only and less power than the imports. There is a whole host of Japanese models - type x, type s, touring x, touring s, type r1, type r2, type rz, type rs, type rb, type rb Bathurst, type rb Bathurst x, type rsr, type r, rb-s, spirit r-a, spirit r-b, spirit r-c. Specification variations include leather, carbon seats, 2+2 seat layout, twin oil coolers and much more besides. In 1996 the ECU was changed from an 8 bit to 16 bit model, the rear gained much more attractive round rear lights increased to 265 bhp. In late 98/99 RX-7 received a mild face lift with a revised front end and rear spoiler. The turbo was also upgraded and boost pressure increased to increase the bhp on type r type rs type rz to 280 bhp. The final incarnation the RX-7 took was the run out model - the sought after Spirit R of which 1500 were produced.

Fire up an RX-7 with a non-standard exhaust and you'll know about it. Once up to temperature the fun begins - foot down and the needle pulls around the tacho at an alarming rate. At 4500rpm the second turbo kicks in FULL BOOST and away you go until the beeper sounds to tell you to change up. The gearing makes for fabulous pub talk - 70mph in second unless you've a shorter final drive. That may sound a little longer than most cars but you're rarely out of the power with the first turbo keeping things on the boil lower down the rev range. I love the fact the RX-7 is so visceral - it pops, it bangs dumping bags of fuel into it's hot exhaust system as you lift off to change gear.

Day to day the RX-7 was great to live with - always an event - but you do have to be aware of a few things. They are thirsty - i got around 17mpg from mine with heavily tuned examples dropping further. If you don't give them regular exercise the engines can suffer from carbon build up - it's no great chore going for a good drive every now and then! Flooding - the engines can flood if you start it cold and turn it off soon afterwards. Servicing - the engine uses a bit of oil in the mix to lubricate the rotor tips so this will need topping up as well as 3,000 mile changes. Even with all this it's still well worth it, it's a high performance machine and needs a little care, attention and a bit of cash!

High petrol costs, frequent servicing and possible rebuilds have all helped push prices down with prices starting from £3,000 but certainly keep your eyes open to potential big bills. With a range of tuned vehicles also available it can also be cost effective to buy one with the modifications already made - a single turbo conversion can quickly end up at nearly £5,000.

So this engine then... The Wankel rotary engine used in the RX-7 benefits from being small in size but achieving a high output from it's two 654cc rotors. The rotary engine, while intimidating to the uninitiated, is in fact considerably simpler that a piston engine - valving is achieved by ports cut into the walls of the rotor housing, the rotor is geared directly to the output shaft, there is no need for connecting rods, a conventional crankshaft and so on. This makes the rotary engine very light.The rotor tips wear and are the most common reason for engine failure. The tips last around 60,000 miles in standard tune but can last longer, or indeed shorter depending on the life they've led. These days RX-7 engines are rebuilt using the more modern RX-8 rotor tips, as well as a range of high performance rotor tips being available if you've the wallet. Rebuilds of the 13B engine start at around £2500 - undoubtedly a large sum of money but compare this with the cost of rebuilding say a Skyline's RB26DETT engine - both have similar performance. Bills can grow while the engine is open - you may begin to think "I'll have it ported" which leads on to aftermarket ECUs.

As mentioned there are no valves - simply a port. To increase the duration much as you would with after market cams to gain power, the port just needs to be enlarged. Of course this is an art with engine builders having their own templates and variations from street porting, extended porting, bridge porting and peripheral porting. A bonus not having to pay out for a set of cams every time, and if you've the balls or the skill a chance to get something for nothing. Rebuilds are carried out by a handful of specialists such as RX Motors but a growing number of UK RX-7 owners are biting the bullet and rebuilding their engines themselves. It's well worth joining a club such as the Mazda Rotary Club if you're thinking of purchasing one of these awesome cars. I'd certainly have another given the opportunity.

Honda Civic Type R 2001-2006 Review

Until the 2001, Honda Civic Type R, Honda had made some excellent performance cars but they'd not really sold in any great volume in the UK. Of course this wasn't helped by keeping a few Type R editions in Japan only...With a headline 200PS (197 bhp) 2 litre i-VTEC engine, at the time of it's launch it was the most powerful hot hatch on the market. It might have had the underpinnings of a sensible family hatch but this only added to the practical performance car it is. A dash-mounted gear lever might have provided more floor space on the vanilla model, but the Type R it provided a gear shifter that was just 6" from the small leather wheel with the famous red Honda badge. The EP3 CTR was the first car to come with the new fangled i-VTEC - "i" standing for intelligent providing a stepless valve control system. To some the hard edged on-cam off-cam of previous Type Rs had been lost, for others that despised the stepped VTEC transition it was a welcome change.

When officially announced the Civic Type R caused quite a stir - all this performance and Honda build quality for £15,995 - it had been rumoured to cost closer to £20,000. It was cheaper but cuts had been made. Gone was the LSD that featured in not only all previous Type R models but the new Japanese market Civic Type R.
Gone were the Recaro seats, Momo steering wheel and the Type R colour of choice - Championship White.
The Japanese CTR had all of these and to add insult to injury they were all made in Swindon, UK. A few models headed out to Japan found themselves back on a boat heading for the UK - bought by die-hard Type R fans. The Civic Type R doesn't struggle to put it's power down through the front wheels nearly so much as turbocharged models from Ford, or Vauxhall.

The lack of torque actually works in the CTR's favour building as the revs surge towards the 8600rpm redline. The car was even sold with a Motor Appreciation Course to help get the most out of the Civic on the roads, but safely. With 62mph coming up in 6.2 seconds, 100mph in 16.9 seconds and a 145mph top speed the Type R has pace to match a Subaru Impreza WRX once rolling. The non-Recaro seats do a good job of holding you in place with deep alcantara covered bolsters, first gear is almost surplus to requirements, with a light clutch action and superb gearbox second is quickly found swiftly followed by the engine taking on a little bit of high revving F1 fizz as the 6400rpm VTEC cams switch to their longer duration.

Steering feel was often criticised - having gone for electric motor assistance rather than traditional mechanical people found it a little vague. Personally I had no trouble with the steering - yes it could have been improved but for the overall package the CTR offered I could compromise. Honda also have a great reputation for knowing how to make cars handle. The ride is good - firm but well tuned to absorbing the rigours of UK tarmac. The OEM Bridgestone Potenzas hold the road but can do with being replaced much earlier than the minimum markers - especially if wet. I covered 17,000 miles in my Civic Type R and found, as with many owners the K20A2 engine had a thirst for oil - nothing outrageous but worth a monthly check. Indeed other owners felt that Swindon's build quality was not as good as the Japan built models they'd previously owned. Steering racks are seemingly another weak point. While the UK cars never did get an LSD or Championship White paint despite many requests to dealers to pull one destined for Japan off the production line the 30th Anniversary and run-out models did feature the Recaro seats, Momo steering wheel, rear privacy glass and the rather red carpet. Tuning options are plentiful for the Civic Type R - from a wealth of carbon body parts to turbos, superchargers, cams and throttle bodies.

As with any car putting out close to 100bhp per litre, getting more power out will take a bit more development and for that you'll have to pay. The GruppeM Filter Ram Charger is a work of art - a carbon fibre box with an external air scoop. £500+ for an air filter yes, but better £500+ with results than £200 with a loss in power. Adding that missing LSD is also a worthy addition - afterall Honda themselves felt one should be fitted.All in all the Civic Type R is a great package - superb performance, good running costs - I saw around 33mpg and plenty of room in the boot for carrying stuff and a new Civic Type R just around the corner might just push prices down a bit further.

Fatal Ferrari Crash Kills Mixed Martial Arts Star Charles "Mask" Lewis

NEWPORT BEACH, California
Charles "Mask" Lewis, a colorfully dressed proponent of mixed martial arts, died early Wednesday when his 2004 Ferrari 360 Modena was cut in half in a collision with a Porsche. The accident occurred on Jamboree Road in this affluent Southern California city. A woman riding with Lewis was ejected from the Ferrari and is listed in critical condition today. Lewis was 45.
A photo posted on the Los Angeles Times Web site shows the spectacularly wrecked Ferrari, which hit a light pole in the incident. Lewis reportedly died at the scene. News reports said the driver of the Porsche, Jeffrey David Kirby of Costa Mesa, was arrested after driving away from the scene, then parking and fleeing on foot along with a female passenger. He is reportedly being held on $2 million bail for suspicion of felony drunk driving, among other charges.
Police told the Times that the two cars may have been racing. The paper also said Kirby received "at least eight" traffic citations in the past eight years and had been convicted and placed on probation for a previous DUI offense.

Lewis was known for his colorful clothing and painted face that he said had been inspired by the style of the rock band Kiss. He was a former sheriff's deputy for San Bernardino County who became a major figure in the sport of mixed martial arts. He was also a founder of the clothing company Tapout, which was the exclusive clothing supplier for the Spike TV reality series, The Ultimate Fighter. Lewis himself appeared for two seasons on the Versus TV reality show Tapout, which showed him traveling around the country seeking future mixed martial arts stars.
On the Tapout site, Lewis ironically wrote: "Life is full of influences. It's your application that sets you apart." He also told Sports Illustrated last year that it's "his blurring of reality with comics" that made his clothing company's style unique.

Just in case you weren't already aware that racing a Porsche at 1 a.m. in your Ferrari is a bad idea, here's yet another reminder.
Write By : Laura Sky Brown

Charles "Mask" Lewis (center) said the appeal of his Tapout line of clothing, as well as of the mixed martial arts he starred in, was the "blurring of reality with comics." Lewis was killed in a high-speed Ferrari crash early Wednesday.