USA - Honda to show the Civic Si Prototype at this years Los Angeles International Auto Show.

• 2017 Civic Si will be fastest, most powerful Si yet
• Si Coupe and Si Sedan joining 10th-generation Civic lineup in 2017
• Active steering, active suspension, limited-slip differential and high-performance tires among Si performance upgrades
• All models to feature short-shifting 6-speed manual

The Honda Civic Si Prototype made its global debut today, giving Honda enthusiasts a good look at the design and performance direction for the 2017 Civic Si Coupe and Si Sedan, both launching next year. 

The Civic Si Prototype will be on display at the 2016 Los Angeles International Auto Show where it will be joined by its Civic Sedan, Coupe and Hatchback siblings, plus the radical Civic Type-R Prototype, providing the first public opportunity to see all five Civic variants. 

This will also be the first time the Type-R interior will be shown.

The shimmering Rallye Red Pearl Civic Si Prototype features a full Factory Performance (HFP) aero kit, including front and rear splitters and rear spoiler, plus a center-mounted polygonal exhaust finisher and 19-inch 235/35Y high-performance tires mounted on HFP 19 x 8J 10-spoke forged aluminum alloy wheels.

The 2017 Civic Si Coupe and Si Sedan will be powered by a high-performance, high-torque 1.5-liter, directed-injected and turbocharged DOHC in-line 4-cylinder engine with dual variable cam timing (dual VTC) mated to a short-shifting 6-speed manual transmission. Additional performance upgrades for the Si variants will include a new active damper system, active steering system, limited-slip differential and available high-performance tires.

"With the new Honda Civic Si, we're injecting even more sporty goodness into our 10th-generation Civic lineup," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of Honda.  "This will be, hands down, the fastest, best-handling Si we've ever offered to our customers."

The Civic Si Prototype interior closely previews the production model and features Si-exclusive front sport seats with red stitching, including stitched Si logos.  The red sport stitching carries through to the doors, steering wheel and leather shift boot with aluminum shift knob. The Si Prototype interior also features a red driver's TFT meter and audio system illumination, aluminum sport pedals and Dry Metal Carbon instrument panel trim.

The Civic Si Coupe and Si Sedan will launch next year as the latest additions to the 10th-generation Honda Civic lineup, joining the Civic Sedan, Civic Coupe and just-launched Civic Hatchback. The rollout of the 10th-gen Civic lineup will be completed with the launch of the new track-ready Civic Type-R next year. 

The 2016 Civic Sedan was named North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in January. Civic is the best-selling car with individual American car buyers in 2016 and is on track to post the highest U.S. sales in its 44-year history, with sales up 11.7 percent to 310,142 units through the end of October. The previous U.S. sales record for Civic of 339,289 units was set in 2008.

USA - 10th Generation Civic Sedan comes with new trim levels, Type R, two new engines and better Tech.

• Two new powertrains, including first Honda turbo engine in U.S.
• Available Honda Sensing™ technologies
• Compatible with Apple CarPlay®, the smarter, simpler way to use your iPhone in the car
• Also supports Android Auto™
• New styling includes significant use of LED lighting
• New platform and package yields largest cabin in compact class

Honda took to YouTube today to unveil an all-new, dynamically styled 10th-generation 2016 Civic Sedan, slated for sale in the U.S. this fall. 

With a more athletic stance and sportier driving position, the 2016 Civic Sedan is a new-from-the-ground-up design intended to recapture the sporty character of Civic while creating the world's best compact car – setting a new benchmark in the mainstream compact class for fun-to-drive performance, safety performance and fuel efficiency, together with a new level of refinement.

The Civic Sedan is the first in a series of new 10th-generation Civic models that will include a sedan, coupe, high-performance Si models, a 5-door hatchback and the first-ever Civic Type-R model for the U.S. market, comprising the most diverse and innovative lineup in Civic's 43-year history.

"This tenth-generation Civic is quite simply the most ambitious remake of Civic we've ever done," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co, Inc. 

"We are bringing more new technology and innovative thinking to Civic than ever before to establish a new benchmark for fun-to-drive performance, fuel efficiency, safety performance and refinement in the compact class."

Backing up the new Civic's dramatic and sporty design with new power and efficiency, for the first time the 2016 Civic will feature two all-new engines – including the first-ever application of Honda turbo engine technology in the U.S. 

These powerful and fuel-efficient new engines combine with a sophisticated new body and chassis design to deliver incredibly responsive and sporty performance with a higher level of ride refinement and class-leading fuel efficiency.

The 2016 Civic Sedan will be available with the Honda Sensing™ suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies, including Collision Mitigation Braking, Road Departure Mitigation and, for the first time in a Honda, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow – bringing new value to the compact segment.

Further, the 2016 Civic lineup joins the freshened 2016 Accord in offering advanced smartphone integration with a new, 7-inch high-definition Display Audio touchscreen, offering tech-savvy customers a more advanced and intuitive connected-car experience.

Apple CarPlay® takes the things you want to do with your iPhone while driving and puts them right on your car's built-in display. You can get directions, make calls, send and receive messages, and listen to music right from the touchscreen or by voice via Siri. Supported apps include Phone, Messages, Maps, Music and compatible third party apps. Apple CarPlay® is compatible with iOS 8.4 or later and iPhone 5 or later.

Android Auto™ was designed to give drivers a simple, intuitive way through touch and voice to minimize the potential for distraction so the driver can stay focused on the road. Compatible with Android 5.0 and higher, Android Auto features Google Maps, Google Now, messaging, music and numerous popular apps.

Sporty Civic Design

The dramatic and sporty new Civic design is grounded in its more athletic stance and low and wide proportions. Compared to the current model, the 2016 Civic Sedan is nearly 2 inches wider and 1 inch lower with a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase, featuring a more compact and sporty front overhang, a longer, more aggressively sculpted hood and fastback-style tail.

The taut and tidy proportions of the new Civic Sedan are complemented and accentuated by refined design details, including sleek and swept-back bodylines, a sharp and aggressive face and bulging wheel arches. 

The new Civic's more premium compact sedan character is also highlighted by its available LED exterior lighting, including new Honda LED headlights (in-line type), LED daytime running lights (standard) and distinctive C-shaped LED taillights (also standard).

"The new Civic really is the embodiment of our global design team's goal of styling a dramatic form that follows and speaks to the dynamic function of this ambitious redesign," said Jarad Hall, Senior Exterior Designer and project leader of the Civic Sedan, Honda R&D Americas. 

"The low and wide proportions, with the wheels pushed to the outmost corners, emphasize the Civic's dynamic handling prowess and give the car a crouched and muscular look, like a tiger ready to pounce." 

Two All-new Engines

The 2016 Civic Sedan will feature two all-new, more powerful and fuel-efficient engines. Civic Sedan LX and EX trims will be powered by a 2.0-liter, 16-valve, DOHC i-VTEC™ 4-cylinder – the most powerful base engine ever offered on Civic – mated to either a 6-speed manual (LX trim) or continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). 

Civic Sedans in EX-T, EX-L trims and Touring trims will be powered by a 1.5-liter, direct-injected and turbocharged 16-valve DOHC inline-4, mated to a unique CVT, delivering a new level of responsiveness in this capacity class of turbocharged engine.

The new 1.5-liter powerplant is the first turbocharged engine on a U.S. Honda model and the most powerful engine ever offered on a non-Si Civic in America. Both engines will offer top-in-class performance and fuel efficiency, and are targeted to receive EPA highway fuel economy ratings in excess of 40 mpg. Additional powertrain details and specifications will be announced closer to launch.

Advanced and Sporty New Body and Chassis

The 2016 Civic will set a new standard for dynamic handling, steering, ride quality and cabin quietness in the compact class, courtesy of its all new platform, featuring the most rigid and tightly sealed body and the most sophisticated chassis in Civic history.

Advancing the sporty character of this all-new Civic is its more sporty driving position, with a one-inch lower hip point compared to the current car. The lower hip point is enabled by the new Civic's lower floor and engine and its all-new suspension design. The new Civic chassis features a redesigned strut front suspension and a new multi-link rear suspension mounted to an ultra-rigid rear subframe.

Torsional rigidity of the new body is improved by 25 percent, aided in part by more intensive use of ultra-high-strength steel. Twelve percent of the unit body is made of ultra-high-strength steel, up from 1percent on the current model.

Aerodynamic efficiency is improved by 12 percent to class-leading levels, in part through the use of full underbody covers—a Civic first. Despite its larger size, the new Civic unit body is 68 pounds lighter than before, while new body-sealing techniques result in a 58-percent reduction in cabin air leaks. 

Class-leading cabin quietness is further improved by the use of premium noise-reducing features, including a flush-mounted acoustic glass windshield, a more tightly sealed engine compartment and triple-sealed doors.

To achieve the Civic development team's high targets for dynamic performance and refined ride quality, the new Civic Sedan utilizes hydraulic compliance bushings, a technology typically reserved for more expensive vehicles, aiding the isolation of road vibration. 

Additional new chassis technologies include variable gear ratio steering, beefier front and rear stabilizer bars and standard 4-wheel disc brakes, along with the application of new Agile Handling Assist brake-torque vectoring technology for more precise and agile cornering.

Spacious, Sophisticated and Advanced Cabin

The new Civic interior is designed to offer the most comfortable, sophisticated and premium-feeling cabin in the compact class. 

An additional 3.7 cubic feet of interior space translates into the largest cabin in the compact segment with 2 inches of added rear-seat legroom versus the outgoing model. In front, new ultra-thin front roof pillars enable class-leading forward visibility; and at the rear, trunk space has been increased by 2.6 cubic feet with a lower liftover height, larger opening and wider and taller cargo area. Civic Sedan EX and above trims will feature a 60/40 split and folding rear seat.

The 2016 Civic Sedan offers customers more premium features than ever before. New standard equipment includes automatic climate control – dual-zone on EX-L and higher trims; auto-up/down front power windows; an electronic parking brake with Brake Hold; Walk-Away auto door locks and an adjustable driver's seat thigh support with 14 degrees of tilt (EX-L and above). 

All Civic Sedan models also feature a larger, reconfigurable new center console with up to 7.2 liters of secure storage space, approaching SUV levels of console utility.

The new Civic interior strikes a more premium tone with high-quality materials and high-contrast finishes.

These include a new one-piece, soft-touch instrumental panel with molded stitching; more premium seat fabrics; a new full-color TFT center meter (EX and above trims); a center console with piano black finish and high-contrast sliver bezel; door inserts with live stitching; an LED shift indicator and LED overhead lighting; and for EX and higher trims, a leather shift boot. 

Upper grades offer even more premium features, including an 8-way power adjustable driver's seat, 4-way power front passenger's seat, heated front and rear seats and heated side mirrors. 

Civic Manufacturing

Civic Sedans for the North American market will be produced at the company's Greensburg, Indiana and Alliston, Ontario, Canada auto plants. The new Civic's 2.0-liter and 1.5-liter turbo engines will be manufactured in Anna, Ohio, and the vehicle's two automatic transmissions (CVTs) will be sourced from Honda plants in Russells Point, Ohio, and Celaya, Mexico.

The new Civic utilizes numerous new manufacturing processes and technologies to advance quality, efficiency and fun-to-drive performance – the result of new investment in Honda automobile and engine plants in North America. 

This includes the addition of the company's innovative new inner-frame weld body construction process in both Indiana and Canada, a system first utilized for production of the 2015 Honda Fit. 

This new general weld system creates a more lightweight, rigid and strong body structure that helps enable the Civic's class-leading fuel efficiency, outstanding safety performance and fun-to-drive experience.

Honda Civic Black edition heads a summer of specials from the japanese brand.

New Civic Black Edition, fixed price FIVE year care package and low monthly payments across the range – Honda (UK) launches a summer of Civic savings 

• New Civic Black Edition from just £249 per month with three year’s 0 per cent APR and £500 deposit contribution
• Special offers across Civic and Civic Tourer range
• Comprehensive care plan offering FIVE years servicing, warranty and roadside assistance for a fixed price of just £555

Honda (UK) has kicked off a summer of Civic savings, introducing the new Black Edition with low monthly payments starting at £249, 0 per cent APR over three years and a £500 deposit contribution.

As part of the summer campaign which runs until September 30^th, Honda (UK) is also continuing to bring down the cost of motoring with very special offers on the entire Civic range. The Civic hatchback is now available from £239 per month for the 1.8 SE Plus, from £249 per month for the 1.6 i-DTEC, and the recently introduced and highly acclaimed Civic Tourer from just £249 per month. All models also benefit from three year’s 0 per cent APR and up to £500 deposit contribution.

What’s more, all customers ordering a new retail Honda throughout the summer campaign have the option of a comprehensive care plan for the fixed price of just £555. Offering five years servicing, warranty and roadside assistance, the plan gives potential savings of up to £1,290 and complete peace of mind that most of the major running costs are covered for the next five years. 

The new Civic Black Edition, available with either the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel or 1.8 i-VTEC petrol engines, combines a number of gloss black elements to give a bold look with attitude. Black front and side skirts and rear bumper garnish work together to create a dynamic profile that captures the attention and creates a lasting impression from all angles. An aluminium badge features the Black Edition logo, while the gloss black roof spoiler accentuates the car’s dynamic shape. This bold look is completed by perfectly integrated covers for the side mirrors and a gloss black fuel lid cover.

Leon Brannan, Head of Cars at Honda (UK) commented: “Once again we are doing all we can to bring down the cost of ownership for our customers with some very competitive offers on the ever-popular Civic. We are also very pleased to be introducing the special Black Edition which delivers the same versatility, refinement and efficiency which Civic customers want but with even further standout appeal.”

But it’s not just about Civic, Honda’s summer of savings has something for everyone. A Black Edition of the popular CR-V is also available from just £329 per month; as well as the Jazz Si from just £189 per month.

Classic Car #2 : Getting things sorted

It is just so annoying when you buy something, only to find that there are far more issues with it that you were led to believe, whether it is by the previous owner being unaware or some other reason, but the fact remains that the new owner has to spend both time, effort and some large amounts of money to rectify those issues, over and above the ones that you were aware of.

That beings me nicely to the next set of issues, if you have read my first post, you will see that i was a but unhappy with the previous seller, to which i was threatened with legal action from him, I, in turn asked for him to supply me with the details of his solicitor so that i could sent them the emails, where he admitted it was his fault the relevant part was missing, and that he would send me details to arrange collection, to which I am STILL awaiting.

Anyway, to the car, these were the items I listed below that I thought were needed to be done to get the car in good order

• Get dents sorted (Had a quote, laughed a lot, then asked for them to redo it properly)
• Get paintwork done-Bumpers and NSR Quarter and rear door
• Get dash woodwork trim replaced or repaired
• Replace bulbs for hazard light switch and air circulation switch HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH DONE
• Locate and replace passenger side rear seat belt EVL10026 (ARG Code)
• Either repair or replace wheel trims, I THINK WE WILL LEAVE THEM AS IS, CLEAN THEM UP AND LACQUER THEM
• Get radio code DONE

I now have to add to this list, 

• Locate and obtain missing screws and fixings for dashboard (it seems that who ever replaced it, did not think to put all the screws back in, and some of the wiring in the back has been bodged)
• Fix the fans for air into the car, when we removed the facia to see what bulbs were needed, the fans have since stopped working.. LOL... 
• Rattle on the exhaust, Kwik Fit says there is no hole, but i am not so sure.

Other than that, the car runs as smoothly as a new car, it is far more comfortable and equally as poo on the fuel consumption as my previous brand new car, but we love it.

We attended our first classic car event this last weekend, at Knebworth, it was a reasonably early start, well, for a Sunday it was, and with a pic-nic made, a blurb to put on the car for people to read, and a few other bits in the back, off we went.

There were not that many cars there where we arrived, it looked like a 70's and 80's Ford Event, with Capri's, Granada's, Escorts and Sierra's all over the place, but as time went on, other cars arrived, from my single 800, a couple of P6's, a couple of SD1's and a mint P5, to loads of US cars, one HB Viva, some Mondeo's that have been Max Powered to death, dome Porsches, loads of Mini's and many many more.

There was a distinct lack of BL cars, and not that many Rover's, so i suspect that there was another event, that had them all there, but we have another this weekend, locally, and that one we are looking forward too, the following weekend is Goodwood, and we will be there, but not in Simon, he will remain at home.

Classic Car #1 - Buying the Classic. click for first report

Classic Car #1 - Buying the classic.

Well, after some tooing and froing and working out funds etc, we decided to get rid of our 2012 MINI Countryman and put our pennies into something a little, umm, Older, 24 years older in fact, and going back to a brand that i really loved, so we welcome a 1990 Rover 827Si, fastback.

A long and tiring journey was planned to go from Cambridge to Southern Scotland, we planned on doing the entire journey in one day, and possibly we may well have been able to, but the weather was atrocious, it was heavy rain for the majority of the journey, it only stopped about 40 miles from our destination.

However, leading up to the journey i had a number of emails, texts and calls to the owner confirming various things, just to ensure we were not wasting our time, on a very long and tiring journey, and as we were chatting an agreement was made to include a number of spares, a genuine boot liner and some gearbox oil, ready for when we do a change.

So with all this in mind, we arranged to meet our seller at 2:30, on Saturday, this was then pushed back and hour, and then another chunk of time and yet another, as the weather got worse, and traffic was built up  en route, but we did eventually arrive at 5:30 and spent a while going over the car, there were a number of issues that we were not aware of, and, to be honest we should have been told about, like large dents and damage, which was causing surface rust.

the rust item, I was told was NOT through to the body work, where is quite clearly is, and upon looking, at the car, there were other dinks and dents that we were not told of, but once we had a drive, and Andy, my partner, had checked over the cars, underneath and engine, we spend a short while alone looking at some paperwork and chatting about the car.

The seller blamed the damage on the previous owner, but as you can clearly see above here, from the pictures that HE took on delivery of the car when he purchased it, there was NO damage to the rear quarter or bumper, whereas when I took delivery there was significant damage, so it looks like the damage was not caused by his previous owner at all.

Anyway, after some chatting we decided that we would get the car, as Andy can do a number of the jobs, making it not so costly, and a deal was struck, the pennies changed hands and off we went, to fill the car with petrol, something i have not done for a long while, as my previous three cars were diesel, we had already booked a stay a Premier Inn in Carlisle, as there was no way i would be able to drive back at that late hour in the dark.

We had a nice restful evening and set off early the next day for our journey home, we had agreed to keep at about 60mph, and stop every hour and half, or 100 miles, just so I could have a stretch and the car could have a rest, but I needn't of worried, the car performed faultlessly, and for the first time in years, i have been able to drive a car without being in enormous pain, i was overjoyed at that.

The car was amazing, i was aware that the mpg was not too good on the Rover, but then it is a 2.7 litre V6 auto, i was hoping to get about 27mpg, but once i filled up on arrival at home, and then worked it out, i was thrilled to get 36mpg, but the proof of how poor it will be is the around town figures which will be interesting.

On the Sunday afternoon, we had a poke about the spares, and what a load of old crap there was in there, 75% of it was not relevant to the car, some items were un-salvageable, others we had no idea whether they worked or not, so had to go, just to be on the safe side, the replacement seat belt on the passenger side rear, had a full set of the same wrong coloured belts in the boot, so off they went too.

And there was NO boot liner, which i was not too happy about, so i messaged the seller and mentioned it, only to be greeted with "oh i forgot to put it in".

following on from the journey, i was aware that the wheels needed to be balanced as there was a wobble when the car got up to 70mph, so on Tuesday the car went into Kwik-Fit for a balance, and £13.99 later it came away and seemed to be OK. 

During the rest of the week i spent time looking through the paperwork, and what a load of rubbish there was there, nothing to really be of interest, old receipts for batteries, and other spares, but nothing that is of importance, like full MOT history, or service history, yes the service book was filled in, until it was full, but then after that, it was very patchy, but i have sorted out what was there and placed it in a book.

A number of texts and emails sent to the seller about the boot liner have been ignored, until i asked for the dimension of it so i can arrange to have it collected, he did messag me back to say he would send them the next day, I have yet to receive them, so it looks like a county court judgement against him will have to be made.

So, what needs to be done, well a few bits.

• Get dents sorted
• Get paintwork done-Bumpers and NSR Quarter and rear door
• Get dash woodwork trim replaced or repaired
• Replace bulbs for hazard light switch and air circulation switch
• Locate and replace passengerside rear seatbelt EVL10026 (ARG Code)
• Either repair or replace wheel trims
• Get radio code

I have had the car into a local repairer with a good reputation for a quote on the repairs, so hopefully that will arrive soon, the bulbs should be a simple fix, and the dash trim might be able to be repaired, we will try, locating a seatbelt is nigh on impossible, i have checked online every day to see if one appears on eBay, but with no luck yet, the wheel trims are not damaged, they have just delaminated, so maybe we can sort that out ourselves too !

So Really there is not much to do, 

 The car is in a very good order, for a Rover of that era, and one that must be saved, a check on the "how many left" website, show that there are only 9 1990 827 Si models left on the road, 11 SORN, how many of them are fastbacks, i dont know, but i know of one saloon, this rare beast deserves to be saved, for the future, the car is in awseome condition, drives like a new car, the engine is sweet, as is the gearbox, and where ever we have been people have commented on it.

I just hope that the issues with the seller will resolve it's self soon, and then i can get on with getting her back into good order, we have our first classic car show coming up at Knebworth, so we are looking forward to that, and if anyone can help me with ANY bits and pieces please let me know.