Look's like Grandma's finally out in the bag today because the legendary Lola T70 in Penske Sunoco colors has arrived and I managed to score one in this weekend's Forzathon event. It wasn't complicated to win one of those this weekend only, right?
As the successor to the 1965 Lola T70, the T70 MKIIIB was designed by Eric Broadley during his four-decade tenure at Lola. Powering the T70 is a 5.0L Traco Chevrolet V8 with wet sump lubrication while mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Did you know that this car used as the basis of the legendary Gulf Porsche 917 for the 1970 racing flick Le Mans that starred Bullitt's Steve McQueen? Quite a kicker, isn't it? And that's not all, some of the T70s were dressed like a Ferrari 512 in the film as well. Now, how didn't they saw it coming that the ones used in the Le Mans flick wasn't really the real ones but rather Lola machines dressed as either a Ferrari or a Porsche?
Well, quite a secret I didn't know about but since I managed to keep this weekend's Forzathon prize car, it's time for a celebratory drive!
See? Granny knows best, especially when it comes to racing against rivals on and off the road!
As the world brace themselves for the next Civic Type R, let's take a little gander on the FK2 Civic Type R, which is now part of Forza Horizon 3's Playseat Car Pack, and see what to learn so much from the hot hatch inspired by the Euro-spec ninth-generation Civic Type R. I know, it's a little late on schedule to feature this hot Civic here in this game but better late than never, am I right?
Ah, the speedo boy's best friend on the road. The Civic Type R. The FK2 Civic Type R is the first ever Honda sportscar to use a turbocharged VTEC engine, which brings "VTEC just kicked in, yo!" to a whole new meaning. The first-ever K20C 2.0L VTEC Turbo engine produces a massive 310PS of power output and 400Nm of torque, while mated exclusively with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Performance aside, Honda draws inspiration from its touring car championship success to create the Civic Type R and by utilizing all of its track-honed characteristics, it's no wonder that its lapped the Nurburgring in 07:51.42, the fastest lap time for front-wheel drive cars until it was smashed by a hotter VW GTi.
You don't need to ask but the FK2 Civic Type R is the only ninth-generation Civic sold in the Japanese market when it was launched in late 2015 and limited to 750 units, each costing 4,280,000 Japanese Yen, which isn't too pricey for a hot hatch imported from Great Britain.
Although its too little, too late to show up on the after hours, I am very pleased to try out the FK2 Civic Type R as long as I like before the arrival of the next model based on the tenth-generation Civic Hatchback. In fact, the next model will have so much to learn from the previous FK2 that I'm driving right now in the Land Down Under. Sampling the FK2 Type R's VTEC Turbo sounds more like it came from the current WRX STi and you can really feel just how potent this turbocharged engine is at any speed at any place.
While the FK2 Civic Type R is proven to be a potent track weapon, I find that its handling is very much mild and menacing. Go too fast and you're in for some catastrophic understeer as this car is too grippy on the corners. No matter how hard you turn the steering wheel on, it just grips and grips and grips and while this is very easy to drive for beginners, it doesn't feel as enjoyable as its chief rival, the Ford Focus RS.
I've tried different kinds of hot hatchbacks in this game for a long time and let me tell you, I've never been in a hot hatch which is very unique and very challenging in every plausible way and looks like the next Type R will be a struggle to shook off the problems the previous FK2 Civic Type R had. Perhaps they should rework on the handling to make it more enjoyable for a front-wheel drive hot hatchback but I think that's enough for that chit chat because now that I've seen everything about the FK2 Civic Type R, time to call in the makeup department to do something special for the outgoing model.
I've been planning to do this up to the moment this Type R arrived and here it is, all dressed in its Ruby Kurosawa-inspired look. Looks like I'm going to give the FK2 Civic Type R a proper sendoff by calling the best of Honda Type R models ever assembled and looks like this is the part where I'll get my trusty filming equipment ready to roll.
And now, the party is on!
This has got to be the best sendoff party ever done for the FK2 Civic Type R and while it got confused upon getting to know its opponents even when they don the red H badge on their faces, the FK2 Civic Type R showed its confidence to kick its VTEC Turbo engine to the top of the pops and shines its way towards victory!
The Civic Type R has been a speedo boys' favorite since the EK9 but for the FK2 model, it doesn't get the same aesthetics as the original. In fact, it slowly loses it charm now that it's becoming more European rather than being a Japanese sportscar that has won the hearts of many speedo boys from around the globe but all hope is not lost as Honda is back at the drawing board to perfect the next Type R the world awaits and when it does, it's going to be worth the one we promised.
Japanese, US, and South Korean foreign ministers issued a joint statement on North Korea's ballistic missile launch on Sunday. They pledged closer cooperation and strongly demanded that Pyongyang refrain from provocative acts.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met in Bonn, Germany, on Thursday. They met for the first time since Donald Trump took office at the White House.
The 3 countries strongly urged North Korea to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions that ban nuclear and missile development. They agreed to step up cooperation on security issues involving the North. They also discussed the murder in Malaysia of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
- The BRP Tarlac, the largest ship of the Philippine Navy, is on standby in case of humanitarian and disaster relief operations for the victims of the Surigao Quake last weekend. However, the Philippine Navy said that for now, there's no need for the newest vessel of the Navy as they have four ships deployed, conducting mercy missions after the 6.7 magnitude quake last Sunday.
- The Department of Justice formally pressed charges against Senator Leila de Lima on her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison. The DOJ filed three criminal cases against De Lima at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court early afternoon. Cases include sale, trade and protection of the illegal drug trade inside the NBP; based on the accusations of some high-profile inmates against De Lima during the Senate hearings on the said matter.
- The National Bureau of Investigation is reluctant to give up on the Jee Ick Joo murder case. According to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III, the NBI has an important lead regarding the said case. Due to this, the agency won’t stop its investigation.
- US President Donald Trump held his first solo news conference since taking office. He stressed that the management of his administration is going smoothly, while continuing to criticize the media.
- Despite President Trump not sticking to the "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says the United States will support that kind of solution as it would be an error for anyone to say that the United States does not support the two-state solution.
- As the nuclear ban treaty negotiations draw near, preparations at the United Nations has begun. Last December, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to start negotiations on the treaty in March. At the first preparatory meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday, Costa Rican disarmament envoy Elayne Whyte was elected as the chair of the talks. Whyte said she hopes the participants will engage in a productive dialogue to obtain acceptable results.
- Ferrari launched the most powerful V12 Super GT ever made, the 812 Superfast. Helmed as the successor to the F12berlinetta, the 812 Superfast's V12 engine produces 800PS of power, making it the most powerful V12 engine ever made, albeit the last in the history. It became the first Ferrari to adopt Electric Power Steering as well.
2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast
- GENCO and Happy Elements announced that they are postponing the anime adaptation of the Ensemble Stars app game. The anime was originally planned for this year's released but the staff said the anime is now postponed due to "various circumstances."
- Activision announced that the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy game, which is a reboot of the first three Crash Bandicoot games, on the PS4 will be out this June 30. Whoa!
The Malaysian government confirmed that the man allegedly killed in Kuala Lumpur this week has been identified as Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi made the announcement at a news conference, saying that they will hand over the body to relatives through the North Korean embassy after police autopsy and all other procedures are completed.
The man, who was carrying a North Korean passport fell ill at the capital's international airport on Monday and he died while being rushed at the hospital.
It is believed that North Korean agents killed him with nerve gas and suspicions are raised that the Korean Peninsula is responsible for Kim Jong Nam's death.
Meanwhile, Malaysian authorities detained a second suspect behind the murder of Kim Hong Nam. Malaysian police announced that a a second woman had been detained in connection with the apparent murder. They say the woman had an Indonesian passport identifying her as a 25-year old. On Wednesday, they've detained a woman holding a Vietnamese passport. Police say both women had been captured on security camera footage in the airport, but they have not said what they have to do with the case. The woman detained told authorities that she and the other woman and four men were also involved.
In other news, North Korean athletes arrived in Japan to take part in the Asian Winter Games, which open in Hokkaido on Sunday. 5 male speed skaters accompanied by officials were seen in transit at an airport in Beijing on Thursday. All were wearing identical black coats and ties. They are expected to arrive in Sapporo on Friday after receiving their visas at the Japanese Embassy in the Chinese capital.
- The Department of Public Works and Highways started inspections of different in Metro Manila as part of preparations for the expected big earthquake that will hit Metro Manila due to the movements in the West Valley Fault.
- The Supreme Court rejected VP Leni Robredo's motion to junk the poll protest filed against her by former Senator Bongbong Marcos. Based on the resolution issued by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Robredo’s appeal was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction and for being insufficient in form and substance.
- Former Immigration Deputy Commissioner Al Argosino defended himself during the recent Senate hearing regarding the alleged Immigration Bribery Scandal. Argosino denied allegations that he is involved in extortion. Retired Police General Wally Sombero accused the former BI official of demanding Php 100 million from gambling tycoon Jack Lam.
- US President Donald Trump insisted that his administration will not necessarily stick to the "two-state solution" between the Israelis and Palestinians. The president met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday. After the meeting, Trump said at a joint news conference that he can live with either two states or one state if both parties like that. Meanwhile, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he will still seek a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has joined in a project to recycle used cellphones and other electronic devices to make Olympic and Paralympic medals out of medals extracted from the devices. Tokyo officials set up a recycling box inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday. To protect personal information stored on phones, equipment to punch holes through them is available.
- Lamborghini issued a recall for certain units of the Aventador and the limited-edition Veneno for fire risk.
- Game developer Milestone will announce their new racing intellectual property at this year's Games Developers Conference in San Francisco.
- The Pokemon Go app game has been expanded with over 80 additional Pokemon from the Gold and Silver games. Ready to come back and play Pokemon Go?
- Zura? Hanamaru Kunikida's joining the Love Live Sunshine Nendoroid lineup, zura. You can now order her starting at 3,241 Yen plus tax and will be delivered this August, zura.
