Forza Horizon 2: A classic Ferrari that redefines itself

Well, what do we have here? I've never seen this classic Ferrari for a while. It's a little dusty in here but this vintage Ferrari racing machine is part of Forza Horizon 2's G-SHOCK Car Pack, now on sale. What this is is the mythical Ferrari Sport Prototype 500 Mondial. A racing machine that redefined Ferrari in post-WWII Italy.

Built in the post-war era, the 500 Mondial is the first of the Ferraris that was made by Scaglietti and draws inspiration from a design penned by Enzo's son, Dino.

The models that was built for public selling were made under Pininfarina's supervision and only 15 of these are made.

The 500 Mondial is powered by a small 2.0L 4-cylinder engine mounted in the front rather than in the middle like most Ferraris do. It produces 170HP of power and couple that with the 5-speed gearbox, the top speed of this Ferrari is around 236kph, which sounds quick even by today's standards.

Apart from that, it weighs 720kg of weigh thanks to the use of its tubular steel frame for its chassis. The front features an independent suspension with unequal-length wishbones, transverse leaf spring and Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers while the rear features a de Dion suspension with twin radius arms, transverse leaf spring, and Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers.



For millennials, it's hard to get along with this classic Ferrari because while it was born in the age where anti-lock brakes and traction control hasn't invented yet, driving it can be hardly a challenge and no matter how hard you try, it's like gravity will pull you down to the very end. If you are experienced enough, then this Ferrari is a very respectable car that you can brave on. Old-school or not, it's all about gaining the respect of the car you're mastering and if you're getting used to it, it feels like your car can really hear you.



I was given an opportunity to give the mythical 500 Mondial the Forza Horizon 2 treatment it deserves and for this treatment, I'm trying to make the 500 Mondial relive its glory days just like every Ferrari in the history does. So, I've signed this car to a championship related to Classic Racers like this but first, I've given the 500 Mondial some vintage racer looks so it looks like it's going to take on vintage races in Southern Europe.

Like classic racers taking on the Mille Miglia, me and my 500 Mondial are taking on a road trip of a lifetime and it's a road trip to San Giovanni, where the championship I've signed up is held.



With me arrived at the said destination, the 500 Mondial is off for the race of its lifetime. Now, I was going to tweak it out so it can stay competitive against other classic racers like the Ford GT40 but upon witnessing its weaknesses during the road trip and I'm afraid I might go wrong with the improvements, I've decided to source it from another player. Yes, the tuning setup sourced from another player. You just give him a pat in the back for his setup done for you, right?



To whoever made this setup possible, I say thanks because thanks to this clever setup, I've snagged another championship win and with 4 championships left for me to unlock the finale, the journey's end is fast approaching but I must not give up on my adventure for the quest to be one of Horizon's finest.

Let's Do The News (January 28, 2015)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Japanese PM Shinzo Abe opposes the latest video from ISIS, which threatens to kill hostage Kenji Goto, within a day, calling it "despicable". In the said footage, a voice that believes to be the Japanese captive's says that he and the Jordanian pilot will be killed unless Jordan frees an Iraqi woman held on death row. The Japanese prime minister will be coordinating with Jordan officials to secure their release.

- Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank, warned that the world is "dangerously unprepared" for deadly pandemics like West Africa's Ebola Outbreak. He said it was vital that governments, corporations, aid agencies, and insurance companies must coordinate to prepare against incoming outbreaks and they need to learn lessons from the recent Ebola crisis.

- A 15-foot megamouth shark was found dead by fishermen along the shores of Barangay Marigondon in Pio Duran, Albay. No one knows what killed this shark but it was believed to be either trapped in the fishing net or had eating poisonous orgasms.

- Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor, the spokesperson of the Philippine National Police, has been relived from his position despite the controversial report that a police operation in the Maguindanao province that killed 44 elite policemen.

- The presenters of the hit TV show Top Gear are near to have their contracts renewed for another three years. That's good news for fans of the hit BBC automotive TV show.

- EA's popular racing app game, Real Racing 3 is now 2 years old since its 2013 launch and to celebrate, there's a brand new update featuring new events as well as the addition of Italy's boutique supercar, the Spada Codatronca. Plus, beware and keep playing because over the coming days, a prestigious automaker is about to announce a new vehicle and Real Racing 3 will have an exclusive worldwide reveal to this mystery car. What could it be? Stay tuned!

- Out tomorrow, it's the 9th DLC Catalog for the PS3-exclusive The iDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL game! For this catalog, Uzuki Shimamura from The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls will be making a special guest appearance! Also, new outfits such as ドリーミン⌒イリース, Fuwafuwa Otome Pajama, and Newcomer Sunrise, and the brand new song titled We Have A Dream.

765SHOP Catalog Vol.09

- The Automobile Association Philippines, the country's oldest and largest motoring club, pushed an advocacy that they want all road signs to be cleared of advertising, stating that road signs with advertisements are confusing to motorists.

- The Mitsuoka Himiko, a Mazda Roadster NC in Morgan Roadster's clothing, is now on its 2015 model year. 36 colors, 481 variations, only 15 units will be made.

2015 Mitsuoka Himiko

- The Alpine Vision Gran Turismo was unveiled and it's set to be playable in the upcoming March 2015 update of the PS3-exclusive Gran Turismo 6 video game.



TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News (January 27, 2015)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- The East Coast is bracing for the impact of Winter Storm Juno as New York City and other areas in the northeast have shut down as "historic" snowstorm approaches and expected to dump as much as 90cm of snow. All non-essential vehicles are not allowed to drive through NYC from 2300 hours Eastern Standard Time and subway services were suspended. The states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire are placed within a state of emergency.

- The Syriza far-left party of the Greek government, which won Sunday's general election, wants to renegotiate the nation's 240 billion euro bailout by international lenders. They have warned that the debt repayment in Greek debt in full is "unrealistic".

- An audio statement from the Islamic State militant groups are calling for attacks against Western countries and praised for recent terror attacks in France, Australia, and other countries in a speech purportedly made by its spokesperson. It's all just a bunch of enemy propaganda we suppose.

- Meanwhile in China, there was a report told that the top Chinese officials dine on a critically endangered giant salamander and became violent when journalists photographed the banquet. The 28 diners included senior police officials from the southern city of Shenzhen, according to one report.

- The Department of Justice denied the bid to dismiss US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton for his murder charges against transgender Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude in Olongapo last October.

- There was a shooting occurred at Tukwila's Westfield Southcenter and police arrested four people after a fight during which someone fired a handgun inside the mall. The fight left one person in minor injury and that's what the reports told.

- Get ready rugby fans! The Six Nations 2015 kicks off this 6th of February!



- Just before Cinderella hits theaters this Spring, Disney announced that there will be a live-action Beauty and the Beast movie in the works and it will star Harry Potter's Emma Watson as princess Belle.

- More news for iM@S collectors as Good Smile Company announced a new Chihaya Kisaragi Yutaka Version figure which will go on sale this July for 9,074 Yen plus tax.

Chihaya Kisaragi
-Yutaka ver-

- The classic Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 saloon is the highlight on the latest Jay Leno's Garage webisode.

TTFN!!!

Top Gear S22E01

Series 22 of BBC Top Gear kicks off with the epic race across St. Petersburg, Russia, where the presenters are finding out who makes it to the finish line first while surviving against traffic in this Russian city. Jeremy Clarkson drives a hovercraft, Richard Hammond rides a bike, James May drives an electric-powered Renault Twizy, and The Stig...well, you know.

In the end, it was the Twizy that arrived on the unpronounceable palace first, proving the car, no matter what powers it, is better. As for The Stig...his head's banging onto something.

Meanwhile, Richard Hammond takes a spin on Lambo's newest V10 monster, the Huracan, and while he's in doubt in the end, The Stig lapped this one round the track in 1:15.8.

Famous celebrity Ed Sheeran is this episode's Star In A Reasonably Priced Car and he did it in 1:54.3 in wet conditions round the Top Gear track.

Forza Horizon 2: The Evo's dying wish

With the news reporting that the Lancer Evolution saga will end within a few short moments and Mitsubishi Motors have no plans to replace it with something exciting because they have other things on their mind, all we can feel is sadness for Mitsubishi's world because now that they've out of their motorsport business and with Ralliart gone for good (well, some parts of the world had), performance is no longer part of the Mitsubishi Motors timeshare.

Now that the Evo is on its last legs, guess I had no choice but to fulfill its dying wish here in Forza Horizon 2 on my XBOX One gaming console.



The Evo X is, well according to one theory, named the final Lancer Evolution ever made, and while this itineration, which is based on the aging Galant Fortis (Lancer in the world market) saloon, may be over half a decade old when it was launched in Japan since 2007, there's still a lot of love for this old-timer, even when Subaru's downing this car for the count with their latest WRX STi (which so far, Turn 10 haven't feature it on FH2 until further notice). With features such as S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control), 6-speed TC-SST, 4B11 MIVEC engine, and other unique features, the Lancer Evolution X is an Evo that loves to fight till its last breath.



To prepare for the Evo's final days on planet earth before Mitsubishi Motors closes the saga of every speedo boys' favorite, I gave it some minor improvements before getting ready for the championship I've signed up for this car. See those HKS logos I've planted on the Evo's body? I've made them myself.

I took this one on a road trip to remember...



...and then I took this Evo on the championship I've signed up for. The events I've signed up for this car are all set in France's Sisteron and because it was classified as a Modern Rally car, it will be facing punishing road conditions even during cross-country events but since the Evo's been through tough times, I'm sure it will have some fighting chance.



I've finally fulfilled the Evo's one last wish; to race like what other Evos do during their glory days, and while the Evo's dying wish came true, I still have a few championships left before the finale on FH2 so it's time to head back home and lay plans. See you soon!

Miss Colombia is named Miss Universe

Photo: Getty Images

Paulina Vega, a beauty queen representing her country of Colombia is named as Miss Universe in the 63rd annual Miss Universe Pageant held at Miami's Florida International University. She was the first Colombiana to gain the title for over 5 decades but she's the fifth out of the last seven Miss Universe winners hailed from South America. She edges out the likes of Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell, Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha, Miss Netherlands Yasmin Verheijen, and Miss USA Nia Sanchez.

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/colombian-paulina-vega-crowned-universe-article-1.2091668

NOTE: Sadly, our very own Miss Philippines MJ Lastimosa couldn't make it to the top five but she's so pleased that she's part of the top ten semi-finalists. Oh well...

New Toyota Alphard and Vellfire (H30W)

2016 Toyota Alphard

2016 Toyota Vellfire

Toyota's flagship MPVs are now regenerated for their brand new generation and the brand new Alphard and Vellfire are now ready to aim for the luxury minivan spotlight that was taken from the likes of the Nissan Elgrand and the Honda Odyssey. Yes. The luxury minivans coveted by most ASEANS are back with a brand new look and features that will surely beg to have one until Toyota gives a go to send Japan's top-notch minivans to those greedy ASEANs. Oh, and if you don't mind, don't bother telling the differences between these two because mechanically, they're the same cars with different faces just like the Noah and Voxy.

Yes, they're different in their exterior designs, and to sum things up, here's what you can expect on the outside of these two. On the new Toyota Alphard, which is now on its 3rd generation, the front face now looks like it came from the latest Toyota Crown saloon. The new Vellfire, meanwhile, has a front face that looks like it came from the Nissan Dayz, the Highway Star version. The faces are different but they have a completely new side view that looks more streamlined and the rear view that looks like it copied the Elgrand's rear for whatever reasons. Although they look like they're a distorted mess, both the new Alphard and the new Vellfire's design really make the cut above the rest of those Japanese luxury MPVs.

2016 Toyota Alphard interior

2016 Toyota Alphard interior

2016 Toyota Vellfire interior

2016 Toyota Vellfire interior

The interior has been the grand stage for both the Alphard and the Vellfire and for this latest generation, it has been given a major overhaul to make it as luxurious as possible and it did. The dashboard looks like it took from the Land Cruiser Prado but it pushes all the right buttons as planned. As for the sat-nav system, it's now integrated with Toyota's T-Connect telematics system first applied on the recently facelifted Camry last year.

If you never know what that is, T-Connect is Toyota's new telematics services along with sat-navs compatible with this and a smartphone app.  In addition to the voice controls, T-Connect allows third-party apps to be downloaded to the navigation system. There's an online help service that integrates and improves the functions the G-BOOK currently provided. In short; T-Connect from Toyota features interactive voice response, service for downloading apps to the sat-nav, improved online help, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Both the new Alphard and the new Vellfire are available with the choice of a 7 or 8 seater but those who prefer the seven-seater might come in for a treat because depending on the variant, it can be offered with three ottoman seats, one in the passenger side and the other two on the second-row seats. They can be adjusted forwards or backward and between you and me, there's no other luxury MPV that would have done such, having an ottoman seat on the passenger side that can be adjusted forwards or backward so you can feel like you're the boss.

For an added surprise, the new models now come with the first-ever cargo area under the third-row seat sliding mechanism. You can store up to 148 liters of storage under the floor and the deck board can be folded into three sections to provide both a sliding third-row and under-floor storage.

There's also the first-ever Smart Entry and Push Start System which automatically opens the sliding door as the user approaches after setting up a reservation and can be locked automatically after it closes.

There are so many conveniences you can find on the new Alphard and Vellfire such as the available rear-seat entertainment system, the JBL Sound System, and many more.

2016 Toyota Alphard

2016 Toyota Vellfire

The cheaper versions have increased the size of their 4-cylinder engines from the former 2.4L to 2.5L! With added displacement comes with added performance because this 2.5L 2AR-FE engine produces 182PS of power and 235Nm of torque. Couple that with the Super CVT-i (with 7-speed manual mode) and an idling stop feature and you can expect up to 12.8km/L of fuel economy as calculated by JC08 Mode standards.

The top-of-the-line models still come with the same 3.5L V6 engine that produces 280PS of power and 344Nm of torque while mated with a 6-speed Super ECT. Fuel economy is a thirsty 9.5km/L.

On the hybrid models, the hybrid system has now been reworked and it now features the same 2AR-FXE 2.5L Atkinson-cycle engine as seen from the Camry while connected with two electric motors, generating a total output of a modest 197PS of power output and an improved fuel economy of up to 19.4km/L, depending on the variant.

Apart from the engine choices, the new Alphard and Vellfire now come with a revised bodywork made of high-tensile strength steel for added rigidity as well as a new double-wishbone rear suspension just like the ones you found on your Honda Odyssey. This results in comfortable mobility and added stability while reduced NVH results in a quiet ride while in motion, giving these minivans the touch and class of a flagship premium saloon.

The new Alphard and Vellfire start at 3,197,782 up to 7,036,691 Japanese Yen (around $32,000 to $71,000). Yes. You can afford one more than the Nissan Elgrand for now and you can take advantage of the new features that the rival minivans of its class don't.

Available colors (Alphard): White Pearl Crystal Shine, Luxury White Crystal Shine Glass Flake, Silver Metallic, Grey Metallic, Black, Sparkling Black Pearl Crystal Shine, and Greyish Blue Mica Metallic

Available colors (Vellfire): White Pearl Crystal Shine, Silver Metallic, Grey Metallic, Black, Sparkling Black Pearl Crystal Shine, Burning Black Crystal Shine, and Greyish Blue Mica Metallic.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation