News: Honda Builds 130 mph Lawn Mower

Honda has never been known to build cars that could accelerate at break neck speeds. In fact, Honda has only ever built a hand full of cars that could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in under six seconds. Those cars are:

- Honda/Acura NSX
- 2007-2008 Acura TL Type-S (6MT)
- 2009+ Acura TL SH-AWD
- 2014 Acura RLX P-AWS
- 2013 Honda Accord Coupe EX-L V6 6MT
- Honda S2000

Photo courtesy of Autoblog and Honda UK

Recently though, Honda decided to do something crazy. In conjunction with Honda's British Touring Car racing team and Top Gear, Honda built a lawn mower that will do zero to 60 mph in about four seconds, and has a top speed of over 130 mph. Sounds pretty darn crazy, right? Honda is already billing their mad creation as the world's fastest lawn mower, and frankly, I believe it.

This "mean mower, as Honda calls it, started life as a Honda HF2620 riding mower. A custom chassis replaces the HF2620's chassis, and the engine is swapped out with the 1000cc unit from a Honda VTR Firestorm motorcycle. Other modifications include a paddle shifted six-speed transmission, a race car steering wheel, a Cobra racing seat and harness, and the wheels and suspension from an ATV. The only thing left of the HF2620 is the body. The result is 109 horsepower strapped to a 309 pound curb weight. That four second zero to 60 time does not seem so unrealistic after all.

All these modifications do not mean that Honda's "mean mower" has lost its ability to do what it was originally designed for. At speeds under 15 mph, the "mean mower" is still capable of mowing lawns. Two electric motors spin the 3mm steel cutting cables at 4000 rpm for maximum cutting efficiency. Unfortunately, the mowing bag at the back of the mower has been retrofitted to hold the "mean mower's" fuel tank, a high-capacity oil cooler, and secondary radiator. So while you can still mow the lawn with this monster machine, you will not get much of your lawn mowed before you would have to empty the bag.

Honda's "mean mower" is, of course, a one off and will most likely never go on sale. In the meantime, we can at least get our jollies watching this thing run around a track while we all patiently wait for the 2015 Acura NSX. Enjoy the videos and original article after the break!

News: Hertz expands rental of performance and exotic cars

An original Mustang GT350H, part of the Hertz
Rent-a-Racer program of the 1960's.

Once upon a time, the American enthusiast was able to go to his or her local Hertz rental counter and indulge themselves with the rental of a Carroll Shelby tuned Mustang GT350H. Some customers were purported to have taken the cars and actually gone to the race track or drag strip. Others claimed to have taken the motor out of the Hertz Shelby to install in their personal race car for the day, returning the mill to the rental car before dropping it back off at their rental car location. People came up with all sorts of creative ways to enjoy the cars and it was genuinely a golden age for enthusiasts. By offering this on-of-a-kind Rent-a-Racer program, Hertz generated a great deal of loyalty among enthusiasts. However, while the program was a success for customer loyalty, the cost to maintain the high performance fleet became excessive and eventually, Hertz did away with the program entirely.

Fast forward to 2013 where Hertz is back with a selection of high performance and exotic cars available for rent through the Hertz website. The list of models is quite extensive with options ranging from the Ford Mustang GT and Chevy Camaro to exotics like the Audi R8, Mercedes SLS AMG, and even a Tesla Model S. The cost varies greatly depending on the model of car, but something like a Porsche Boxster can be had for a not totally unreasonable $395/day. The only real restriction is that only 75 miles are included with the rental with additional mileage available at a fixed rate per mile. Other normal rental car rules and policies apply, but it is an opportunity to get behind the wheel of an otherwise less attainable vehicle for the average enthusiast.

Read more about the program after the break.

Long Term Test: 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited post #1

When this latest generation of the Hyundai Sonata was first introduced, I was impressed by its fantastic design and the great specs on paper. Imagine my joy when my father-in-law returned from overseas and informed me that he was also very smitten with the mid-size Hyundai sedan and was interested in purchasing a top-spec Limited model with the powerful, yet frugal, 2.0-liter turbo-charged engine. In addition to the sweeping fluidic design, what caught his attention was the exceptional value for money, the high level of standard equipment, and the fuel economy numbers that would be a leaps and bounds improvement over the gas-guzzling SUV that serves as their other car.

After a brief test drive and a fair amount of research online about the price, we reached out to the local Hyundai dealer to start negotiations on an available car. The color scheme that had our attention was the rich navy blue with the gray interior and we absolutely had to have the fully loaded Limited package with the navigation system. The local dealer had one in stock, but was not willing to be agreeable on the price, so we put out feelers to all the dealers in the area to see who would be willing to go the extra mile since it was the end of the year. Finally a dealer a little ways away called while we were having lunch and said they were happy to not only meet, but even beat our asking price on exactly the car we were looking for. With a little back and forth drama, that at one point had us worried we were going to have to get a red car, the dealer ultimately delivered by doing a swap with a dealer over 100 miles away. They even went the extra mile to deliver the car to our door at almost nine o'clock in the evening. Props to the team at WIN Hyundai of El Monte for going the extra mile to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

News: Electric Motorcycle takes class win at 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb

With the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, there is a shift in the paradigm of this storied race. With its 156 turns and nearly 10,000 feet of elevation change, Pikes Peak is a grueling test for any vehicle and any driver. Many competitors build customized cars and motorcycles specifically designed to tackle this course and its unique challenges. At this year's race, we saw a new first: the first time that an electric vehicle has won a class not specifically designated as being for electric vehicles only. Yes, that's right, the electric vehicle has bested its gas-powered counterparts. Lightning Motorcycles, a manufacturer of electric motorcycles, outright won its class this year with its entry, besting entries from racing stalwarts such as Ducati.

This is particularly exciting because it signals that, at least with motorcycle racing, electric bikes absolutely have the ability to compete with their fossil-fuel powered counterparts. It could also signal the possibility that electric motorcycles will gain further popularity for street use as the technology begins to reach a point where the cost and performance are becoming comparable. Call me a fanboy, but I see this as further proof that electric vehicles have a viable future as a part of our transportation infrastructure.

Link to the original article after the jump.

Innovation: BikeSpike

Image courtesy of BikeSpike on Kickstarter

For those of us who rely on two-wheeled forms of transportation, security is always a concern. Not having solid sheet metal and glass to prevent access and entry to our bicycles and motorcycles, riders of all kinds continue to look for innovative ways to protect our investments. That is why the BikeSpike caught my attention when I saw it. This small device, which was originally developed for bicycles, that can be attached to any two-wheeled vehicle, offers a way to GPS track the location of your bike or motorcycle from your smart phone. While the idea has been around, it has only been available for motorcycles as a part of expensive alarm systems and never as a low-cost standalone option.

The BikeSpike allows total control from its smart phone app and allows a user to enter the details of their ride into the app to keep track of the vehicle's information and make it available to law enforcement at the touch of a finger in the event that the vehicle is stolen. The app also allows you to set a geo-fence around the vehicle, triggering a warning if the vehicle is moved out of the designated area. In many ways, this is exactly the kind of thing motorcyclists and bicyclists are looking and for once, it is not so cost prohibitive that only those with money to spare can afford it.

Read more about the BikeSpike at the link after the jump.

Long Term Test: 2011 Acura RL Tech post #1

Current Miles: 14,537

After the lease of my parents' 2008 Acura TL Type-S expired, my mom wanted something that was more suited to her tastes. She liked the TL Type-S in that it was well built, but the suspension was too rough and the car was a bit too noisy for her. The only reason we had a TL Type-S was because I was sharing the car with my mom, so I wanted something a bit sportier than their previous 2005 Acura RL. My mom really liked the 2005 RL, so it was only natural that I took her in to check out the 2011 Acura RL. After two years of ownership, and still driving it on a fairly regular basis despite not living with my folks, here are my thoughts on the 2011 Acura RL with Tech Package.

Crazy of the Week: Post #1 - Losing it in Los Angeles

I enjoy my fair share of YouTube videos and the Autos category is a regular stop for me. Sometimes, one just comes across something that is just too crazy to pass up. So starting with this post on our nation's birthday, whenever we come across something so completely outrageous that we just cannot pass up sharing some thoughts about it, we will take the chance to share with everyone.

This week's video is one that takes place near downtown Los Angeles. An insane driver in an Infiniti I30 wearing plates from Illinois just loses it on another driver, swerving back and forth between lanes, brake checking, and generally driving like a complete idiot. Lucky for us, the poor victim of the lunatic was fortunate enough to have a dash cam running at the time, recording then entire encounter and posting it to Youtube.

What caps this entire thing off is that the driver of said Infiniti even goes so far to stop his vehicle during a busy weekend crush on an LA freeway and actually exits his vehicle to confront the victim of his tirade, banging on the glass and screaming at him. Clearly, this guy needs to cut back on his caffeine intake because this sort of behavior is uncalled for, even in the craziness of LA's legendary traffic. The number of lives this moron endangered with his erratic driving and hair-trigger temper likely numbered well into the dozens, all over what was apparently his own poor driving (check out the crumpled rear quarter panel on his car). The amount of patience exhibited by the victim is downright Zen-like.

I must admit, I am not sure I would have been quite so patient had I been caught in this situation. In fact, with a dash-cam running, I honestly would have been tempted to "forget" to brake and just crashed into his car. Of course, my first call would have been to the police to get them on scene so that I could show them the dash cam video and have the idiot arrested. Of course, given his mental state at the time, this might just send him off the deep end. Maybe the best thing to do would have been to just try to get off of the freeway altogether to avoid further confrontation or, at the very least, put a lot more distance between myself and the aggressor.

Watch the video after the break and tell us what you would have done if this had happened to you. Have a crazy story of your own, please feel free to share as well.

Hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Product Review: Black Magic No Scrub Wheel Cleaner

Having a tendency to buy performance brake pads means my wheels are going to get real dirty, real fast. Usually, about after two weeks of driving after washing my car, my wheels are caked in brake dust again. For a while, I had been using the Armor All Triple Action wheel cleaner. It worked reasonably well, and cleaning my wheels became a bit easier than with just soap and water. After running out, I decided I would try something new. The Black Magic product caught my eye because it was "no scrub." Being lazy, not having to scrub would be a godsend. Here's how it worked out.

Innovation: Rustoleum NeverWet

A friend of mine posted the below video on Facebook the other day. It is a demonstration of a new product from Rustoleum called "NeverWet." It is a spray on product that seems to create a nonporous and slick barrier, causing liquids of all sorts to simply slide off. Check out the video below for more details.

After watching the video, it got me thinking about potential automotive applications. Currently, the best way to protect your car's paint is to wax it after washing. While wax does a fairly decent job of protecting paint from dirt and liquids, it mainly causes liquids to simply bead up, leaving the job of removing the water off the car up to you. Thicker, stickier liquids, like tree sap, still have a tendency to cling to wax, meaning you would have to wash and reapply the wax to get rid of it. The other problem with wax is that in order for it to properly protect your vehicle, it must be applied on a fairly regular basis. Not everyone is going to have time to properly and regularly wax their vehicle.

What if there was a spray on product that could supplement your wax by repelling all sorts of liquids? How cool would it be to watch rain, mud, and all forms of dirty liquids simply roll off the hood of your car? Rustoleum's "NeverWet" certainly has the potential to be that product. From the video above, it seems to work on all sorts of surfaces, such as textiles, smooth plastic, glass surfaces, and even concrete bricks. The only noticeable problem with "NeverWet" is that once applied, it does leave a rough texture on whatever it was applied to. If Rustoluem could find a way to smooth out the end application, and find a way to mix it with automotive wax, then you could potentially have a product that would keep your vehicle cleaner longer. Another potential application is to mix the product with the clear coat that is applied to cars as the last step of the automotive painting process. Car gets dirty? No problem. Just spray it down with water and watch all the dirt and grime simply slide off the car with the water. A solution like this could potentially save time, money, and water for the DIY car care types.

After watching the video, what do you guys think? Could a product like this see a potential automotive application? Could you see it being used for something else like motorcycles? Let me know what you think in the comments below. 

News: More than 50% of NY Drivers Fail the Basic Road Test

Image courtesy of RealSmiley via Flickr

When I read this headline, I was genuinely scared for my life. I understand that budget cuts have taken driver's education out of most high school's curriculum, but that should mean that the slack is getting picked up somewhere else. Of course, not all families can afford to pay for professional instruction, but if their performance on the road is any indication, most parents are not fit to teach their children to drive either. This puts us in quite the quandary as it means there will be an ever increasing number of drivers on the road who eventually managed to squeak by to get their license and the current road test is not even that difficult in most states. As if the state of traffic in places like NYC were not bad enough already.

For me, this is an indicator of things to come for our driving culture. In fact, I just had the wonderful misfortune of being involved in two traffic incidents in as many weeks. In both instances, my vehicle was at a complete standstill at an intersection and in both instances, someone else crashed into me, once from the front and once from the rear. Both times, the accidents could have been entirely avoided with greater attention paid to driving and not on some form of distraction. If this news piece is just the start, I should probably expect to have more run-ins with these types of situations in the future as more and more drivers who are barely qualified are allowed out onto the roads.

Tell us in the comments what you think about this situation? Does it also scare you? Or are you excited at the not too distant prospect of playing dodge car every day on your way to work?