GT6: Cars that are Gran Turismo exclusive - FD2 Civic Type R

Today, we take a look at this FD2 Civic Type R. Launched in 2007, this is the first time the Civic Type R spawned a saloon after the previous three generations based on hatchback equivalents and this is based on the Asia-spec eighth generation Honda Civic. Sadly, this is the last Type R to be made in Japan because since 2010, Honda stopped sales of the Honda Civic and the ninth-generation model, sold globally, is not available in Japan as of now and never will be.

The FD2 Civic Type R will run through the Goodwood Hillclimb but at what time will it post?




It posted a 1:00.839 lap time!

It maybe the last Type R Honda that is MADE IN JAPAN but it makes good use of its athletic proportions as well as the iconic i-VTEC engine that powers it! It handles pretty well as what any high performance cars can do.

FD2 Honda Civic Type R - A GRAN TURISMO EXCLUSIVE CAR.

F1 2014: Malaysian GP

Using his pole position as his advantage, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton scored a clear win in Sepang, Malaysia, for the second round of the F1 2014 season, giving Mercedes F1 team a one-two finish with teammate Nico Rosberg placed second and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel placed 3rd.

There have been some numerous problems faced in this race such in the case of Sauber-Ferrari's Esteban Gutierrez faced gearbox problems and teammate Adrian Sutil had his racecar suffered a power unit failure. For Save The Ring's Jean-Eric Vergne, his vehicle's turbochargers gone haywire while Lotus's Pastor Maldonado's vehicle also suffered a power unit failure. It's not a good race for Red Bull newbie Daniel Ricciardo where he retired during lap 40.

Sergio Perez of Force India is the F1 driver's facing a very bad day in Malaysia when his racer faced gearbox issues at the start of the race.

Report: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/3/15638.html

The next race for this season will be held at Bahrain this April 6, 2014 and let's just hope no further crisis will happen before, during, and after the race.

Forza Motorsport 5: Message from ST

They called this the Fiesta ST and it's been several years ago when Ford launched a hot Fiesta. For this latest version, it seems that Ford managed to remember the hot hatch mantra that it's not what it does but it's how it does. It may not be quite a supercar slayer but this hot hatch knows how to make me smile in all the right corners.



This hot hatchback incorporates a precision-tuned and driver-focused powertrain and chassis to deliver the ultimate Fiesta driving experience.

Europe-spec models feature a 3-door model equipped with a 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine to achieve 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and offer 182 PS and 240 Nm of torque, while the US-Spec models, which Forza Motorsport 5 featured it, comes available exclusively as a 5-door model equipped with the same 1.6L EcoBoost engine but with an estimated 197 horsepower and 214 lb.-ft. of torque.

This model is the result of the collaboration between Team RS in Europe and SVT in the United States and it appeals to a wide global audience under the company's One Ford movement.



Although the roster of hot hatches can be somewhat few, the Fiesta ST is one of the hot hatches that really off the charts and really cuts it through the competition because it has some of the qualities a true hot hatch deserve; being fast, being maneuverable, being an all-rounder, and being made for everyday use. Overall, its fun factor is worth being worthy of being one of my favorite cars to drive in Forza Motorsport 5.

 



You do very well to have fun in this Fiesta on Forza 5 because this is one of the only 2014 models you can try on this game.

 

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Adapting to Japan's 8% tax hike

As you may now that beginning in the 1st of April, 2014, all of Japan will face the rise of the national sales tax from 5% to 8%. This is the first time it happened since 1997 that a tax hike in Japan occurred. So, what does that mean? That means most Japanese will face even more pain in their pockets and why did Japan face such a dreaded hike? No one knows but some say it's the work of the Diet to push this country out of the debt zone but between you and me, that tactic won't work and expect the consumer spending to drop because of the new increase of the national tax that will really put a dent out of it.

So...how to put it this way regarding the 8% tax hike? Take this Toyota 86. The G model with the 6-speed model costs about 2,410,000 Japanese Yen, right? That's when the 5% was applied to it but what happens when we take it away? It costs 2,295,238 Yen. Now what happens when we applied this new 8% tax hike to the price...wanna know how much it costs? It now costs 2,478,857 Japanese Yen! That's about a 69k increase when the tax hike in Japan is implemented! Still, that price won't stop you from having one...I think.

What about your daily groceries? I'm not sure the average grocery spending per Japanese household but where I am sitting from, me and my family spend about 150 US Dollars of grocery spending per month...theoretically. Suppose with the 5% tax added to your monthly grocery, it costs about the Japanese housewife's grocery shopping equivalent of 160 US Dollars but what happens when you calculate it with Japan's new 8% tax hike? Wanna know how much? Well, I'd expect to be somewhat below the Japanese housewife's grocery shopping equivalent of 165 US Dollars, a $5 increase when the 8% hike was implemented. Hmmm....

Well, there are some companies trying to adapt to this new situation here in Japan. Bandai, for example, plans on introducing new Gashapon machines made to dispense high-value toys in larger, can-shaped packages. Those new cans sell for a high price but filled with big toys worth 200 to 500 Japanese Yen. Scaling that up, that's only 2 to 5 US Dollars. Then, there's Subaru, which plans to sell their new Levorg sports tourer this April. Although the pricing remains unknown before its Japan release, I'm expecting the pricing will be below 2.7 million yen and in theory, that new pricing was adopted with Japan's 8% sales tax. Well, what about that upcoming PS3-exclusive iM@S One For All? For starters, it says 7600 Yen plus tax for the normal version and 11,880 Yen plus tax for the limited edition 765 Pro New Produce Box. So, with the 8% tax, it costs about 8210 Japanese Yen for the normal one and 12,830 Yen for the limited edition. 8,210 Japanese Yen for a PS3 game in Japan? With an equivalent of about 83 US Dollars, buying a new video game in Japan seems costly now that the 8% hike is implemented.

You get the idea but if you're a foreigner who want to take a break in Japan, best be warned that with the 8% hike in sales tax, your single 100 yen coin is no use like what one penny is on American soil. Let's hope you got enough pocket money before your trip and make good use of those money exchange but for a recommendation, best to have about 200 US Dollars before you set off and when exchanged, you have about 20,600 Yen in your allowance...as a theory but still more is best when you set off because...what are you going to buy when you're in Japan? It's your money so decide well because with the 8% hike, your decisions have been shorten threefold.

I'm just saying but if you want to survive in Japan in the midst of the 8% tax hike, heed my advice and stay safe when you're out there. Gosh, I'm already getting myself a financial headache right now. Gonna get some rest right now but I hope you remember about surviving Japan in an 8% sales tax!

Good Luck!

Let's Do The News! (March 30, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- REMINDER: It's your last chance to buy or build a Ferrari in Car Town because you got until the end of March 2014 to collect one now! All of the out-of-stock Ferraris are in the car dealership for one final time including the LaFerrari hybrid supercar and the hardcore 458 Speciale.

- New coachbuilder David Brown Automotive has unveiled their maiden vehicle based on the Jaguar XK coupe and it's called the Speedback. Although it is based on the Jaguar XK, the Speedback has looks reminiscent of everyone's favorite secret agent car, the Aston Martin DB5.

2014 David Brown Automotive Speedback

- Bertone bankruptcy is confirmed and they got until the end of April 2014 to find a new, potential buyer.

- The GM Mass Recall crisis continues as 662,000 pickup trucks and Cruze sedans were added to the recall.

- Actress Maui Taylor pushes the investigation into the alleged concert scam in Dubai. PEP reports.

- The Department of Education wants internet shops near Iloilo schools to be regulated.

- An official report shows that those that are missing from the deadly landslide in Snohomish County has been down from 90 to 30.

- The Armed Forces of the Philippines are ready to face the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters but asks them to join the peace process.

TTFN!!!

The Kids Choice Awards 2014

That night, it's that annual event of the year the kids and the kids-at-heart have been longing for and that event is none other than Nick's Kids Choice Awards and for 2014, Mark Wahlberg is the host for this year's awards and he's trying to prove in front of the audience that he's "unslimable" but in the end, guess who got the last laugh? It's Mark Wahlberg himself!



Anyway before the big night, there are new episodes of two of our favorite Nick shows such as Sam & Cat  and SpongeBob SquarePants. The latest episode of Sam & Cat sees the return of the familiar foes from iCarly such as the psycho named Nora and the boy who tried to take down iCarly, Nevel. Oh yeah, Gibby's also back in that special episode. The episode was titled #SuperPsycho and in that episode, the psycho Nora broke out of jail and then she kidnapped Dice, the boy that Sam and Cat were babysitting at. Desperate, as Sam and Cat seek help from Nevel, who's at the asylum, I think, to seek help finding out where Nora took Dice at.

In the end, Sam took down Nora and the cops arrested Nora but then, Nevel's escaped from the asylum.



After that, there's a new episode of SpongeBob and in that episode, SpongeBob was eager to see his idol, Kenny the Cat, coming to Bikini Bottom, but only found out that his idol was a phony.



After watching new episodes of those two hit Nick series, it's time for the big event. There have been some numerous special guests, musical numbers, and not to mention the green gooey slimy stuff they've saving it for the big one.

Kevin Hart won as the favorite funny star while Selena Gomez is the KCA 2014 favorite female singer, then Sam and Cat's Ariana Grande won as favorite TV actress, Austin and Ally's Ross Lynch as favorite TV actor, Sam & Cat as favorite TV show, comedian Adam Sandler as favorite movie actor, Robert Downey Jr. (the dude who played Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes) as favorite male buttkicker (their term used for action stars), and Frozen as favorite animated movie.

There are more of this year's winners that you can check it out at http://www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards/2014/nominees/

Most importantly, the first ever Nickelodeon Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to the big boss behind some of our favorite comedy shows from Nickelodeon, something that tickled our childhood through the years and that big boss is none other than, ladies and gents, Mr. Dan Schneider.



The KCA 2014 is all about being controlled by viewers like you and in this year's show, viewers decided which slime stunt they want to see in this year's show and as chosen, it's the SLIME RODEO. Then, viewers decided whether if its actors Austin Mahone and Cody Simpson who want to get slimed and as chosen by viewers like you, both Austin and Cody got slimed! Fantastic!

I really hope I had fun watching this year's KCA as much as you do! What's your most memorable experience at this year's KCA?

What's in our Car Town garage today? (March 30, 2014)

What's in our Car Town garage today?

1969 Ferrari 365 GTS4/Daytona Spider

The GTS/4 is the open top version of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, known unofficially as the Daytona because of Ferrari's 1-2-3 finish in the February 1967 24 Hours of Daytona with the 330 P4, well that's the theory anyway. Even though it still comes with the same V12 as its hardtop equivalent, the Spider version is probably one of the rarest machines in history because 122 units have been made, less than the hardtop equivalent.

1969 Ferrari 365 GTS4/Daytona Spider

1971 Buick Riviera

One of the most notable features in this third-generation Buick Riviera is the addition of the Max Trac, that's Buick's call for the traction control system that prevents the wheels from spinning out during acceleration on wet surfaces. The third-generation Riviera is powered by a 455 7.5L V8 engine mated with a 3-speed automatic gearbox but it has lower compression ratio to meet EPA regulations.

1971 Buick Riviera

Ferrari 288 GTO

This Ferrari was originally built to compete with the Group B race series but when fatal accidents spelled the end of the Group B racing, the 288 GTO never went into racing, leaving all 272 units be sold into road-legal cars. It's powered by a 2.9L V8 turbo engine that Ferrari says it will do 0-60mph in a four second mark and a top speed of 189mph, making this the first-ever road car to reach the 300kph mark.

1984 Ferrari 288 GTO

1972 Lamborghini Espada 400 GTE

It's quite bizarre that Lamborghini once made a shooting brake in the form of the Espada grand tourer which was styled by the famed Marcelo Gandini from Bertone, the same man behind the Countach. Aside from being a shooting brake, the Espada is the first bonafide four-seater Lambo with 1217 units built during its 10 year tenure. It is the first Lamborghini to come with an automatic gearbox capable to survive the torque of the 4.0L V12 engine but unlike any other automatic gearboxes, the automatic gearbox in the Espada had a rather bizarre gearing from D, 1, and R.

1972 Lamborghini Espada 400 GTE