Monday, June 25, 2012

Collection of Honda sedans

Now, when we heard the news that the Honda Legend and the Honda Inspire (what Japanese called for the Asian-American Accord) will stop production this year, we kinda felt saddened that Honda will stop making cars with SH-AWD and cars with VCM (Variable Cylinder Management). The Honda Legend is unique for the SH-AWD and the Honda Inspire is unique for the Variable Cylinder Management. With those two sedans out of the picture, it appears that these technologies will die together. Sadly then, Honda sedans are becoming ENDANGERED SPECIES. Why not taking a look back at the sedans of Honda?

The first Honda Accord


The sedans of Honda are truly one of the many creations why Honda wants to be more competitive than Toyota and Nissan. Those Honda sedans are more than just art because what made them great are its quirky brilliance.

Honda 1300

This is the Honda 1300. Launched in April 1969, the 1300 serves as Honda's competitor against the Toyota Corona and the Nissan Bluebird. It was designed by the founder, Soichiro Honda, and to include engineering efforts for both the product and assembly procedures. There were two versions; the "Series 77" with a single carburetor 100 PS (74 kW) engine and the "Series 99" with a four carburetor 115 PS (85 kW) unit. It was introduced at the 1968 Tokyo Motor Show but it was a pre-production model. The production model went on sale since May 1969 but there was a reminder that it got delayed because the founder found the styling of the car as presented at the Tokyo Motor Show the previous year unacceptably bland and called for a redesign.

Honda 145

In the 1970's, the Honda 1300 was been replaced by the Honda 145, which is essentially an updated version of the 1300. Like the 1300, the 145 is available in sedan and coupe variants but the 145 is powered by water-cooled 1433cc engine. Sadly though, the 145 wasn't a hit and only 9,736 were produced. This car was discontinued in 1974 and it was replaced by the Honda Civic, which in the beginning when it was launched in 1972, they're just old hatchbacks but a sedan appeared when the Civic was in the 2nd generation.

Honda Civic Sedan (1980)

Now that's how a Civic sedan began. It was introduced in the 1980's and it was dubbed as the FF NOTCHBACK STYLE of Honda. A five door version of the Civic in the old days is now became called the Honda Quint and it was introduced in the 80's at Japanese dealership sales channel called Honda Verno along with the Honda Ballade, a high luxury model based on the sedan. Speaking of which, none of the Honda fans remembered...what's HONDA VERNO? What's HONDA CLIO? (Nope, not the Renault one...) What's HONDA PRIMO?

Back in 1978, Honda diversify their sales distribution channels, starting with HONDA VERNO, a dealership specializes a higher content of standard equipment and a more sporting nature. The Hondas that were sold on the Honda Verno dealerships in Japan were Honda Prelude, Honda Integra, Honda CR-X, Honda Vigor, Honda Saber, Honda Ballade, Honda Quint, Honda Crossroad, Honda Element, Honda NSX, Honda HR-V, Honda Mobilio Spike, Honda S2000, Honda CR-V, Honda That's, Honda MDX, Honda Rafaga, Honda Capa, and the Honda Torneo.

Honda Rafaga


With Honda Verno dealerships' success, they created two more sales channels, called Honda Clio in 1984, and Honda Primo in 1985. Honda Clio dealerships sold products that were traditionally associated with Honda dealerships before 1978, like the Honda Accord, and Honda Primo sold the Honda Civic, kei cars such as the Honda Today, superminis like the Honda Capa, along with other Honda products, such as farm equipment, lawn mowers, portable generators, marine equipment, motorcycles, and scooters.

Honda Ascot (1989)

Honda Ascot Innova (1992)

Honda Ascot (1993)

Cars sold at the Honda Primo dealerships are Honda Civic, Honda Life, Honda Acty, Honda Vamos, Honda Hobio, Honda Ascot, Honda Ascot Innova, Honda Torneo, Honda Civic Ferio, Honda Freed, Honda Mobilio, Honda Orthia, Honda Capa, Honda Today, Honda Z, and the Honda Beat.

Cars sold at the Honda Clio dealerships are Honda Accord, Honda Legend, Honda Inspire, Honda Avancier, Honda S-MX, Honda Lagreat, Honda Stepwgn, Honda Elysion, Honda Stream, Honda Odyssey, Honda Domani, Honda Concerto, Honda Accord Tourer, Honda Logo, Honda Fit, Honda Insight, Honda That's, Honda Mobilio, and the Honda City

Speaking of different Honda dealerships; how come that Honda cars that once were the same thing were sold in different looks in different dealerships? This is just like Toyota when they have the Alphard sold only on TOYOPET dealerships and the Vellfire which is sold only on NETZ dealerships, which in fact most Toyotas sold in NETZ dealerships are incorporated with the N badge.

2nd generation Accord

What you're looking here is the 2nd generation Honda Accord. It was launched in 1981 in Japan and it was the first to be introduced in the United States. Sadly, nobody remembered the 2nd generation Accord. This car was sold on the Honda Clio dealerships in the past and the Honda Verno equivalent of the Honda Accord was...the HONDA VIGOR.

The first Honda Vigor

The Honda Vigor...well, it was launched in 1981 as a Honda Accord with a different flavor because it was sold in Honda Verno stores. The first Vigor was a higher grade 4-door sedan and 3-door hatchback, with the 1.8 L engine as the only engine available, using Honda's CVCC-II system. Nobody remembered that the Honda Vigor was the Accord's evil twin because it is the sportier, faster, "vigorous" Accord with a higher level of equipment. Thanks to this, the Vigor set standards for the market to accept a luxury equipped car from Honda, which appeared in 1985 with the Honda Legend, which is sold only on Honda Clio dealerships.

Honda Legend (1985)

Honda Legend (1990)

Honda Legend (1996)


Believe it or not, when the Honda Legend was launched in 1985, it  was the first production Honda vehicle to offer only a SOHC V6 engine worldwide. This car became the opening salvo of the Honda Clio dealerships and in case you never know, it was the result of a joint venture with Britain's Austin Rover Group called Project XX that started in November 1981 with the Austin Rover-Honda XX letter of intent signed by the two companies to replace the Rover SD1 and to provide a luxury vehicle for Honda, and was codenamed as HX. The two companies agree to make the Honda Legend in Britain but quality issues prevented many from going into the market and ended up being used as in-plant transport. Speaking of British, what about the Honda Concerto?

Honda Concerto

This car served as the replacement of the Honda Quint and just like its predecessors, the Qunit and the Ballade, it shared its platform with a Rover product, namely the Rover 200 and Rover 400. Even when the Concerto was produced in Japan since 1988, it was also produced in Great Britain in the late 1989, making it sold in European markets. A minor difference between the JDM and the European Concertos was the front suspension because versions built in Longbridge had MacPherson struts, unlike their Japanese counterparts which had double wishbones. Quite a shocking fact but nobody remembered those. When production of the Concerto ended in 1994, it was replaced by the Honda Domani, which is a luxurious version of the Honda Civic Ferio.

Honda Domani (1992)

Honda Domani (1997)

The Honda Domani is just like many of the Hondas taking one product and selling multiple versions at different dealership sales channels in Japan, called Honda Clio for the more upscale Domani, Honda Integra SJ at Honda Verno locations from 1996-2000, and Honda Primo for the Civic Ferio, along with the Civic 3- and 5-door hatchbacks.

Honda Integra SJ

How surprising. A Domani is nothing more of a rich man's Honda Civic Ferio but the Integra SJ is somewhat a Civic Ferio with a different flavor. Crikey! Hmmmm....It appears nobody remembered the Honda Integra SJ because as always, when people think about the Honda Integra, the image they've conjured was an FF Sports cars but nobody remembered that there are sedan versions of the Integra...

Honda Quint Integra Sedan (1986)

Honda Integra Hardtop (1989)

Honda Integra Hardtop (1993)

As always...nobody remembered those...Can we just move on?

Honda Civic Sedan (1983)

Honda Civic Sedan (1987)

Honda Civic Ferio (1991)

Honda Civic Ferio (1995)

Honda Civic Ferio (2000)

Honda Civic (2005)

For eight generations, the Honda Civic is becoming from simple family car to a tuner's favorite because starting from the fifth-generation, most Honda Civics became gods in the parking lots. Street heroes, better even than girls. Most Honda Civics are cheap and they were easy to modify. They became the darling of the cruise scene and more people spend a lot of money modifying their Civics with some engine upgrades, aero kits, and something else that turned their Civics into a moving nightclubs because of neons, box speakers, some weird gizmos and something else.

This is one of the best Hondas ever made and most punks considered modified Civics as their bedroom wall pinups. Amazingly, there were Type R versions of them which is are even more gooder. Since the EK and the EP years, the Type R Civic are just hot hatches but for the FD2 Civic Type R, it's now a 4-door sedan, which thrown a curve among Honda enthusiasts.

Honda Fit Aria (2002)

What you're looking here is the Fit Aria. You may recall that this is a Honda City because it was made in Thailand and exported to Japan as the direct rival to the Toyota Platz. Some people say that the Fit Aria is more of a cheaper alternative of the Honda Civic but due to slow sales, the Fit Aria was discontinued in 2008. Therefore, nobody remembered the Fit Aria but for the Asians, they still remember those because it is the Honda City. That current-generation Honda City that we have in the Philippines and some other Asian countries, it appears that this is the only Honda compact sedan that never speaks Japanese because it was not available in Japan.

Honda Ballade (1980)

What you're looking here is the Honda Ballade. We really don't remember anything about that despite the fact that it was sold in the UK as the Triumph Acclaim.

Honda Ballade (1983)

We really don't remember this second-generation Ballade either but we kinda remember that there was a variant of that and it was called BALLADE SPORTS CR-X, which later spawned into one of our faves; the HONDA CR-X.

Honda Tourneo

This here is the Honda Torneo but actually, this is nothing more of an altered version of the sixth generation Honda Accord. Actually though, we don't really remember that kind of Honda sedan either.

Honda Accord Inspire (1989)

Honda Vigor (1989)

Honda Inspire (1992)

Honda Vigor (1992)

Honda Inspire (1995)

Honda Saber (1995)

Honda Inspire (1998)

Honda Saber (1998)

Actually though, we never remember some of the other Honda sedans sold in different Honda dealerships, even the Rafaga, Saber, Ascot, Innova, um....whatever that is until that fateful day...

When sales began to falter due to the collapse of Japan's bubble economy, their compact cars that were specific on the Honda Primo dealerships were badge engineered and sold to Clio and Verno sales channels. In March 2006, the names PRMIO, VERNO, and CLIO are discontinued and therefore merged into HONDA CARS dealerships. Furthermore, they won't be selling same cars with different looks and names in different dealerships, just as what Toyota do.

Honda Legend (2004)

This is the first Honda car to incorporate Super Handling-All Wheel Drive or SH-AWD, its the fourth-generation Honda Legend that was introduced in late 2004. SH-AWD is a full-time, fully automatic all-wheel drive traction and handling system that provides cornering performance that responds faithfully to driver input, and outstanding vehicle stability. It is a world's first, it was lauded by Popular Science as one of the best automotive innovations of 2004, and as part of an already tech-filled vehicle helped to earn the 2005 "Tech car of the year" from CNET.com.

Honda Inspire (2003)

Honda Inspire (2007)

If the Legend revolutionized SH-AWD, then this here, the Honda Inspire (which is the Asian-American seventh and eighth generation Honda Accord) is the first car in the world to introduce Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), which uses the i-VTEC system to disable one bank of cylinders during specific driving conditions to save fuel. That was introduced on the 4th generation Honda Inspire (which is the Asian-American 7th Generation Accord) but on the 5th generation Inspire (which is the Asian American 8th Generation Accord), it made it even better by allowing the engine to go from 6 cylinders, down to 4, and further down to 3 as the computer sees fit.

Those technologies were highly immense but sadly, none of them remembered it as years passed by.

To sum up them, nobody remembered most of the Honda sedans of today because of that news. In 2010, Honda ceases to sell the ultra-popular Honda Civic, furthermore, the 9th generation Civic is not available in Japan. Now, Honda will stop production of the Legend and the Inspire, marking the end of the SH-AWD and Variable Cylinder Management technology. The sedans of Honda are now the endangered species of the motoring industry and as of now, the last of the Honda sedans...was the Honda Accord...

3rd generation Accord

4th generation Accord

5th generation Accord

6th generation Accord

7th generation Accord

...but only this...

2012 Honda Accord Type S

THE ACCORD EURO.

Ever since the fifth-generation Accord, the Japanese, American, and European Accords became very different. This applies the same as the sixth-generation Accord but on the 7th generation Accord, it became too far. The Japan-spec 7th generation Accord is sold in Europe and in North America as the Acura TSX, to avoid confusion of the Asian-American 7th generation Accord, which is essentially the 4th generation Honda Inspire.

With Honda sedans gone and go, the Accord is the last of the Honda sedans left in Japan. Pretty soon, the Honda Accord plans for a full model change with a hybrid model planned but only the Japan-spec one because the Accord Inspire is about to die and won't go for a full model change.

Anyway, while they'll diddling right about that now, the Accord is a very unusual Honda. It isn't pretty but my gosh it was good. This Accord will be the last hurrah of the long history of Honda sedans.

Welcome Back: 2004 Porsche 911 GT3

996 911 GT3 is too old but it's very good!


Porsche's 996 GT3 uses the 996 as its base but it lost a lot of weight. Not only that, it comes with stiffer, adjustable suspension and upgraded brakes, and used the bodyshell of the four-wheel-drive version, which incorporated additional front-end stiffening. In 1999, 996 GT3 comes with a 3.6L flat six engine that generates 360bhp of power while in 2002, the GT3 was improved with even better aerodynamics and the 3.6L flat six engine was improved to generate 380bhp of power.

In Series 3 opener of Top Gear (U.K.), Richard Hammond test drives the Porsche 996 911 GT3 and this is the last car the original, black-colored, Stig drove around the Top Gear Test Track right before his death at the HMS Invincible. It lapped round the track in 1:22.3.

Outtakes: 2013 Viper GTS vs. Corvette C6 ZR1?

OUTTAKE:

You were saying that the 2013 Viper GTS is faster than the Corvette ZR1?

Maybe...When I checked out the stats of the car's power-to-weight ratio;

"DRY" HORSEPOWER TO WEIGHT RATIO:

Bugatti Veyron : 4.10
Ferrari F12berlinetta : 4.70
SRT Viper* : 4.91
Lamborghini Aventador : 4.96
Corvette ZR1 : 5.01
Porsche 911 Turbo : 6.22

* Dry Weight 3,143 lbs.

...that's what matters.

Uh...I think you've got terribly confused. You know, we pushed the 2013 SRT Viper against the Lamborghini Aventador round the Top Gear Mile for some experiment and you said that despite the SRT Viper's power to weight ratio is better than the Lamborghini Aventador, it's not quicker on the straights.

Yeah, you're right. Not as quicker as the Lamborghini Aventador as I tried.

Yeah and how about the thing against the Corvette ZR1?

ZR1 vs. 2013 Viper

You said that the Viper stacked up against the Vette ZR1. You said that the Viper is better than the Vette ZR1 because of the power to weight ratio.

Uh....uh...uh....

Well, moments later, you've conducted another series of experiments proving that the 2013 Viper is better than the Corvette ZR1. You did the old split screen experiment and what's the result?

Didn't realize that in stock terms, the Corvette ZR1 bested the new 2013 Viper...

Yep, but that's just a beginning. Later on, you started some kind of public lobby to further conducting this kind of experiment. What you did is stock only, only the C6 ZR1 and the 2013 Viper. Have a ZR1 driven by yours while the 2013 Viper will be driven by an online buddy. How was it?

It's kinda the same thing. Even in the Top Gear Mile, it seems that the Corvette stacks up against the Viper.

Uh-huh, then you decided to change locations. Then, you drove the all new 2013 Viper while an online buddy is driving the Corvette ZR1. How was the result of your TOP SECRET experiment?

ZR1 vs. 2013 Viper

It's still the same thing! The Corvette ZR1 stacked up against the all new Viper!

Ha ha ha! I believe that it was a mistake to make that claim. It seems that the Corvette ZR1 is still the king!

Yeah yeah but we can't do that claim. This debate of whole Corvette ZR1 vs. Viper '13 is just like the controversial Pacquiao-Bradley fight. Why don't we leave this to the experts? MOTOR TREND, perhaps?

Yeah! Motor Trend makes the best car reviews and the best drag races.


OUTTAKE END

Bulilits in the rain

On the June 24, 2012 episode of Goin Bulilit:

- Goin Bulilit music video of SUKOB NA

- Rainy day gags

- In the Goin Bulilit spoof of Aryana, called AROWANA, can Arowana's mom stop her daughter's 14th birthday because of the curse? It takes a chopped finger to figure that out!

- Bugoy compares what's NOON and what's NGAYON...

- Katulong Mutya gets confused when her amo asked her to buy some coffee!

- Pulot That Ball! That was the Ready Get Set Goin game of that week!

Alonso wins the European GP

This is the second time Ferrari's Fernando Alonso get first place on this 2012 F1 season and this time at the European GP held at Valencia, Spain. With all that potential, it seems that Alonso's in the lead, overtaking big timers such as Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel! How's that possible?!

Race - Alonso triumphs in Valencia thriller 24 Jun 2012
       
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso scored a sensational victory for Ferrari - and Spain - in an action-packed 2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe in Valencia on Sunday afternoon, despite starting only 11th. And on a day when neither Lewis Hamilton nor Sebastian Vettel finished, Alonso went back into a healthy world championship lead.

For the first 34 laps Vettel and Red Bull owned the twisty track round the Spanish port. The German lit off from pole position and could not be challenged as Hamilton kept Romain Grosjean bottled up behind his McLaren. Grosjean finally found a way by Hamilton on the 10th lap, but the Lotus driver could not then do anything about Vettel as a largely processional race went past its halfway point.

But then Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso collided with Heikki Kovalainen's Caterham on the 27th lap, prompting the deployment of the safety car on the 28th. It closed up the field until the 34th lap, when racing started again. Vettel immediately leapt back into the lead, but by the end of the lap his Red Bull was missing. It had coasted to a stop by the side of the track.

That wasn't all. Alonso had steadily been moving up ever since the start, when he had jumped into eighth place. He was up to third when the safety car came out, but grabbed a place from Grosjean on the 34th lap when the race restarted and thus inherited the lead upon Vettel's demise.

The Frenchman never gave up and kept the gap at less than a second, but just as a great battle came into prospect, he too suddenly slowed on the 40th lap and stopped by the side of the track with a suspected alternator failure.

That left Hamilton back in second place, delayed after yet another pit-stop drama, this time with the left-front wheel after the front jack appeared to fail. He was having to fend off a hungry Kimi Raikkonen in the other Lotus, who'd lost out to Williams' Pastor Maldonado at the start and then spent the afternoon getting back into a challenging position. He finally got by Hamilton with three laps to go as the McLaren's tyres were finished, but just didn't have time to challenge the Ferrari.

Hamilton was under extreme pressure from Maldonado in the closing laps as the Williams driver closed in, but after running side-by-side for several corners they finally collided, Hamilton's McLaren being pitched into the wall as at least 12 points disappeared.

All of that set the scene for Mercedes' Michael Schumacher and Red Bull's Mark Webber to come slamming through after late tyre stops, on the 44th and 38th laps respectively. They swept by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, McLaren's Jenson Button and Sauber's Sergio Perez, then the Force Indias of Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, before the demise of Hamilton and Maldonado elevated them to third and fourth places. For the German it was the first podium of his comeback, the first for a 43 year-old since Jack Brabham at Brands Hatch in 1970.

Hulkenberg clung on for an excellent fifth for Force India, but Di Resta lost sixth to Rosberg on the final lap. Jenson Button had yet another low-key race to eighth in the second McLaren, holding off Perez as Maldonado slumped to 10th minus his front wing after the Hamilton collision.

The Venezuelan was followed home by his Williams partner Bruno Senna, who got a drive-through penalty for a collision with Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi, who'd enjoyed a long spell in fourth place prior to the first round of pit stops. Senna later inherited his team mate's single point when stewards added 20 seconds to Maldonado's race time over his clash with Hamilton.

Daniel Ricciardo ran as high as third at the restart, due to being out of kilter as most of the main runners pitted under the safety car, but was soon shuffled back by those with fresher rubber. He survived a collision with Caterham's Vitaly Petrov to take 12th ahead of the Russian and his recovered team mate Kovalainen. That became 11th after Maldonado's penalty.

Behind them, Charles Pic was Marussia's only starter as Timo Glock remained unwell with his intestinal infection, and the Frenchman was 15th ahead of Felipe Massa, who was in the hunt for some good points until his Ferrari was attacked by Kobayashi's Sauber. The Japanese driver retired and was handed a five-place grid penalty for the next round in Great Britain.

The HRTs both finished this time, with Pedro de la Rosa leading Narain Karthikeyan home in 17th and 18th. After the race, Vergne received a 10-place grid drop for the next round and a €25,000 fine for his collision with Kovalainen.

Alonso now has 111 points, from Webber on 91. Then come Hamilton on 88 and Vettel on 85, as Rosberg moves to fifth on 75 and Raikkonen to sixth on 73.

In the constructors' chase, Red Bull have 176 to McLaren's 137, Lotus's 126, Ferrari's 122 and Mercedes' 92.


Verdict: It seems that Ferrari's back on track thanks to Alonso but can Ferrari keep up to get the title? Find out in the UK this July 8, 2012!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Remembering the Xantia....

Xantia V6 at the Alps
 

This car seems to be an instant classic but not forgotten by many French car enthusiast. This is the Citroen Xantia, some say that this is somewhat a French executive sports saloon from the 1990's but for me, this isn't more of a French executive sports saloon. This is just something else...

The Xantia, when it was launched in 1993, was designed by Bertone, the same chaps who did the Lamborghini Miura and the Lancia Stratos. Unlike those, the Xantia isn't seems to be a bit sporty. In French fashion, the Xantia is just a 5-door liftback just like the Citroen BX it replaced.

Some say, the ace of its sleeve on the Xantia was its suspension and what's observed is an enhanced version of the XM's Hydractive, Hydractive II or H2, computer-controlled version of the hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension. With the Hydractive II suspension, the Xantia provides an unique ride quality and the body always stays flat even on various road conditions.

Most Xantia models have different sorts of engines such as the 1.6L, 1.8L, 1.9L, or even HDi engines offered but the one I have on Gran Turismo 5 is something else; a 3.0 i V6 engine, serving as the flagship model. Xantia V6....hmmmm....If you were the sort of patient and if you hear everyone saying XANTIA V6, your pulse keeps on going and going and going. Anyway, the 3.0L V6 engine, this produces about 140 kW (190 PS; 188 hp) @ 5500 rpm of power and 267 N·m (197 lb·ft) @ 4000 rpm of torque.

The Citroen Xantia became the final Citroen to come a common hydraulic circuit for suspension, brakes and steering like the pioneering Citroën DS. Not only that, Iit was also the last Citroën to use the green LHM hydraulic fluid.

There is a known reference that a 4WD turbo version of the Xantia was used for rallying at the Championnat de France and it won five times in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999 with driver Jean-Luc Pailler. Never heard of it?

Anyway, the Xantia with the Hydractive suspension, does it really work even though in Gran Turismo 5? Sadly for me, it doesn't.... It kinda feels like I'm getting a bit struggling at handling through the Swiss Alps or even the corners of the Top Gear Test Track. It may be a French executive sports saloon but feels like it doesn't. This is a bit more harsh to drive, has the harshest engine for an old French car, and more importantly...what can I say? Terribly ugly. Well, whatever, at least the Xantia is dead now and it was replaced by the C5, which the first generation is getting a bit oblong but the second-generation gets it right, really right.

Let's Do The News! (June 24, 2012)

It is now time to do the news! And we begin with this! As you may know, most people saw the MINI CLUBVAN at some motor show but actually, it was a concept version. Say hello to the production version of the Mini Clubvan, a Mini targeted for small business purposes and it was here to lash out the likes of the Mercedes-Benz Citan and the Renault Kangoo.

2013 Mini Clubvan

Yep, this looks like a MINI CLUBMAN to you but remember, the Mini Clubman is made for small business purposes. It's all about building your own business. Imagine if the DHL, UPS, FedEX or the Royal Mail had to use one of these as part of their cost-cutting due to today's economy and finding out that they can't afford on Ford Transits. Anyway, what you get on the Clubvan are the 72 kW/98 hp MINI One Clubvan, the 90 kW/122 hp MINI Cooper Clubvan and the 82 kW/112 hp MINI Cooper D Clubvan.


I believe that the Clubvan is a perfect business machine for those who think they can't afford the Ford Transit but sadly...this is smaller than the business-oriented Ford Transit. Sorry.

(audience laughing)

So, um...have you watched THE X FACTOR Philippines yesterday?

X Factor? A reality show that is somewhat Simon Cowell-ish?

Uh, actually, what we're looking here was the Philippine version of the X FACTOR, even though it has some Noypi taste, it still stays true to the original even though it was hosted by KC Concepcion. The judges seem to be from different forms; we have Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Charice, and some old lady that I really forgot who that is....

I know who that is...

Who?

Pilita Corales.

Oh....

Anyway, those auditions for THE X FACTOR PHILIPPINES are highly immense! I even saw someone sang MY WAY and that made Charice cry. Many will enter, only one will win. That's the main purpose on THE X FACTOR. The reality series that rattled the USA and Great Britian is now in the Philippines!

Yeah and be sure to tune in on ABS-CBN every weekends for all X FACTOR.

Absolutely! Now hey, guess what? Bad news. Something's wrong with ZAMZAR.

What?

It was the URL stuff. When I paste the YouTube link, then convert it to either mp3 or wmv, then I type my e-mail, click Convert and I got this message that most of you haven't heard of it;


Sorry, we can't get that video

At the request of Google we have had to remove support for the downloading of YouTube videos on Zamzar.

You can still use Zamzar to convert hundreds of other file formats and we promise to continue introducing cool new features such as the ability to convert files by email.

See the problem? Zamzar removed the support for the downloading of YouTube videos at the request of Google! What's wrong?

(audience murmuring)

Well...It was this....


...and later on it was this...

"We recently became aware of your service, Zamzar, which is being offered at http://www.zamzar.com/. It appears from your website and other marketing materials that Zamzar is designed to allow users to download content from YouTube. We need to ask you to stop offering that functionality."

Well, that could be worse? What's next? RealPlayer will no longer support downloading YouTube videos? That seems to be lame, right?

Yeah, it is lame but I hope RealPlayer won't be on the same fate, I think. Anyway, another bad news. You remember Nokia?

(audience says YES)

Me too! I remember! I love that 7650, the cellphone that invented the art of MMS!

Anyway, enough happy talk and some sad talk. It seems that the Euro debt crisis, especially austerity measures, really took a toll on the Finland-based cellphone giant. It appears that Finnish production for Nokia cellphones are finished. Get it? FINISHED! Nokia bid goodbye to manufacturing in Finland

(awwww)


How sad isn't it? It's the end of NOKIA as we know it. The bad case of shutting down their Finnish plant in Salo is cutting down 850 jobs on top of 1,000 announced earlier in the year, and rob the town of 90 per cent of its tax revenue. 

It turns out that Nokia aren't that good in the game of smartphones dominated by Apple and Samsung. We use to like Nokia phones because of their style and functionality. Asians love it because they have it. Well, sadly, when it comes to smartphone technology, Nokia's hopeless.

Yeah, very very hopeless. Let's talk Nokia okay? Let's remember. Now when someone named Elise was subscribed to Globe Telecom, her first phone was the Nokia 3310. Anyone remembered the 3310?

(audience raising hands)

Well, they did remember. As for me, the 3310 is a bit more of a big fat version of the 3210, which is still one of the classic Nokias I can remember. When the 7650 went out, people went cameraphone crazy. I dreamnt of having one but later on, my sister has one moments before she bought someone which is way better than....ugh! I still remember the 6680!

What's a 6680!

I still remember the phone my sis have. It was a black one but later on back in my high school days, we lost it! We really really lost the 6680!

Oh, how sad.

Yeah, where did the last time you put it?

I think it was way back home but sadly...I don't know where it is...

(audience laughing)

Well, at least you moved on....

Yeah, I kinda moved on....My sis now has iPhones, my other sis has an Android smartphone, which is kinda rubbish, and I have no problem at all. At least that old 6680 phone will always remain part of the memory...

(awwwww)

What about you? Wish to have a smartphone?

I dunno....But it's still a process in the making. Don't disturb, okay?

(audience laughing)

Hey now, the SRT Viper, we drove it on Forza Motorsport 4 via a free DLC, it seems that the very first SRT Viper has been auctioned for $300,000 at the Barrett Jackson auction event.


Sold at $300,000? Congrats to that lucky chap who got the new SRT Viper!

Yeah, I have to give thanks to this guy who finally got the keys to the first SRT Viper. Anyway, I have to say that this car really regaining the crown of being the KING OF AMERICAN SPORTS CARS, not the Corvette ZR1. If you put these two on a drag race, the results are highly addictive. The Viper GTS stacked up against the ZR1 and I have to say this that this Viper rocks!

Speaking of which, have you seen the limited-time only SRT Viper GTS-R on Car Town? The one with the Forza livery on it, it was like what was that? Forza in Car Town? Uh oh....

Yeah, it's a big uh-oh....

That didn't happened, eh?

(audience laughing)

Anyway, a new IDOLM@STER PSP game under the banner THE IDOLM@STER SHINY FESTA, you guys saw the trailer at THE IDOLM@STER 7th Anniversary Concert at Yokohama Arena, right? It turns out that this upcoming IM@S PSP game is nothing more like Hatsune Miku Project Diva, except this time, 765Pro All Stars.

(audience laughing)


Wha....?! An IM@S PSP game that feels like Hatsune Miku Project Diva?!!!

Indeed it is my fellow petrolhead. Indeed it is....

(audience laughing)

Well, since you're a big petrolhead who likes IM@S as part of your driving songs, would you want one?

Uh....uh.....

Come on. Say it.

Actually, I haven't got plans for that.

(audience laughing)

Aw come on. Some say you like Haruka! Some say you like Chihaya! Some say you like Ritsuko! Some say....

(audience laughing)

Hammo's right. You're kinda in to that IM@S thing.

Shhhh!!! Enough IM@S stuff and let's talk about the TOYOTA 86 in the Philippines. You know what, we're terribly sorry that all Toyota 86 models have been sold out...quick!

(awwww)

Yep! It's too late to get your own 86 because....let's be honest. This car's has been wildly popular because of the pricing that is somewhat a Genesis Coupe territory.


Yeah, the TOYOTA 86's been wildly popular because, it's a car you'd been driven all day long on your Playstation.

(audience laughing)

Yeah... He he he he....But let's not laugh okay? And that's the news!

Banana Split HOT ISSUE (June 23, 2012)

What's the HOT ISSUE on the June 23, 2012 episode of ABS-CBN Banana Split?

1) Pambansang kamao, congressman Manny Poohkyaw, namigay ng tulong sa mga binaha niyang kababayan sa Saranggani!

2) Premiere night ng Kimmy Dora and the Temple of Kiyeme, dinumog ng mga celebrities at mga fans!

3) Mga batang bibo at super talented magpapagalingan sa pinaka-aabangang reality talent show for kids ng ABS-CB ang I-SHINE!

The Super Ballers in FM4

The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, the Mazda Furai, and the Pagani Zonda R; those three are really what you called SUPER BALLERS (as coined from Car Town) because even though you can't use them for motorsport purposes, they really are fast. So what are those SUPER BALLERS?

1) Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

The Super Ballers

Sesto Elemento, which means 6th element in Italian, is the name of the Lamborghini that was derived from the periodic table of elements because carbon is classified as the sixth element. True to its name, the Sesto Elemento demonstrates the worldwide leading expertise of Lamborghini in carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) technology. The super sports car brand from Sant'Agata Bolognese is the only vehicle manufacturer in the world to have mastered the complete CFRP process across a range of technologies, from 3D design through simulation, validation, production and testing - all in a state-of-the-art industrial process that stands for the very highest quality standards.

The V10 engine that powers it generates 570HP of power, promises a power to weight ratio of 1.75 kilograms per hp and 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration of only 2.5 seconds.

Lamborghini plans to produce up to 20 Sesto Elemento models in 2011 but "...It will never be road legal", just like its stablemate, the Pagani Zonda R. Also, it is not made for motorsports purposes.




2) Mazda Furai Concept

The Super Ballers in Laguna Seca

Over the years, Mazda has a long reputation of making sensible small cars and the worst television commercials. At the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, this concept race car is something that Mazda wants to give it a name that packs aggression and anger but the name game has been handed to someone from Birmingham so the name was the FURAI (風籟). The chassis is from an American Le Mans racer and the body design is made by someone with a Batman fixation. It was powered by a 1.9L rotary engine that generates 460HP of power, fuel economy of 2.6MPG, and annoyingly broken as told by Jeremy Clarkson after the news segment of Season 11 finale of Top Gear.



3) Pagani Zonda R

The Super Ballers in Top Gear Test Track

Pagani's Zonda R is the track-only finale of the venerable Pagani Zonda hypercar. Some say that this is a test-bed of the next Pagani, which is the Huayra for sure. The Zonda R is powered by a 6.0 L AMG V12 engine found in the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR, which produces 740HP of power, 523ft-lb of torque, top speed of 350km/h, 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds, and it achieved a Nurburgring Nordschelife in 6:47.50, faster than the Ferrari 599XX. This is the first ever Zonda to be equipped with a 6-speed sequential transmission.

This car was featured on Jeremy Clarkson's DVD, The Italian Job, as he drives the Zonda R round the Imola Circuit. Then, it was featured in an Series 16 episode of Top Gear and when the Stig is behind the wheel, it set a lap time of 1:08.5 but subsequently removed from board because it is not a road-legal car.



So, you can't race those three, and you can't use it to go to the shops. Really then, they're just pure speed machines, those million dollar toys you love to play with them. The Furai is packed with aggression and anger that flows around its Nagare design but the howl of the rotary engine isn't as perfect as the 787B race car. The Sesto Elemento seems to be more of a racer wrapped up with carbon fiber body but it looks a bit more of a monster. When you look at the back of the Sesto Elemento, you might thinking that there is an internal organ planted outside. Creepy, isn't it? As for the Zonda R, well it is just right. Some people say that all Zondas can be terrifying to drive but they're not. They're easy. Because the Zonda R weighs less and grippy slick tires, this is the easiest of the Zondas. It doesn't really matter if you're not concentrating because it weighs less and because of the big ceramic brakes, it will stop from 125mph to none in 4.3 seconds. The only way to stop even faster is to hit the tree but forget about that. What matters is that the sound of the engine from the Zonda R is my favorite. When you start the engine, it sounds a bit more brutal and it gets even more brutal every time when your driving around race tracks. Sadly, even though it costs a million pounds, you might be even charge more due to race tracks' noise limits; think about... 6 BILLION GBP! BILLION!

Despite that, the Zonda R is my favorite super baller because this Zonda R is all about being brutal but sadly this track-only version served as the grand finale of the Zonda. However, the Zonda's lifespan got extended because of the special editions like the Zonda Cinque and the Zonda Tricolore. Whatever, at least the Zonda is dead now and the new Pagani Huayra took place.

Welcome Back: 2003 Ferrari Challenge Stradale

This is a bit of a lightweight version of the 360 Modena


The Ferrari 360 is one of the all time greats. They made a track-only version known as the 360 Challenge and on that bombshell, in a terribly confusing way, they made a road version of the track version of the road car. Think of the Challenge Stradale as a 360 GTi, a more tamer version of the 360 which is track-focused and road legal. With the pricing of 130,000 British Pound Sterling, which is 30,000 more than the standard model, that extra price made this model some weight loss programs such as carbon fiber door panels, removed carpets, carbon ceramic brakes, titanium wheel bolts, dual rear floor with F1-inspired flows, slightly longer nose, slightly modified sills, slightly necked boot and the rear is higher than the front. Some of these are all in the sake of aerodynamics. The 3.6L engine has been tweaked to produce 425BHP; 0-60mph in 4 seconds.

In essence then, the 360 Challenge Stradale is lighter, more aerodynamic, faster, and it's a great way of getting closer to Ferrari's motor racing. A greater way to telling all the Ferrari 360 Modena owners that you're a little bit richer.

When The Stig is in the 360 Challenge Stradale, it went round the Top Gear Test Track in 1.22.3

This car is listed as a unicorn car.