2013 Honda CR-Z Mugen RZ gets supercharged power

Factory tuning house Mugen has taken it upon itself to cure what ails the Honda CR-Z. The centerpiece of the Honda CR-Z Mugen RZ is a specially-developed supercharger, which bumps the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine's output to 153 horsepower. That's a nudge of 30 horses over the standard hybrid, though the hatchback's integrated motor assist system still delivers an extra 20 horsepower when needed. Mugen also threw in a titanium cat-back exhaust system to help the engine breathe a bit easier. The company swapped the stock suspension components for five-way adjustable coilovers, and the brake system received a complete overhaul as well.

Up front, the CR-Z Mugen RZ makes use of 11.8-inch rotors pressed by reinforced calipers, sterner pads and braided stainless lines. Of course, this wouldn't be a Mugen product without a new body kit, and the company's designers served up a reworked front fascia, adjustable front spoiler, side skirts, rear diffuser and, of course, a wing. Inside, the reworked CR-Z uses special blue and black seats, a new steering wheel and shift knob.

Mugen will start to sell 300 completed CR-Zs on November 26, in Japan only, sadly. Take a look at the full press release below for more information.

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F1's Nico Rosberg explains how the racing helmet has evolved

As motorsports fans, we tend to pour over every detail of the race car's evolution, but it's easy to forget other aspects of a race team that progress at approximately the same rate. That includes safety equipment. Nico Rosberg took some time off from of his Formula One driving duties at Mercedes AMG Petronas to sit down with a camera crew to track the evolution of the helmet from the jaunty leather caps of 1946 to the carbon-weave shells used today. Rosberg's helmet weighs in at just 2.5 pounds but can withstand serious impacts without deforming and protect the wearer from heat of up to 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 seconds.

Rosberg's helmet can also hold up to a shot from a projectile moving 1,345 feet per second. Very impressive, and entirely necessary for a sport that sees racers reach ludicrous speeds on track. You can check out the video below to chart the safety helmet's interesting progression.

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Michael Schumacher retiring from F1 again, 'might be forever'

Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher said this morning that he will retire at the end of the current season. Just last week, Mercedes-Benz announced that Lewis Hamilton would be replacing Schumacher for the 2013 F1 season.

Schumacher didn't completely quell the rumors of his taking a spot with another racing outfit next season Sauber has been mentioned as a potentially soft landing place for the German saying only that the retirement, "...might be forever."

In an interview with the Associated Press following the Japanese Gran Prix, Schumacher recounted, "Although I was able and capable of competing with the best drivers that are around, at some point it's time to say goodbye and this time it might be forever."

Schumacher retired for the first time following the 2006 F1 season, choosing to return with Mercedes in 2010. Despite being the most successful driver in the history of the sport, Schumacher has underwhelmed in the intervening years since his comeback.

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Ecclestone pushing to dump Formula 1 turbo V6 plans

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is unhappy with his series' proposed engine change. SPEED is reporting that Ecclestone believes the introduction of the turbocharged V6 mill should be postponed or even dropped altogether.

While one may think the leading concern for the Ecclestone are the budgets tied to developing the new engines, his issue with the V6 is reportedly far more simple than that. No, Ecclestone has a problem with the way the turbocharged V6 powerplants sound.

The SPEED report notes Ecclestone's reaction: "I listened to the noise of the engines in Maranello the other day, the new engine and the old engine, and even (Ferrari President) Luca di Montezemolo said it sounded terrible."

As superficial of a qualm Ecclestone might have with the engine note, that whine of a high-revving V8 has become an integral part of the identify of F1 it may be imprudent to meddle with with such an important part of the brand.

FIA president Jean Todt had previously stated that there will not be another delay in the rollout of the new powerplant, but Australian Grand Prix president and Ecclestone-ally Ron Walker says "The circuits will all support Bernie in his quest to keep the same engine, because it will mean great savings in the cost burden of running the sport."

Given that we are just 18 months from the start of the 2014 season, we will be anxious to see what the final decision is on engine formula and how soon it is made. Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Renault are not waiting around to find out what Bernie's decision is, as they are gradually converting their dynos over to V6 use and will continue to develop the new engine in the meantime.

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Meet Dick Eytchison and his '65 Chevelle autocrosser

There are few things we love more than seeing well-sorted classic cars being put to task. It seems we're in good company on that front. Dick Eytchison shares our belief that, "you just don't appreciate them unless you get out there and drive them."

Over the years, Dick has whipped his 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle sedan into an autocross terror. With a breathed-on 383 crate V8 spitting out around 400 horsepower, the Chevelle has no deficit of grunt. Of course, getting a mid-sixties muscle bruiser to sprint in a straight line has never been an issue; it's getting the machine to go right and left that's the challenge.

The 68-year-old weekend racer ditched the factory rear end for a stout Ford nine-inch with a Truetrac limited slip, and a set of Baer brakes on all four corners bring the machine down from speed. Up front, 13-inch rotors get pressed by four-piston calipers, while the back axle makes due with a couple 12-inch discs.

A full suite of Hotchkis goodies, including A-arms, sway bars and spindles, help keep the machine planted, as do Bilstein shocks on all four corners. The finished product looks right at home dodging cones. We dig it. Check it out in the video below.

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Former Confederate Motors designer wants $500k to build three LSR bikes, document the process

Out of the workshop of Birmingham, Alabama-based Confederate Motors has rolled several revolutionary bikes. JT Nesbitt designed the G2 Hellcat and the Wraith, two of the company's first models. Made of aircraft aluminum and carbon fiber, the $100,000 Wraith set a top speed record of 166.45 mph in its class at Bonneville in 2008. And now, Nesbitt has left Confederate to start his own company, Bienville Studios in New Orleans, to work on automotive projects. But he still likes motorcycles.

Nesbitt believes as much in the craftsmanship of a bike as he does the mechanics and engineering. Which made him a perfect fit for a Kickstarter project with Manifest Digital, a Chicago graphic design firm.

The goal of the Bienville Legacy Kickstarter project is to raise $500,000 in one month to fund the no-holds-barred creation of three record-setting bikes. Once the funds are booked, Nesbitt will begin putting together the bike you see above using only the highest grade aluminum, titanium, chrome-moly and carbon fiber. Without worrying about costs, profit margins, investors, hard-to-please customers and a bad economy, the team will be free to experiment however necessary to, as Nesbitt says in the video, create "... the fastest f***ing motorcycle ever built in this country."

Exotic materials will lend the bike lightness, while the power will come from a Motus 100 cubic-inch, 160-horsepower V4. As a side note, Motus, also located in Birmingham, was co-founded by another Confederate designer, Brian Case.

The $500k will also pay for "Tempus Veritas Revelat" (Time Reveals Truth), a documentary being shot of the bike build as well as for taking the three bikes to Bonneville for the attempts to break land speed records in three different classes.

A Kickstarter pledge of $15 or more will get investors a free download of the finished documentary. Several pledge levels above that, at $10,000, is a choice of two packages. First is the opportunity for you and 12 of your friends to work with the build team to create the bikes in New Orleans. Your other choice is a "long weekend" apprenticeship and permission to take a bike out for a ride.

Interested? Might want to hurry. The Kickstarter project has a long way before reaching its $500k goal, but its pledge window closes Oct. 22. Check out the project's video by scrolling down, then if you're interested, head over to Kickstarter.

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Up close and personal with David Higgins' 2012 Subaru WRX STI Rally Car [w/video]

Riding Shotgun With The Five-Time Rally America Champ



There's nothing quite like the sound of a high-strung boxer engine in full rage. Each dip of the throttle sends the opposed four-pot barking and popping like some sort of caffeinated prehistoric beast as David Higgins shoots his very unique 2012 Subaru WRX STI through a tight section of chicanes on the back side of the DirtFish Rally School's 315-acre playground. He's traveling at the approximate speed of a Japanese bullet train, if bullet trains spent the majority of their time sideways and on ball bearings.

An hour ago, this car was cleaner than a sundress on Sunday.

The cacophony can likely be heard all the way from Snoqualmie Valley to the hipster bars in downtown Seattle, but situated as I am in the passenger side of the car, all I hear is the rush of gravel pelting the machine's underbelly and my own laughter. Higgins has just sent his hyperactive triceratops pirouetting around a teardrop-shaped hairpin, pivoting the nose on a group of photographers at the apex. He took time to give the group a friendly thumbs-up before grabbing another gear and leaving them all in a cloud of Washington State silt.

An hour ago, this car was cleaner than a sundress on Sunday, meticulously prepared by the guys at Vermont SportsCar. We caught up with the team who built the machine that Higgins drove to his fifth Rally America Championship win last month for a look at what makes this car so damn fast.

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