In keeping up with the Corvette video we showed earlier today, we have  a Honda S2000 trying its hand at the drag strip.

Of course, with a little help from Real Street Performance, this S2000 really flies. Witness the car lift it’s front wheels at just about the 1:07 mark of the video.

The description of the video shows off the full range of the modifications, which interestingly enough retains its stock engine block.

Watch the whole clip right here.

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For decades, the design of the Honda NSX remained mostly untouched, save for a headlight/front-end refresh. But for the most part, the NSX was highly regarded as Japan’s answer to the Italian supercars from Ferrari and Lamborghini, that is until Lexus introduced the LFA and Nissan made its GT-R available worldwide.

But now that we have seen the new Acura NSX Concept (Shown above) it appears that the Japanese automaker is getting back into the supercar game even though it won’t hit the market until 2015. Nonetheless, Honda found it fitting to give us a video looking back into the NSX’s past as we head towards its new future. The retrospective video highlights previous models such as the NSX-R, the 24 Heures de Le Mans version, some footage of the new NSX in Gran Turismo 5 and of course, the concept that we saw.

Though the powertrain could change by the time it is released, it’s widely believed that the new NSX will feature at least 400-hp with a Sports Hybrid SH-AWD powertrain.

Check out the video after the break.

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The star of the Honda booth at this year’s Geneva Motor Show will undoubtedly be the new NSX Concept. Unveiled as the Acura NSX Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, it will be rebranded for display in other markets, like Europe.

But the mid-engine V6 hybrid drive Japanese exotic won’t be the only new product, with Honda also set to reveal the first of its Earth Dreams Technology engines – a new 1.6-liter diesel that will find its way under the hood of the European Civic. The new engine makes 120 hp at 4000 rpm and 221 lb-ft of torque at 2000 rpm, but perhaps its biggest advantage comes in its light weight, with Honda saying it will be the lightest engine in its class, weighing even less than a 1.6-liter gasoline engine. Honda has not announced any plans to offer this new diesel engine in North America.

With it’s Earth Dreams Technology lineup of engines Honda is aiming to reclaim leadership in the fuel economy race, offering not only the most fuel efficient engines, but also the most powerful.

In addition to these products, Honda will also showcase a prototype of the European CR-V, as well as the EV-STER electric sports car.

GALLERY: Honda NSX Concept

It appears as though Honda won’t let Toyota hog the spotlight in the GT300 class of the Super GT racing series.

Joining the Prius Hybrid race car will be a Honda CR-Z developed with M-TEC Co., Ltd. and will be campaigned by Team Mugen. The hybrid racer won’t, however, be competing until Round 4 of the Super GT Series.

Unfortunately not a lot of details have been released by Honda, other than confirmation that the race car will be a reality and will have a hybrid racing system. The development driver for the project will be Hideki Mutoh, who is known for competing in the IndyCar Series and the GT500 class of Super GT. We’re guessing it will be some time before photos of the finished project surface considering Round 4 of the Super GT 2012 schedule isn’t until July 30th, 2012.

GALLERY: Honda CR-Z GT300 Race Car

[Source: Jon Sibal]

Honda has recalled 347 Accords and Crosstours citing the possibility of a side curtain airbag failure.

In the event of a collision the side curtain airbags may fail to deploy, putting the vehicle occupants at higher risk of injury. Customers can bring their 2012 Accords and Crosstours into any Honda dealership and have their side curtain airbag system replaced for free. The recall is set to begin on February, 10th. Accord or Crosstour owners can contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 for more information.

Increasing motorsports exposure, Honda announced its plans to enter its newly redesigned European 2012 Honda Civic into the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

According to Honda CEO Takanobu Ito, this entry entails creating an all-new engine developed specifically for touring car competition. “We have made a decision to enter into the WTCC with the European Civic. We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge.” Developed alongside Mugen and J.A.S. Motorsport, Honda’s new engine is a racing 1.6 liter, direct-injection, turbo 4-cylinder engine designed within FIA Super 2000 regulations.

Racing as a two car-team managed by J.A.S. Motorsport, the inaugural rounds for the new Civic will be held when the WTCC arrives to Asia, namely races in Japan, China, and Macau. Honda also intends to compete in every race in the 2013 season.

GALLERY: WTCC 2012 Honda Civic

While many automakers are developing new transmissions with more and more gears, Honda is investing in a tried and tested transmission platform, the continuously variable transmission or CVT.

Honda announced yesterday that it will be investing $98 million at its Anna, Ohio, engine plant to build advanced pulley components for the automakers new CVT transmissions. These CVT transmissions will first debut in the 2013 Honda Accord and will also eventually find their way into CR-V as well as Civic. Paired with the new “Earth Dreams” 2.4 liter direct injection engine, the new CVT will help Honda’s midsize cars claim 10 percent better fuel economy compared to the current five-speed transmission.

This investment is in conjunction with a $120 million investment made last year into the Russells Point, Ohio transmission plant where the new CVTs will be produced starting in 2013. Honda said that Ohio is a very important production center for its North American operations having invested $500 million since November of 2010. ”For decades, our two Ohio powertrain plants have worked together to deliver advanced products for our customers,” said Hide Iwata, president and CEO of Honda of America Mfg., Inc. “The production of this new CVT technology puts the Buckeye State right in the middle of Honda’s global strategy.”

Honda is working hard to introduce a new line of engines and transmissions to make their product offerings more fuel efficient.

Honda has announced a recall in the United States for 206 Ridgeline trucks built from 2011 through 2012. This recall is to address a possible mismatch between the Ridgeline’s spare tire and the FMVSS mandated tire information placard installed on the vehicles’ driver-side doorjambs.

Honda Ridgeline trucks sold in the United States are fitted with a compact spare tire and, in some cases, placards may incorrectly indicate that the Ridgeline came with a full-sized spare tire instead. To solve this matter, Honda will either provide Ridgeline owners with a spare that will match the information provided on the vehicle’s placard or it will install a new placard that reflects the spare tire installed by the factory. While this issue may not seem like an urgent safety hazard, the recommended cold inflation pressure for the tire may not be correctly indicated.

No crashes or injuries have been reported due to spare tire failures but Honda’s recall encourages owners of all affected Ridgelines to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer when they receive a recall notification in the mail. Recalls notifications will begin to reach Ridgeline owners by mid-February 2012. An owner could also take the initiative by contacting www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (800) 999-1009, option 4.

With all the Super Bowl ads finding their way onto the Internet well ahead of the big game, we’ve already had our fair share of head scratchers, like the commercial from Audi, and humorous ones like Acura‘s NSX commercial starring Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno. And while we understand that most ads are designed to make us laugh or garner our attention, creative ones such as this Civic commercial is just flat out cool.

The description of the video by Honda puts it best, describing what Honda engineers went through when they came up with the design of the new Civic. From just the spark of an idea came the journey of building a vehicle, overcoming challenges until it culminates into the new Civic. Of course this commercial targets their European customers, which shows off the new European Honda Civic hatchback and is narrated by Garrison Keillor who is very popular in Honda’s British ads.

And for those that can really go way back, you’ll see the slight homage this commercial pays to the infamous “Cog” commercial from Honda, where an Accord was built from a single cog rolling down an incline. It’s subtle, but it’s those things that make us not want to push fast forward. Got what Audi? No vampires, no more vampires. Please.

Watch the ad after the break.

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We were teased last week with a taste of Honda’s Ferris Bueller Super Bowl ad. Now the full 2:25 commercial is available to watch… and we’ve got it!

We were pretty excited after watching the 10 second teaser, and the full-length ad doesn’t disappoint. It stars Matthew Broderick, who calls into work sick and enjoys a day off in his Honda CR-V. It features new takes on a few famous scenes from the iconic movie – even the one that showed after the credits rolled on the original film.

Other, much smaller ties to the original film are included in the commercial as well, but if your not paying attention they are hard to spot. At the 54 second mark the name appearing on the CR-V’s screen is Grace, Rooney’s secretary in the original film. At 57 seconds there is a flower delivery man who walks through the shot and at the 1 minute mark there is a trench coat clad clarinet player in the background. Can you spot any more ties to the original film?

Honda went all out to make this ad, which includes hiring “The Hangover” writer/director Todd Phillips to bring this vision together.

Watch the ad after the jump and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? It’s been 26 years since Ferris Bueller (aka Matthew Broderick) took a day off, but he’s back and he’s starring in Honda’s new Super Bowl ad.

Although the ad won’t be shown until game day, Honda has released a tease of the commercial to hold us over. The 49-year-old actor stars in this Ferris Bueller-themed ad, which will prominently feature Hondas… perhaps the Honda CR-V? There’s no word if his buddy Cameron will be joining him on his latest adventure or if a Ferrari will be meeting an untimely end.

The teaser ad takes its inspiration from the movie’s famous opening scene, as Broderick pulls back the curtains and asks: “How can I handle work on a day like today?”

To see the full ad, you’ll have to wait until February 5 (bow-bow-chik-chika-chika). Watch the teaser after the jump.

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Pricing details are now available for the rethought 2012 Honda Crosstour featuring a more cost-minded four-cylinder engine.

The 2012 Crosstour will start at $27,655 and go all the way up to $36,540 for the four-wheel drive version with navigation. At the base price, you get a 192-horsepower engine that squeaks out an extra three miles-per-gallon in the city and two on the highway. The 271-horsepower V6, which is unchanged over previous models, is still available as well.

The company made the official announcement about their plans to launch a less expansive version of their crossover last December. They hoped it would help the Crosstour finally feel marketable in light of failed sales. Despite that failure, Honda still seems confident and determined to make the Crosstour work.

“The new four-cylinder Crosstour offers sleek design, unmatched passenger comfort and ingenious functionality now with four-cylinder pricing and fuel economy,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co. “With four-cylinder and V6 options and a long list of standard features, Crosstour should be on every CUV buyer’s shopping list.”

That might be how Honda feels, but the Crosstour has been consistantly criticized as the ugly duckling in the lineup. Consmers complain that it’s too much like a larger Accord, which makes sense because that’s how it was originally marketed.

Speaking of ugly ducklings, it’s probably important to point out that the top-of-the-line Nissan Juke sells for about $4000 less than the base Crosstour. It also gets better mileage than the two-wheel drive crosstour, with all-wheel drive. Sure, you sacrifice four horsepower, but who cares?

The only new selling point for Honda’s less potent 2012 Crosstour is a lower price, but we say that fails to deliver against the competition.

Gallery: 2012 Honda Crosstour