GT6: Cars that are Gran Turismo exclusive - FD2 Civic Type R

Today, we take a look at this FD2 Civic Type R. Launched in 2007, this is the first time the Civic Type R spawned a saloon after the previous three generations based on hatchback equivalents and this is based on the Asia-spec eighth generation Honda Civic. Sadly, this is the last Type R to be made in Japan because since 2010, Honda stopped sales of the Honda Civic and the ninth-generation model, sold globally, is not available in Japan as of now and never will be.

The FD2 Civic Type R will run through the Goodwood Hillclimb but at what time will it post?




It posted a 1:00.839 lap time!

It maybe the last Type R Honda that is MADE IN JAPAN but it makes good use of its athletic proportions as well as the iconic i-VTEC engine that powers it! It handles pretty well as what any high performance cars can do.

FD2 Honda Civic Type R - A GRAN TURISMO EXCLUSIVE CAR.

F1 2014: Malaysian GP

Using his pole position as his advantage, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton scored a clear win in Sepang, Malaysia, for the second round of the F1 2014 season, giving Mercedes F1 team a one-two finish with teammate Nico Rosberg placed second and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel placed 3rd.

There have been some numerous problems faced in this race such in the case of Sauber-Ferrari's Esteban Gutierrez faced gearbox problems and teammate Adrian Sutil had his racecar suffered a power unit failure. For Save The Ring's Jean-Eric Vergne, his vehicle's turbochargers gone haywire while Lotus's Pastor Maldonado's vehicle also suffered a power unit failure. It's not a good race for Red Bull newbie Daniel Ricciardo where he retired during lap 40.

Sergio Perez of Force India is the F1 driver's facing a very bad day in Malaysia when his racer faced gearbox issues at the start of the race.

Report: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/3/15638.html

The next race for this season will be held at Bahrain this April 6, 2014 and let's just hope no further crisis will happen before, during, and after the race.

Forza Motorsport 5: Message from ST

They called this the Fiesta ST and it's been several years ago when Ford launched a hot Fiesta. For this latest version, it seems that Ford managed to remember the hot hatch mantra that it's not what it does but it's how it does. It may not be quite a supercar slayer but this hot hatch knows how to make me smile in all the right corners.



This hot hatchback incorporates a precision-tuned and driver-focused powertrain and chassis to deliver the ultimate Fiesta driving experience.

Europe-spec models feature a 3-door model equipped with a 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine to achieve 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and offer 182 PS and 240 Nm of torque, while the US-Spec models, which Forza Motorsport 5 featured it, comes available exclusively as a 5-door model equipped with the same 1.6L EcoBoost engine but with an estimated 197 horsepower and 214 lb.-ft. of torque.

This model is the result of the collaboration between Team RS in Europe and SVT in the United States and it appeals to a wide global audience under the company's One Ford movement.



Although the roster of hot hatches can be somewhat few, the Fiesta ST is one of the hot hatches that really off the charts and really cuts it through the competition because it has some of the qualities a true hot hatch deserve; being fast, being maneuverable, being an all-rounder, and being made for everyday use. Overall, its fun factor is worth being worthy of being one of my favorite cars to drive in Forza Motorsport 5.

 



You do very well to have fun in this Fiesta on Forza 5 because this is one of the only 2014 models you can try on this game.

 

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Adapting to Japan's 8% tax hike

As you may now that beginning in the 1st of April, 2014, all of Japan will face the rise of the national sales tax from 5% to 8%. This is the first time it happened since 1997 that a tax hike in Japan occurred. So, what does that mean? That means most Japanese will face even more pain in their pockets and why did Japan face such a dreaded hike? No one knows but some say it's the work of the Diet to push this country out of the debt zone but between you and me, that tactic won't work and expect the consumer spending to drop because of the new increase of the national tax that will really put a dent out of it.

So...how to put it this way regarding the 8% tax hike? Take this Toyota 86. The G model with the 6-speed model costs about 2,410,000 Japanese Yen, right? That's when the 5% was applied to it but what happens when we take it away? It costs 2,295,238 Yen. Now what happens when we applied this new 8% tax hike to the price...wanna know how much it costs? It now costs 2,478,857 Japanese Yen! That's about a 69k increase when the tax hike in Japan is implemented! Still, that price won't stop you from having one...I think.

What about your daily groceries? I'm not sure the average grocery spending per Japanese household but where I am sitting from, me and my family spend about 150 US Dollars of grocery spending per month...theoretically. Suppose with the 5% tax added to your monthly grocery, it costs about the Japanese housewife's grocery shopping equivalent of 160 US Dollars but what happens when you calculate it with Japan's new 8% tax hike? Wanna know how much? Well, I'd expect to be somewhat below the Japanese housewife's grocery shopping equivalent of 165 US Dollars, a $5 increase when the 8% hike was implemented. Hmmm....

Well, there are some companies trying to adapt to this new situation here in Japan. Bandai, for example, plans on introducing new Gashapon machines made to dispense high-value toys in larger, can-shaped packages. Those new cans sell for a high price but filled with big toys worth 200 to 500 Japanese Yen. Scaling that up, that's only 2 to 5 US Dollars. Then, there's Subaru, which plans to sell their new Levorg sports tourer this April. Although the pricing remains unknown before its Japan release, I'm expecting the pricing will be below 2.7 million yen and in theory, that new pricing was adopted with Japan's 8% sales tax. Well, what about that upcoming PS3-exclusive iM@S One For All? For starters, it says 7600 Yen plus tax for the normal version and 11,880 Yen plus tax for the limited edition 765 Pro New Produce Box. So, with the 8% tax, it costs about 8210 Japanese Yen for the normal one and 12,830 Yen for the limited edition. 8,210 Japanese Yen for a PS3 game in Japan? With an equivalent of about 83 US Dollars, buying a new video game in Japan seems costly now that the 8% hike is implemented.

You get the idea but if you're a foreigner who want to take a break in Japan, best be warned that with the 8% hike in sales tax, your single 100 yen coin is no use like what one penny is on American soil. Let's hope you got enough pocket money before your trip and make good use of those money exchange but for a recommendation, best to have about 200 US Dollars before you set off and when exchanged, you have about 20,600 Yen in your allowance...as a theory but still more is best when you set off because...what are you going to buy when you're in Japan? It's your money so decide well because with the 8% hike, your decisions have been shorten threefold.

I'm just saying but if you want to survive in Japan in the midst of the 8% tax hike, heed my advice and stay safe when you're out there. Gosh, I'm already getting myself a financial headache right now. Gonna get some rest right now but I hope you remember about surviving Japan in an 8% sales tax!

Good Luck!

Let's Do The News! (March 30, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- REMINDER: It's your last chance to buy or build a Ferrari in Car Town because you got until the end of March 2014 to collect one now! All of the out-of-stock Ferraris are in the car dealership for one final time including the LaFerrari hybrid supercar and the hardcore 458 Speciale.

- New coachbuilder David Brown Automotive has unveiled their maiden vehicle based on the Jaguar XK coupe and it's called the Speedback. Although it is based on the Jaguar XK, the Speedback has looks reminiscent of everyone's favorite secret agent car, the Aston Martin DB5.

2014 David Brown Automotive Speedback

- Bertone bankruptcy is confirmed and they got until the end of April 2014 to find a new, potential buyer.

- The GM Mass Recall crisis continues as 662,000 pickup trucks and Cruze sedans were added to the recall.

- Actress Maui Taylor pushes the investigation into the alleged concert scam in Dubai. PEP reports.

- The Department of Education wants internet shops near Iloilo schools to be regulated.

- An official report shows that those that are missing from the deadly landslide in Snohomish County has been down from 90 to 30.

- The Armed Forces of the Philippines are ready to face the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters but asks them to join the peace process.

TTFN!!!

The Kids Choice Awards 2014

That night, it's that annual event of the year the kids and the kids-at-heart have been longing for and that event is none other than Nick's Kids Choice Awards and for 2014, Mark Wahlberg is the host for this year's awards and he's trying to prove in front of the audience that he's "unslimable" but in the end, guess who got the last laugh? It's Mark Wahlberg himself!



Anyway before the big night, there are new episodes of two of our favorite Nick shows such as Sam & Cat  and SpongeBob SquarePants. The latest episode of Sam & Cat sees the return of the familiar foes from iCarly such as the psycho named Nora and the boy who tried to take down iCarly, Nevel. Oh yeah, Gibby's also back in that special episode. The episode was titled #SuperPsycho and in that episode, the psycho Nora broke out of jail and then she kidnapped Dice, the boy that Sam and Cat were babysitting at. Desperate, as Sam and Cat seek help from Nevel, who's at the asylum, I think, to seek help finding out where Nora took Dice at.

In the end, Sam took down Nora and the cops arrested Nora but then, Nevel's escaped from the asylum.



After that, there's a new episode of SpongeBob and in that episode, SpongeBob was eager to see his idol, Kenny the Cat, coming to Bikini Bottom, but only found out that his idol was a phony.



After watching new episodes of those two hit Nick series, it's time for the big event. There have been some numerous special guests, musical numbers, and not to mention the green gooey slimy stuff they've saving it for the big one.

Kevin Hart won as the favorite funny star while Selena Gomez is the KCA 2014 favorite female singer, then Sam and Cat's Ariana Grande won as favorite TV actress, Austin and Ally's Ross Lynch as favorite TV actor, Sam & Cat as favorite TV show, comedian Adam Sandler as favorite movie actor, Robert Downey Jr. (the dude who played Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes) as favorite male buttkicker (their term used for action stars), and Frozen as favorite animated movie.

There are more of this year's winners that you can check it out at http://www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards/2014/nominees/

Most importantly, the first ever Nickelodeon Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to the big boss behind some of our favorite comedy shows from Nickelodeon, something that tickled our childhood through the years and that big boss is none other than, ladies and gents, Mr. Dan Schneider.



The KCA 2014 is all about being controlled by viewers like you and in this year's show, viewers decided which slime stunt they want to see in this year's show and as chosen, it's the SLIME RODEO. Then, viewers decided whether if its actors Austin Mahone and Cody Simpson who want to get slimed and as chosen by viewers like you, both Austin and Cody got slimed! Fantastic!

I really hope I had fun watching this year's KCA as much as you do! What's your most memorable experience at this year's KCA?

What's in our Car Town garage today? (March 30, 2014)

What's in our Car Town garage today?

1969 Ferrari 365 GTS4/Daytona Spider

The GTS/4 is the open top version of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, known unofficially as the Daytona because of Ferrari's 1-2-3 finish in the February 1967 24 Hours of Daytona with the 330 P4, well that's the theory anyway. Even though it still comes with the same V12 as its hardtop equivalent, the Spider version is probably one of the rarest machines in history because 122 units have been made, less than the hardtop equivalent.

1969 Ferrari 365 GTS4/Daytona Spider

1971 Buick Riviera

One of the most notable features in this third-generation Buick Riviera is the addition of the Max Trac, that's Buick's call for the traction control system that prevents the wheels from spinning out during acceleration on wet surfaces. The third-generation Riviera is powered by a 455 7.5L V8 engine mated with a 3-speed automatic gearbox but it has lower compression ratio to meet EPA regulations.

1971 Buick Riviera

Ferrari 288 GTO

This Ferrari was originally built to compete with the Group B race series but when fatal accidents spelled the end of the Group B racing, the 288 GTO never went into racing, leaving all 272 units be sold into road-legal cars. It's powered by a 2.9L V8 turbo engine that Ferrari says it will do 0-60mph in a four second mark and a top speed of 189mph, making this the first-ever road car to reach the 300kph mark.

1984 Ferrari 288 GTO

1972 Lamborghini Espada 400 GTE

It's quite bizarre that Lamborghini once made a shooting brake in the form of the Espada grand tourer which was styled by the famed Marcelo Gandini from Bertone, the same man behind the Countach. Aside from being a shooting brake, the Espada is the first bonafide four-seater Lambo with 1217 units built during its 10 year tenure. It is the first Lamborghini to come with an automatic gearbox capable to survive the torque of the 4.0L V12 engine but unlike any other automatic gearboxes, the automatic gearbox in the Espada had a rather bizarre gearing from D, 1, and R.

1972 Lamborghini Espada 400 GTE

Noah (2014 film)

The story of Noah's Ark has been widely popularized in different forms of media but for this year, looks like the folks from Paramount wanted to give it a new spin to a biblical tale of Noah's Ark by creating an "untold story" to one of the most legendary tales as the faithfuls might remember as NOAH making waves to one of the most awaited films to hit this Spring.

NOAH

So, why would they make this film about the epic tale of Noah's Ark? Well, for starters, this so-called untold story of an epic tale wanted to give the new generation a fresh and modernized take so that viewers, sometimes churchy joes, will have a unique idea of what this story is meant to be. It stars Russel Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone (from The Sweeney movie, in case you remember this fella), Emma Watson (Hermione from the Harry Potter franchise), and Sir Anthony Hopkins (the original Dr. Hannibal Lecter), among many others.

Anyway, in this film, Noah was warned by an elder that a Great Flood is coming and it can't be stopped. When the end is near, Noah is on a race against time to save everything no matter what it takes. Well, you may heard that story from all of the versions of Noah's Ark but since this movie differentiates from all the other versions of Noah's Ark, everything about this story will never be the same...as a theory.

I know this movie tries to capture the new generation of churchy joes with its compelling storyline and the theme of courage, sacrifice, and hope but there are some chinks behind the film's defense and when you look at the first half, it feels like there has been some mashup of some fantasy movies you know. Feels a bit like, well, Lord of The Rings, Gladiator, Braveheart, Clash of the Titans, Beowulf, or any other fantasy films you have witnessed through the years. Noah really does had some references of those fantasy films when it comes to the first half but by the time the part about the Great Flood, it now kinda feels like Titanic meets 2012...or Perfect Storm meets Armageddon or any other disaster movie you may know.

In essence then, Noah is purely a combination of a fantasy movie and a disaster movie rather than focusing on being a movie targeted for the religious but despite all of the woes, it's still not quite bad.

I'd rate this an 2.5 out of 5 so it's okay...

Let's Do The News! (March 29, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- STILL MORE BAD CASE ON GM'S MASS RECALL: General Motors added 971,000 more cars in the cataclysmic mass recall regarding the highly fatal ignition switch problems, bringing it a total of almost 2.6 million units recalled by this fatal problem.

- A report states that Opel, the troubled European marque of General Motors, will be exiting the Chinese market next year but plans to produce a Buick model in their plant in Germany.

- Top Gear's on hot water...yet once again as an Indian actress sue the hit motoring show over the "slope" remark as seen at the show's Myanmar special, where the boys build a bridge in the River Kwai.

- BMW will build a brand new SUV at their newly established Spartanburg plant.

- Stability Control problems prompted Cadillac to recall their brand-new ELR PHEV coupe.

- Ferrari is in hot water right now over the legal battle of some 21-year-old's Facebook page.

- To prevent fires, Tesla arms the Model S electric saloon with some complementary titanium underbody shields.

- A voluntary safety recall was announced by Toyota for 119,000 units of the Toyota Pronard saloon over their airbag problems.

Toyota Pronard

- The latest update for Forza Motorsport 5 lets players keep their new DLC cars at no additional costs once they purchased any DLC Car Packs for the first time. When you purchased a DLC Car Pack for the first time, you’ll be given one-time-only access to each car in a pack, which you can add to your garage at no additional charge. This applies to current and upcoming FM5 DLC Packs as well as the recently announced Top Gear Car Pack, coming this Tuesday, which features 10 new rides to the game such as;

1966 Chaparral #66 Chaparral Cars 2E
2013 Holden #10 Xbox Racing Team Commodore VF
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2013 Audi RS4 Avant
1980 Renault 5 Turbo
1999 Lotus Elise Series 1 Sport 190
2011 Ford Transit SuperSportVan
1998 Nissan R390
2006 Hummer H1 Alpha
2013 Lexus GS 350 F-Sport

-  A Chinese report states that a Chinese aircraft have spotted three suspicious objects in the Malaysia jet search area.

- First gay marriages to take place in England and Wales.

- The popular boyband One Direction will perform the theme song for the Say I Love You live-action movie.

TTFN!!!

Araw-araw ang saya!

On the March 28, 2014 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Concert gags

- Gay dude thinks we're gay...time to teach him a lesson...

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...online piracy!!!

- Senate hearing...director's cut.

- Bubble Gang does Sunshine Spaghetti by spoofing this commercial as SOONSHINE SPAGHETTI! No.1!

Bubble Gang does Sunshine Spaghetti

- More wise words from the wisest man in Bubble Gang, TATA LINO!

- Holdapper's got sore throat...

- Antonietta's back...with a vengeance! You'd better watch out!!!

- Istambay, Istamnbay sa Looban, may seksing napadpad sa tambayan, dahil sya ay pinagnanasaan, ang lahat ay gusto ng kan...TAHAN?!

- Don't buy some raw foods. Doctor's orders...

Forza Motorsport 5: Audi R8 V10 - old vs. new -

For the first time in Forza history, I finally got my hands on the brand new Audi R8 V10 or to be precise, the Audi R8 V10 plus. The facelifted version of the R8 looks pretty much the same but with the addition of the V10 plus model, it truly sets apart from the old R8 V10 model, which you can find one on Forza Motorsport 5.





Question is, does the plus version of the Audi R8 V10 really is an improvement to the old Audi R8 V10? To find out, I went to the Top Gear Test Track using both the old R8 V10 and the new R8 V10 plus model. Fastest time is the winner.






For a quick briefing about the new Audi R8 V10 plus; it uses the Audi R8 5.2 FSi quattro as its base. The R8 V10 Plus features a new S tronic double clutch transmission as well as the updated version of the 5.2 V10 engine generating 550HP of power output.

With those improvements, the R8 V10 Plus can accumulate a 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of around 197mph.


The old Audi R8 V10 finished at the time of 1:22.314 while the new Audi R8 V10 plus finished at 1:21.675, a second quicker. So, there we have it. The new R8 V10 Plus really done some improvements to keep Audi's first bonafide supercar with some Lamborghini components in it fresh and ready having aged through the years. Well, I'm glad I finally got behind the wheel of this facelifted R8 V10.

Let's Do The News! (March 28, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- Toyota revealed their contender for this summer's 24 Hours of Le Mans and this TS040 Le Mans racer is a hybrid-engine wielding one capable of unleashing over nine-hundred horsepower combined from the 3.7L petrol engine connected to a new motor-generator on the front axle as well as the unit in the rear.

2014 Toyota TS040

- As Japan's dreaded 8% sales tax hike draws near, most companies are bracing themselves for the tax hike with new and not-so-exciting ways to keep their businesses as usual. Bandai, for instance, revealed their capsule figure cans to counter the tax hike.

- Mark Gatiss confirms to write two Doctor Who episodes featuring Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor as production for Series 8 continues...

- Before The Pirate Fairy, the newest original video continuing the adventures of Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies, comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray this April 1st, the journey continues as the teaser trailer for an upcoming Disney Fairies adventure, Legend of the NeverBeast, has arrived.

- The Season 5 finale of A&E's hit reality series, Duck Dynasty suffered low ratings. Why?

- Cedric Lee, the businessman who was one of the alleged suspects behind the mauling of Vhong Navarro a few months ago, gets charged by the P194-million tax evasion.

- Senator Manny Villar mulls running for the 2016 presidency.

- Metro Manila is one of the riskiest cities in the world in any event a natural calamity strikes according to a Swiss firm.

- Long lines outside the MRT stations to persists until the next two years.

- A judge from Makati City grants Janet Lim Napoles' request to undergo surgery.

- The MMDA revealed two new bicycle lanes in Quezon City.

TTFN!!!