Honda Launching MotoGP Powered Street Rocket with Project 2&4 Concept at Frankfurt

This year, Honda is celebrating an important milestone in both their motorsport history as well as the brand in general. On October 24th of 1965, a Honda constructed RA272 Formula 1 race car took victory at the Mexican Grand Prix. Leading the race from start to finish, Richie Ginther wheeled the first-ever Japanese built vehicle to win a Formula 1 event. For the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, Honda will unveil a modern homage to the performance that drove the 1965 Formula 1 machine that also represents the brand's 'The Power of Dream' philosophy.

The Honda Project 2&4 concept machine is a lightweight yet powerful mergence of vehicle types and ideas. A concept sculpted as a result of an in-house 'Global Design Project' competition among more than 80 designers, the final vehicle shape for Honda Project 2&4 Concept references the talent of a united 'Team Honda' entity. Project 2&4 marries automobile and motorcycle qualities for a raw sport vehicle that is actually street legal.

A shape inspired by Honda's RA272 race car and sharing a single-seat, mid-mounted engine, Project 2&4's physique resembles the barebones performance intent most racers seek. Bodywork is streamlined while functional components such as the exhaust and the suspension system is exposed. An open cockpit driving experience features what is called a 'floating seat design'. Through the seat positioning, the Project 2&4 places the driver intimately just above the road surface. Focused on a low center of gravity, the Honda concept car weighs just 405 kilograms (892.87 pounds). The Honda Project 2&4's exterior is wrapped in livery bidding tribute to the Japanese brand's participation in the1960s Formula 1.

Powering the concept is a 999 cc four-cylinder RC213V engine pulled from the racing bike used in MotoGP. Motorcycle-style, high-revving stamina is bestowed on Honda's Project 2&4 as the performance peak for roughly 212 horsepower is set at 13,000 rpm with the MotoGP power unit applied to the concept. Featuring a 14,000 rpm red line, the motorsport-derived engine has been tuned specifically for road use. A six-speed dual-clutch transmission is paired with the motorcycle powerplant.

Comments

Car FYI's 2024 Canadian Automotive Guide: Ferrari

Photo Credit: Ferrari S.p.A. Product Lineup: 296 GTB, 296 GTS, Portofino M, Purosangue, Roma, Roma Spider, SF90 Spider, SF90 Stradale, SF90 XX Spider, SF90 XX Stradale Overall Brand Impression: The devotion of the Italian artisans that has kept Ferrari as a premium sports car leader stretches right back to the company’s founder. However, while Enzo Ferrari believed in the construction of pure performance machines in disregard for creature comforts, today’s vehicles are assembled with more consideration of customers seeking luxury alongside supercar power. Despite a long resistance to engaging in the popular crossover category, Ferrari demonstrates a level of concession to the mass market in 2024 by introducing the all-new Purosangue. The Purosangue joins an exciting 2024 Ferrari lineup that also includes the introduction of the brand’s first street legal XX program vehicle. What’s New for 2024: Every vehicle in Ferrari’s 2024 lineup is a merger of style and power. An auto brand reno

Car FYI's 2024 Canadian Automotive Guide: Fiat

Photo Credit: Stellantis Product Lineup: 500e, 500x Overall Brand Impression: When Fiat reentered North American in 2011, there were high hopes that the Italian car make’s small yet stylish products would establish a healthy niche. Although the distinctive design of the Fiat 500 can still attract admiring stares, the brand has amounted to a very tiny share of the market with the 500x crossover being the only product available in recent years. The Fiat 500 subcompact’s reintroduction to the United States and Canada in 2024 as an entirely electric model line could allow this Stellantis brand to gain new relevance among motorists. What’s New for 2024: The subcompact Fiat 500 returns to the United States and Canada for 2024 exclusively as a battery electric vehicle. Assembled within a tidy, elegant Italian-styled package, the 2024 Fiat 500e features a powertrain consisting of a 42-kWh battery pack as well as an electric motor generating 118 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. of torque. With a ma

The 1967 Indy 500: When An STP-Sponsored Turbine Almost Changed Racing

Photo Credit: Uncredited Photographer/IMS LLC Racing has always been the ultimate proving ground for automobiles. Not only has competition promoted innovations big and small, race cars have also influenced overall vehicle appearance. At the 1967 Indianapolis 500, the STP-Paxton TurboCar fielded by the late Andy Granatelli provided a shocking example of how much racing at the speedway evolved over 56 years. Ever since the first 500-mile event was held at the 2.5-mile rectangular oval Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1911, the winning Marmon Wasp with a rearview mirror paved the way for what would be a grand showcase of automotive development. Accompanying “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” advancements in automobile technology showed greater sophistication with every passing decade in the quest for more speed. During the 1920s and 1930s, American race car designer Henry Miller offered groundbreaking engines to the Indianapolis 500. Miller also gave front-wheel drive technology it

Car FYI

Search This Blog