Honda S2000 Sports Car Ultimate Edition powered by VTEC engine has won the International Engine

Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition

This limited edition has been produced to mark the end of production for the award winning sports car.Honda has announced that the Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition goes on sale in Europe in March 2009.
The Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition retains its highly acclaimed 2.0 litre 9000 rpm VTEC engine and combines it with a Grand Prix White body and graphite coloured alloy wheels. The shade of the paint evokes the colour first used on Honda's 1964 F1 car and many sporting models since. The exterior colour combination with the dark metal alloy wheels and unique black S2000 badging gives a fresh look to the timeless shape of the roadster body.

Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition

The white exterior will be matched with a red leather interior and complimented by unique red colouring for stitching on the gear lever gaiter. Ultimate Editions will be marked out by their unique numbered plaques on the kickplates, denoting their position in the series.
The 2-seater sports car may now be almost 10-years old, but its 240PS 2-litre is still one of the highest output per litre and highest revving engines ever made. In recognition of its incredible power output, the Honda S2000's engine has won the International Engine of the Year category for 1.8 to 2.2 litre engines five times in its lifetime.
As the name suggests, the Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition will be the last version before global production of the model ceases altogether at the end of June 2009. Since the introduction of the Honda S2000 in 1999 until the end of 2008, Honda has sold 110,673 units worldwide - 19,987 of those in Europe.

Honda FC Sport Hidrogen Fuel Cell The fastest Sports Cars

Honda FC Sport Fuel Cell

The FC Sport can be summed up like this: Imagine beating your best lap time while hearing nothing but the tires rubbing the tarmac and the quiet buzz of the high-torque electric motors. Picture a true no-holds-barred supercar with all the speed, handling and sleek looks of today's fastest sports cars, yet without the noise, heat, vibration and emissions of the internal-combustion engine.
Built as a design study, the FC Sport demonstrates Honda’s vision for making environmentally responsible vehicles that are also fun to drive. The "FC" stands for "Fuel Cell" as in hydrogen fuel cell—the same technology powering the FCX Clarity. With a 3-seat, driver-centered cockpit, a fuel cell powerplant opens the door for unprecedented engineering flexibility, allowing for a lower center gravity than any modern, piston-engined sports car. The FC Sport is symbolic of a future in which alternative fuel and zero emissions will rule the sports car world.

Cars Shows 2011 Honda CR-Z

 

The all-new 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe, making its U.S. production debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, introduces sleek styling and sporty handling to the hybrid segment.

"The Honda CR-Z is a personal sport hybrid coupe for people with a spirit of adventure and an elevated sense of responsibility toward the environment," said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda. "It's the first hybrid designed to maximize style and fun, in addition to efficiency and economy."

Set to go on sale late summer of 2010 in the U.S., the Honda CR-Z is powered by a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine with Honda's compact and lightweight Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid-electric system. The two-passenger Honda CR-Z introduces a new three-mode drive system that allows the driver to select between Sport, Econ (Economy) and Normal driving modes.

The exterior's distinctive "one-motion" wedge form originates from its low-slung hood to form a broad forward stance. A side profile with a deeply inset beltline conveys a dynamic tension, while the short wheelbase and large, wide front grille accents the vehicle's athletic presence.

The futuristically styled interior offers a high-tech appearance and ergonomically intuitive controls. Instrument panel meters illuminate with a three-dimensional, vibrant blue color theme resulting in a multi-layered appearance. Set against a motif of textured black materials and aluminum-style trim accents, the upper portion of the dashboard extends toward the driver to provide a wrap-around cockpit environment. The passenger zone offers an open, comfortable space. Premium sport-oriented cloth seats are designed to provide excellent lateral support along with everyday driving comfort. A mid-ship console behind the front seats optimizes cargo space. A hard-shell separator can be closed to create additional hidden storage.
Honda CR-Z
Honda CR-Z

The two trim levels include the well-equipped Honda CR-Z and the feature-rich CR-Z EX. A six-speed manual transmission is standard equipment and a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is available. Standard features on the Honda CR-Z include Vehicle Stability Assist, an AM/FM/CD/USB audio system with six speakers, automatic climate control, power windows and door locks, remote entry, cruise control, and more. The Honda CR-Z EX adds, High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Headlights with Auto-On/Off, fog lights, a 360-Watt AM/FM/CD premium audio system with seven speakers including subwoofer, Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel, and more. The Honda CR-Z EX is available with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with voice recognition.

The Honda CR-Z represents the sixth unique version of Honda's original IMA technology since the launch of the 2000 Insight, the first hybrid vehicle available in North America in December 1999. The foundation of the Honda CR-Z's hybrid powertrain is a 4-cylinder, 16-valve, single overhead cam engine with "intelligent" Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (i-VTEC) that receives additional power from the IMA system's DC brushless electric motor. The i-VTEC system controls the opening and closing of one intake valve per cylinder to enhance combustion at low RPMs. The 10-kilowatt electric motor assists in acceleration and also acts as a generator during braking or coasting to capture kinetic energy that recharges the 100-volt IMA nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The gasoline engine can automatically turn off during vehicle stops to improve efficiency.

The system delivers a combined peak output of 122 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 128 lb-ft. of torque at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm (123 lb-ft on CVT-equipped models). Preliminary fuel economy estimates are anticipated to result in a rating of 36 city/38 highway miles per gallon on CVT-equipped models. Manual transmission models are anticipated to achieve an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 31 city/37 highway miles per gallon. The Honda CR-Z is rated as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) in states that adhere to California Air Resource Board (CARB) ZEV standards (EPA Tier 2, Bin 2 in all states).

The standard six-speed manual transmission is engineered for optimal acceleration performance in gears one through five and for optimal fuel economy in sixth gear. When starting on steep inclines from a stop, hill start assist temporarily prevents the vehicle from rolling backwards during the moment between releasing the brake, depressing the throttle and releasing the clutch (for a duration of approximately 1.5 seconds). The available CVT provides the convenience of an automatic transmission with a seamless transition between minimum and maximum ratios, while also keeping the engine within an optimal RPM range for overall efficiency. To increase the performance potential of the CVT, paddle shifters located on the steering wheel allow the driver to manually simulate the stepped holding pattern. In Sport mode, the paddle shifters will hold and maintain a selected ratio.

The Honda CR-Z's three-mode drive system allows the driver to select between individual modes of performance for Sport, Normal and Economy driving styles. The system is activated via three backlit buttons to the left of the steering wheel.

The Sport mode enhances multiple vehicle systems for performance including the engine throttle responsiveness, electric power steering effort and the electric motor power assist. The inner ring of the tachometer illuminates red when the vehicle is in Sport mode.

During Econ mode operation, the engine's responsiveness is tuned for optimal economy, the electric motor assist gives priority to fuel efficiency and the air conditioning system can reduce its overall load on the engine. The inner ring of the tachometer transitions between blue and green when the vehicle is in Econ mode, with the green representing more ecological driving.

Normal mode provides standard settings for steering, engine response, motor assist and air conditioning. Similar to Econ mode, the tachometer ring transitions between blue and green when the vehicle is in normal mode, with the green representing more ecological driving. Like the Honda Insight, the Honda CR-Z offers an Eco Guide and Eco scoring feature to help drivers track progress of efficient driving styles.

The front MacPherson strut suspension and rear H-shaped torsion beam suspension settings are tuned to provide a sporty, solid and dynamic driving experience. All models are equipped with 16x6-inch aluminum wheels with 195/55 R16 86V tires. Accessory 17x7 alloy wheels with 205/45R17 84V tires with are available. The standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake distribution (EBD) uses ventilated front discs and solid rear discs. The low vehicle height and placement of the battery and other hybrid components beneath the rear cargo area further contribute to a low center of gravity, which is key to the new Honda CR-Z's responsive, sporty handling. Electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering enhances steering performance and improves efficiency.

In addition to being environmentally responsible, the Honda CR-Z demonstrates a commitment to safety in its design and construction. The Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure helps protect vehicle occupants in a frontal collision. Additional safety technologies include standard dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; standard front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side-curtain airbags, active head restraints; an anti-lock braking system; a tire pressure monitoring system; and a pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the vehicle.

Honda Reveals the CR-Z MUGEN

honda

For once, the hype and the rumors surrounding a car or project proved to be is as cool as it sounded, as Honda has revealed the first pics of the MUGEN version of the CR-Z hybrid. Unfortunately, the project is ongoing, so we can’t tell you to much about it, but the first tests have shown a lot of promise, especially from the performance point of view… as well as fuel consumption. We would have gotten away with perfection, were it not for those tree-hugging kids and their dog.
Early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have resulted in 0-60mph (0-98 km/h) times around that of the Civic Type R, thanks in part to the magic of supercharging. That’s all that Honda said, so we had to digg deeper to find out that translates to an acceleration in the mid six-second range.
MUGEN say they’ve achieved this by adding an extra 15 percent under the bonnet compared to the ‘stage 1’ level of tune. Despite the big wing on the back, the car has also shed some 50 kilograms (110 lbs).
Unfortunately, the performance division has turned into a bit green, so the Honda press release also talks about fuel consumption. Truth be told, we are impressed, but we just can’t bring ourselves to talk about mpg when we see that big wing and the orange paintwork.
“Early fuel consumption tests have also been encouraging,” says Colin Whittamore from MUGEN Euro. “We’ve retained the three driving modes from the standard car and economy ranges from 50+mpg in ‘eco’ mode to mid-30 mpg when tapping into the supercharged power in a special ‘MUGEN’ mode.”
[Source: autoevolution.com]

Honda CR-Z Roadster Die-cast Begs the Question; Should it Become a Reality?

From what we know, Honda has no official plans to build a roadster version of its CR-Z hybrid coupe. But that hasn't stopped others from trying - even if in this case, we're talking about a scaled down die-cast model. Too bad we couldn't find any additional pictures of the toy-sized model, and especially of the rear end. If you happen to have any information and/or pictures, you know the drill... Follow the break and share your thoughts on whether or not Honda should create a two-seater drop top version of its CR-Z.

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