Let's Do The News! (January 8, 2013)

River's Diary

Right, what's the news today you spoiler-laden TARDIS journal?

Yes really, Season 19 of Top Gear coming in January 27!

Is Series 19 of BBC's Top Gear coming on BBC One this January 27? According to the producers, YES, BBC TOP GEAR IS BACK. They even showed some sneak peek photos of what to expect on the 19th and the most explosive season yet. What to expect?

- USA Road trip with the SRT Viper, Lexus LFA, and the all-new Aston Martin Vanquish
- A 2013 Shelby GT500 races against the train heading from Wembley to Milan. Will the honor of Top Gear, proving that cars are better than trains, defended or lost? Find out soon...
- Making a people carrier for the senior population
- Sensible Kia cee'd (c-apostrophe-d) test where the new generation Kia cee'd was reviewed and even pitted to a game of car rugby...
- Pagani Huayra
- Toyota 86
- Hot hatch comparison between the Ford Focus ST, Renaultsport Megane, and the new Vauxhall Astra VXR
- a car that Jeremy Clarkson fits...
- Africa Special

Top Gear Series 19 coming on BBC One this January 27 at 8:00 PM UTC. Coming soon on BBC America, BBC Canada, BBC Knowledge, BBC Entertainment, or if you're in Japan, BS Fuji.

URL: http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/Top-Gear-TV-is-back-2013-01-03

The Amputee team at 2013 Dakar rally

Race2Recovery Team

Remember back in Top Gear when Richard Hammond introduces to some special kind of Dakar rally team that will compete for this very moment? Yes really, they were soldiers who lost some of their body parts during the war but they never lost their dreams to race in the Dakar rally. This amputee team, called Race2Recovery, were the first ever disabled crew to compete for the 2013 Dakar rally using four Bowler Wildcats for racing purposes, 28 staff for duty, and an array of support vehicles. The Dakar rally runs on 15 days but we wish these special kind of team the very best proving that even with their handicap, they are capable of what they are at the Paris Dakar.

URL: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/disabled-british-soldiers-valiantly-join-2013-dakar-rally

69 Australians hooning for the world record

It maybe a new year but there's a big achievement going on in the Land Down Under. At this year's Summernats car festival in Canberra, 69 modified cars have been gathered to hoon for the world record for consecutive burnouts, beating the previous record of 49 cars. Incredible...

To those idiots responsible for this, we say thank you. You deserved the world record.

URL: http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/watch-the-worlds-largest-simultaneous-burnout-2013-01-07

Memorial Game Collection Series Solvalou from WAVE

Memorial Game Collection
Series - SOLVALOU

Ah, the Solvalou...That name sounds exotic to me and this was one of the famed classic video game icons of the 80's because it was appeared as the hero of the classic video game titled XEVIOUS, by game creator NAMCO. If Solvalou sounds so exotic, you are going to be as exotic as a member of the elite RTS or Racing Team Solvalou from the Ridge Racer games. Anyway, the legendary Solvalou spaceship makes it a perfect display on your desk as part of WAVE's Memorial Game Collection Series. It's available this late April 2013 for 3,360 Japanese Yen and what you get is a plastic model of the legendary hero spaceship from XEVIOUS that comes with a stand that kinda looks like the ANDORGENESIS. That's very simple and very clever, I like that...

URL: http://www.hobby-wave.com/LINE_UP/kit/xevious/solvalou/index.html

Sony discontinues PS2 globally

Remember the article when Sony stop making PS2 units in Japan? Bad news, the news is spreading worldwide and for that, Sony discontinued the famed and fabled Playstation2 game console worldwide. When remaining stocks run out, this could be the end of it. From its release in 2000 and up till now, the PS2 sold over 150 million units while the games made for the PS2 sold over 1.52 billion copies.

URL: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2013-01-06/sony-stops-making-playstation-2-consoles-worldwide

It's been a long time, Tito Sen!

Guess what? Those issues regarding the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 is still going on and this time, those no-good hacktivist group known as Anonymous Philippines once again hacked the official website of Tito Sotto. Instead of a home page, what they'll see is a deface page bearing the hacker’s message and the song “Freedom” by American rap metal band Rage Against The Machine blaring in the background.

“It’s been a long time, Tito Sen!” the group’s message read. “Deny us our freedom of speech and of expression through R.A. 10175 (Cybercrime Law) and we will deny you your cyberspace. You cannot shut us up, you cannot shut us down.”

Guess this is taking too far, eh?

URL: http://www.interaksyon.com/infotech/its-been-a-long-time-tito-sen-hackers-hit-sottos-website-again

Brabus B63-620 Widestar

Brabus B63-620 Widestar

What you're looking here is a new model from BRABUS. It's called the B63-620 Widestar and this is essentially a tuned version of the recently-launched Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, the one with the 5.5L V8 twin turbo engine on it.

As you can see, BRABUS does a really great job tuning the latest Mercedes-Benz models through the years, just like what Alpina did to BMW models. Here on the all new B63-620, which is a tuned G63 AMG though, that is no excuse for Brabus. Thanks to its Brabus B63-620 PowerXtra module, the power of the AMG 5.5L V8 engine has been improved from 400 kW / 544 hp (536 bhp) to 456.3 kW / 620 hp (611 bhp) at a low 5,750 rpm. Peak torque grows simultaneously from 760 to 820 Nm (560 to 604 lb-ft), available on a plateau between 2,000 and 5,000 rpm. 0-60mph is now 5.1 seconds and flatout it will be doing 130 or 143 mph.

There was also some cleverness on the exhausts from the B63-620. To make it sound quietly, hit it to "Coming Home" mode but if you want a very loud noise to wake the dead, hit this one to "Sport" mode. They can either be engaged on the steering wheel and there's more, there are paddle shifters on it that BRABUS says it can shift like a Formula-One car.

In terms of styling, a BRABUS-made body kit and 23-inch forged rims made by BRABUS themselves really made the B63-620 a very stylish off-roader that impresses the crowd if you're driving in posh cities elsewhere. Also, this off-roader's purely a bespoke model, meaning that it can be tailored to your specifications, showing off its exclusivity based on the owner's personal tastes.

As for the handling, this is much better than the normal G-Class because the B63-620 comes with suspension made by Bilstein, making it as sharper as a sportscar and with the Ride Control suspension, it matches your driving style, road conditions, and its personality while driving one of these.

URL: http://www.netcarshow.com/brabus/2013-b63-620_widestar/

Forza 4: Triad enforcers

Triad enforcers

If your only antique was a PS2, you might remember a once cult classic video game called The Getaway and these cars, the Honda EJ7 Civic Coupe and the Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R, were the cars driven by Triads. Triads....hmmmm...yes they were gangsters from Asia just like Yakuzas in Japan but Triads were Chinese and they're based in Hong Kong and spreading through Chinese-speaking communities worldwide. Don't ask...

If you were once making a mess in London Chinatown and the Triads grabbed your attention, chances are that you'll be chased by those but what car is much more of a trouble when you're chased by the Triads? Let's figure that out with a power lap...

Let's begin with the Civic Coupe. What I have here is the EJ7 Civic Coupe, based on the sixth-generation Honda Civic that was produced from 1996 to 2000 and needless to say that the sixth-generation Civic range is a favorite among the most notorious boy racers everywhere. Civics are being notorious for being a JDM car that fits several modifications very nicely because they were cheap and they were easy to modify. They became the darling of the import tuner scene, street heroes, better looking than girls. Guess those crooks are spending their time smoking, drinking beer, getting high on energy drinks, shopping for some apparel at illest, anything that what makes a boy racer notorious and hunted by the law. Imagine someone driving this kind of Civic...he has a lot of money to spend by modifying his Civic Coupe into a law-breaking machine because that's what modified cars do best; TO BREAK THE LAW AND COMMIT A CRIME. He would say that I wanted to make my Civic Coupe so good, that it's scary on the roads by night. He got that memo and he made it meaner and hotter. 

Anyway, enough story telling and onto the car. In Japan, the EJ7 Civic Coupe was launched in 1996 and just like its previous incarnation, the Civic Coupe was an import from the USA. The JDM-spec EJ7 Civic Coupe though, listen to this, has a 1.6L 4-cylinder SOHC engine, codenamed as D16A, which develops a measly 120PS of power and 14.7kg-m of torque, while mated to a CVT which comes with three driving ranges such as D for normal driving, S  for spirited driving with higher engine speeds and L to provide maximum engine braking and peak power. Fuel economy is 17km/l and the only color available on the JDM-spec Civic Coupe EJ7 was Granada Black Pearl. Meanwhile in the USA, the Civic Coupe had offered a variety of grades, colors, and transmission types, especially a 5-speed manual.

I am driving the one with the 5-speed manual gearbox, which sounds proper and sporty unlike the JDM-spec EJ7 because of its continuously variable nonsense that seems inappropriate for a sports car from Honda until they got it right with the first ever Civic Type R hatch. What's more fun about it that this is the kind of car mostly driven by the Triads. It's a proper Asian sports car for the Chinese Triad boys! I once saw one of these cars on The Getaway and would you look at these Triad gangsters chasing me around London in their tuned Civic Coupes. I mean this stresses me a lot but let's see if the Triad gang car is a match at the Top Gear Track...

Start the clock!

The EJ7 Civic Coupe crosses the line in 1:33.063.

And now it's time for the R33 Skyline GT-R...

The best thing about Skylines is that they were once the king of the import tuner scene but not only it has a big reputation of breaking the speed limits and the traffic laws by speeding, this was been a car often smuggled by either Americans, Malaysians, Thai, Indonesians, Filipinos, or any other country that don't offer this car at their Nissan dealerships. I was talking to this R33 GT-R though because this is somewhat a quick car, it was once broke the eight-minute barrier at the fearsome Nurburgring, giving the slogan "Minus 21 second roman" on the Japanese TV ad that featured the song Speed King by Deep Purple. It's so quick, the Triads can easily ambush you in a chase and I believed that this is the better Triad enforcer car than the Civic Coupe EJ7 not only because it has a straight-six engine that no Japanese car has anymore these days and not only it has 4WD but this is a great car to make the most troubles out of it. Let's see if this Triad enforcer has more meat cleavers than the Civic.

Start the clock!



...and the R33 crossed the line in a blistering 1: 27.534, making this a quick winner in this shootout so in terms of the scene where you were chased by Triads, the R33 Skyline GT-R is the car you'll be worrying about because this is fast enough to catch you up and ambushed by the Triads. This R33 Skyline GT-R makes it a perfect Triad enforcer for the Triads who are busy in their criminal activities.

Vice Ganda meets Marco and Emily

That January 6, 2013 episode of Gandang Gabi Vice...

Vice Ganda brought along special guests Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta, which of course they're Marco and Emily from last year's sensational and recently concluded TV drama Walang Hanggan.

Isn't it nice? Yeah, Vice Ganda's busy poking around Richard and Dawn especially the audience for fun.

GT5 C7 Corvette Testing...at the Nurburgring!

Judgment at the Ring

I know this is scary as it sounds but a couple of weeks ago, back in December 2012, the producers ordered us to take on the New Year's Holiday Challenge. Nothing's special about this but there was a time attack challenge featuring the Corvette C7 Test Prototype at the fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife. The description says...

"This is an expert-level time trial on the Nurburgring Nordschleife coruse, using the Chevrolet Corvette C7 Test Prototype.

No tuning is allowed, making this a pure test of your skill and skill alone. Test the very limits of the car to mark that super lap!"

...I know that it's a bit harsh but for the sake of Chevrolet science, I'd accepted the challenge to find out how can the next generation Corvette stacks up at the most feared racetrack in the world.

Based on Gran Turismo calculations, it is predicted that the C7 Corvette will reach the Nurburgring in 7:50.000. I know this is a prediction but if that came into reality, where would the C7 Corvette sits? Spoilers...

Because the predicted time of 7:50 is the time to beat, I'm saddling up on the pre-production mule and find out if the next Corvette has the guts to conquer the Nurburgring. The first attempt isn't just practice, it's torture and once you're in here, you'll be easily enslaved by the twists and turns of the Nurburgring while driving a car under development stages. When the session gets longer, the fear gets even more intense and I have less chances to beat the predicted time of 7:50. After one lap, I did it in 7:54.180, which is not bad for someone in a first try. Sadly though, I need to try even harder to prove if the new C7 Corvette is capable of mastering the Ring.

At my second attempt, it begun to make an impression out of my skill and the lap time is 7:53.464. Later on, it's 7:51.208, which means I'm almost there to mark that super lap. While taking a break, I have to take a look at some of the replays I've saved to study what went wrong with my driving skill. Seems that it's the driver, not the car, that makes a big difference and if I was one of the elite few to drive the C7 Corvette mule, I knew that I have processed the major difference between numerous drivers who have taken the big challenge.

And now...IT'S SHOWTIME! I'm trying to correct the past mistakes I have done in previous attempts and  with all that practice paying off, I have successfully beaten the target time and I did it in...7:48.096. I may have beaten the target time but to me it feels like an unofficial record. Maybe only the Corvette experts will tell what will it be when it hits the Nurburgring soon but this is a remarkable achievement for Chevrolet. The next Corvette is surely be a track weapon of its own right and seems that I got myself a well-deserved break. Maybe I shall cook some souffle while waiting for my next mission...

Let's Do The News! (January 6, 2013)

River's Diary

Right, what's the news today you spoiler-laden TARDIS journal?

Race-spec Atenza warming up at Daytona before ROLEX 24

The new third-generation Mazda Atenza with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY proves to be a worthy adversary for Mazda and it seems that its ready for GRAND-AM racing. When Mazda announced that they'll be making a competitor to the GRAND-AM Road Racing Rolex 24 Hour Endurance, they'll be using the 2013 Mazda Atenza (known globally as the 6) as the basis for this year's endurance race at the Daytona International Speedway - Road Course. The official Mazda USA Facebook page posted photos of a race-spec Atenza preparing for January's Rolex 24 at Daytona.

2013 Mazda Atenza prepares for 2013 Rolex 24

URL: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152393994360363.951754.337363685362&type=1

DMC tunes the Ferrari F12

DMC F12berlinetta Spia

DMC, a German tuner, did a really good job tuning the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 supercar and now it's the turn of its lesser rival who has more power than the flagship V12 Lambo, the Ferrari F12berlinetta. As we all know, the F12berlinetta is Ferrari's flagship V12 grand tourer that some say it has more power than the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4. Yeah, right. Some lucky kid tried one of these and he said it wasn't quite an alternative to the V12 Lambo that he really liked very much. Anyway, the experts at DMC are working on the tuned F12 under the name Spia and it should be ready sometime in April 2013. Aside from the eye-watering body kit, the Spia comes with the performance package that tweaks its V12 engine to  754hp (764PS) and top speed to 350km/h (218mph). A new custom-made titanium exhaust system is included. Is this thorough enough for you?

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2013/01/dmc-runs-performance-and-styling-check.html

2009 Hurst Challenger reviewed at Jay Leno's Garage

Talk show host Jay Leno, who is a car guru and host of Jay Leno's Garage web series, reviews one of the tuned Dodge Challengers and this one is from the now-defunct Hurst Performance Vehicles. Check out this clip...



2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet minorchange

2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet

The sedan and estate models of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class minor change were revealed and now its the turn of its two-door counterparts. The coupe and the cabriolet versions of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class minor change also ditched the four separate headlamps in favor of one-piece units but unlike the sedan and estate versions, the coupe and cabriolet versions' one-piece headlamps are more sculpted and feature different twin LED graphics, the grille gets a single bar (instead of two) supporting the three-pointed star and the bumper design is more aggressive, with an inverted central air intake and enlarged outer inlets. All of these will be revealed at this year's NAIAS in Detroit.

URL: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2013/01/2014-mercedes-benz-e-class-coupe-and.html

Back in the game! Yeah

Yesterday, I finally bought a brand new laptop. It's an HP 2000-2b16NR and it comes with the latest Windows 8 OS. At first, I think this new Windows 8 might be complicating but with such practice, I think I'm starting to adapt to this new OS. This laptop cost us under 300 dollars and because of such cheapness, I got more to buy a 1TB external hard drive perfect for the $99 backup the Geek Squad employee told me. That seems good but on the downside, mama bought me an iPhone 4S with the 16GB on it. Aw geez....A previous model for a cheaper price? Never mind...

Classic Mustangs in Pampanga

There was a shop somewhere in Pampanga where they are specialized in restoring classic Ford Mustangs, especially the first generation Mustang. It's called Classic Speed and it's based in Clark, Pampanga. The December 2012/January 2013 issue of Top Gear Philippines featured this shop in case you never heard of it.

URL: http://www.topgear.com.ph/features/feature-articles/video-a-shop-that-brings-old-ford-mustangs-back-to-life

Forza Horizon: The Final LFA

The car that we will never replace it in our hearts

The Lexus LFA is one of Toyota's crowning glories because this is the kind of exotic that changed Toyota's luxury marque to the right direction. With its clever V10 engine which is divine and as pristine like an angel descended from the skies, this car is just like Charlotte Church. Voice of an angel, liver of a wino. (laughing) Oh Ms. Tate, your joke sounds better on these times! (laughing) but anyway, there's a sad news...

As we all know, production of the LFA at Toyota's Motomachi plant has ended late last month and the last 500th LFA was dropped off the line and whoever asked for this final LFA should have a word of advice to take care of the last LFA ever built. With the Lexus LFA gone for good, I bet its time to place this car on cryogenics...

Time to put this car into hibernation...

...or is it?!

The LFA Nurburgring Package!

Sure, we might have to say goodbye to the Lexus LFA but Forza Horizon's January Recaro Car Pack ordered me to do the LFA's one last hurrah before hibernation with this hardcore Nurburgring Package! So, what's it all about the LFA Nurburgring Package?!

Just 50 out of the 500 LFA units were equipped with the special Nurburgring Package, a track-oriented road-legal version based on the VLN racing model used in the 24 Hour Nurburgring races. With this package, the power output of the 1LR-GUE engine was boosted by 10HP. It comes with a improved transmission that can shift gears by 0.05 seconds, a front splitter, stiffer and more adjustable suspension, lightweight alloy wheels coated in track rubber, aerodynamic canards at the sides of the front bumper, and a large fixed rear wing.

Four exterior colors are offered from glossy black, matte black, orange, and whitest white. It costs $445,000 and customers are offered to have training sessions at the Nordschleife, accompanied by Nürburgring chief instructors, a one-night stay at the Lindner Congress and Motorsport Hotel Nürburgring, admission to the ring°werk leisure park, a Nürburgring branded jacket, and a one-year pass to the circuit.

It recorded a lap time of 7:14.64 round the fearsome Nordschleife and that's even faster than the recently updated 2013MY (2014MY) Nissan GT-R's 7:18.6 lap time!

On real roads, the LFA Nurburgring is a struggle

Now that may seems to be a track-focused muncher but on Forza Horizon, this is a bewildering part animal behind its pristine yet divine looks. In reality, I was thinking that most cars harnessed at the Nurburgring might have a terrible experience on the road. You know what the Nan joke is right? Voice of an angel, liver of a wino. Good job you, ginger-haired goddess of comedy. (laughing) I mean come on, this really is a rough ride on normal roads. Feels my eyes are getting the sore eyes stuff and it's acting like controllers vibrating when there are moments that make them rumbling. On the open road however...

It is pretty much perfect. This car wants to be serene, graceful, majestic, angelic, and pristine in the corners. Well, because of numerous track-focused upgrades for the LFA Nurburgring Package, it sacrificed the quickness of the normal LFA for better cornering, better traction, and better dynamism that will leave the driver a huge smile on his face. Consider a winning face next time but that would be creepy to show off your winning face. Nah-uh. Rather than feeling like an angel, it's becoming more of a fallen angel! A dark angel! A burst angel! Oh wait, am I saying that much? Sorry about that, anyway, feels like it's knocking on heaven's door and it goes as big time as The Book of Enoch! Sorry about the whole El Shaddai stuff but I was praised by this offering. I want this sensation, I want more of this! Guess this is the type of Toyota Mr. Hiromu Naruse wants to drive is he's with us today. Come on! One last hurrah! One last push! Do it for Motomachi's sake! For the people of Motomachi! Woo hoo!

We had the best of times...

That's it. All over. I am so sorry about this ruckus but the LFA Nurburgring Package showed me the ways. It showed me that even though its gone for good, this pristine angel will always be in our hearts/ It showed me that there is light through the darkness, and I thank this car for it. This car...we had...the best of times. Now if I only have the amnesia pill in my pocket, I would forget about the Lexus LFA in my mind but that would be silly. Sadly though, it's too much and all that memories between me and the LFA is burning in my mind and pretty soon, the knowledge will kill me. Perhaps, it's the time now. Guess I should take my amnesia pill in my pocket and all of my memories between me and the LFA will be gone...forever...

GOODBYE, LEXUS LFA. I'LL MISS YOU....