Well this isn’t something you’d see every day.
A completely naked man wielding a shotgun has caused chaos in Houston, America, and vandalised a collection of high-end supercars.
After allegedly trashing a convenience store, the naked vandal reportedly used the butt of a shotgun to damage several cars at a supercar hire firm.
Police report the 18-year-old suspect caused between US$100,000-$200,000 worth of damage by smashing the windscreens of six supercars including a Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and Fisker.
Officers arrested the naked man before he could inflict further damage and he remains behind bars after being charged with felony criminal mischief.
Only in America…
It’s news to make most motorsport nuts lightheaded: Mark Webber could race a Porsche at the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour.
And if Webber alone isn’t enough of a drawcard, he’s planning to share the car with movie megastar Eric Bana.
Webber confirmed his plans on his official Twitter this morning, responding to incorrect rumours the drive would take place at next year’s event:
Mark Webber @AussieGrit “@harrytuckerr: @harrytuckerr: Holy crap, @AussieGrit and @EricBana67 racing a Porsche together at the @Bathurst12hour next year!” No 2015.
Interestingly the drive is unlikely to be in a factory backed Porsche, with Porsche Cars Australia revealing it currently has no plans to prepare a car.
That could change by 2015, or the drive could fall through altogether.
Fingers crossed it doesn’t…
Tokyo has traditionally been a platform for manufacturers to showcase their future direction.
Our tech-laden gallery ranges from the sublime to the zany.
Oddball concepts are an institution at any International Motor Show.
Tokyo 2013 didn’t disappoint.
Plenty of stylish, graceful models were on display at the Tokyo Motor Show.
There were also some new cars. Take in all the glamour and atmosphere of Tokyo with our exclusive gallery.
Forget the rumours, renders and teasers: this is the new Subaru WRX.
Unveiled overnight at the LA Motor show, the fourth-gen WRX ditches its existing 2.5-litre turbo as expected, favouring the 2.0-litre unit found in the Forester XT.
But while displacement has dropped, power is up — albeit modestly. The new Rex churns out 199kW/349Nm — a rise of 4kW/6Nm over the existing model.
Interestingly, despite the bump in grunt, word is the new WRX is actually slower to 100km/h, with Subaru failing to include acceleration times in its official data at launch.
Still, industry scuttlebutt suggests the new car will hit 0-100km/h in 5.6sec in six-speed manual guise, a drop of three-tenths.
Expect the auto to be even slower, with Subaru fitting the new WRX with a CVT transmission for the first time. Subaru says the new torque converter ’box, which boasts an eight-speed manual mode, ‘opens up a new audience for WRX’.
Underneath Subaru has fettled with the new car’s body and suspension to increase rigidity and stiffness, while overall weight is also down to improve handing.
Size wise the new WRX’s platform is extended by 25mm to provide greater rear passenger room, with all models getting a reverse camera as standard — another first for WRX.
All new WRX’s will be sold as sedans only in Australia, with the brand confirming the hatch, which accounted for around 18 per cent of local sales, has been ditched.
As ever, the Tokyo motor show’s opening day was packed full of highlights. Here’s a selection of top picks from our guys on the ground.
Is the Subaru Levorg the next-generation Liberty Wagon?
Well, no — at least according to Subaru.
A Subaru Australia spokesman quashed rumours of the link but did reveal the local arm’s intent to bring Levorg here. “We’ve communicated our interest in Levorg,” he toldWheels, “but as a unique model proposition, not to be aligned with the upcoming Liberty range.”
Production versions of Subaru’s Levorg Sports Tourer, introduced in prototype form at the Tokyo motor show, will be available with a choice of two four-cylinder turbo petrol ‘Boxer’ engines. The entry-level 1.6-litre unit produces 125kW/250Nm, the larger 2.0-litre donk an impressive 221kW/400Nm. Both motors feature standard idle stop/start and two trim levels — GT and GT-S — are offered.
The latest version of Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT will be the standard transmission, the 2.0-litre unit gaining a sport mode which allows eight-speed ‘stepped’ shifting. Naturally, Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive is standard-fit.
All models feature EyeSight technology, updated with wide-angle cameras that provide better visibility and colour clarity. EyeSight can also produce steering input to avoid obstacles. Additional safety features include an active lane keep system, brake light recognition, adaptive cruise control and pre-collision control to braking and throttle management.
Levorg is due to go on-sale in Japan by Q2 2014, with the updated Liberty expected to land in 2015.
HONDA’S return to Formula 1 is already paying dividends, with the company revealing new carbon-fibre technology to reduce weight in its road cars by at least 30 per cent.
Currently under evaluation in prototype form only, the lightweight technology centres on carbon-fibre tubs (think McLaren MP4-12C) and carbon body panels that not only use F1 know-how but borrow science from Honda’s jet program.
Demonstrated on an 800kg CR-Z at Honda’s R&D facility in Tochigi, Japan, engineers revealed the new designs aren’t only safer but improve acceleration and fuel efficiency — by 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
Sadly, this lightweight tech won’t make its way into road cars until at least 2020, but don’t expect it to be hideously expensive by then — Honda suggested that if it were available now, it would add around one million Yen (A$10,000) to the price of a standard CR-Z.
But while lighter cars will undoubtedly be better, it’s not the only thing cooking inside Honda’s R&D facility; it’s also trialling a new steer-by-wire system and is developing what it claims is the world’s first eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox with CVT.
Designed to eliminate the infamous low-speed jerkiness of dual-clutch gearboxes, while also offering fast, positive changes when driven hard, Honda says the eight-speed system is currently engineered for its atmospheric petrol range and works best with the 2.4-litre V6.
While information was scarce, Honda engineers told Wheels the new ’box should offer the best of both worlds, with its torque converter system only working at low speeds and the dual-clutch system kicking in during spirited driving.
Since it’s still in its infancy, Honda wouldn’t reveal when the new ’box would make it into production but expect to see it on the road some time in 2016.
IT WEARS a turbo, sounds like an enraged swam of killer bees and will churn out up to 220kW — meet the next-gen Honda Civic Type R.
Revealed in prototype spec to select journalists in Tochigi, Japan, time in the new Type R was limited but it — and in particular its engine — made an instant impression.
Powered by an all-new 2.0-litre turbocharged four, the new Type R will officially produce 206kW and 400Nm, but if the engineers get their way, expect the angry hatch to produce much more.
Speaking exclusively toWheels, Honda’s chief engine engineer, Ayuma Matsuo, revealed that plans are already underway to wring out more power.
“It’s very capable,” he said, “220kW or more, we are hoping. But we’re also looking to improve fuel economy. Currently it’s just under 8.0L/100km.”
The new donk — a barnstorming high-revver that redlines at 7000rpm — is not only brutally quick and responsive, even at 200km/h, but from 4000rpm onwards, sounds like it’s mauling small animals. In a good way, of course.
The bad news? Australia won’t get the new Type R until at least the end of 2015, with company insiders tipping first-quarter 2016 as more likely. European deliveries are scheduled for mid-2015.
As for the rest of the car, wheel time was restricted to a single four-kilometre lap of a high-speed bowl, meaning driving impressions were limited.
Ride quality on the super-smooth circuit felt taut, while the steering was appreciably direct and well weighted with no sense of torque steer despite all that grunt being channelled through the front wheels.
The test car was fitted with a mechanical-feeling six-speed manual ’box, with Honda Oz execs predicting no change for the production model.
