Tech.Wapline

Honda has remained a formidable force at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, an annual event held at the Thunderhill circuit between Sacramento and Redding, California. The automaker has campaigned a number of vehicles at the 25-hour enduro over the years, including a duo of Civic Sis and a handful of Acuras. This year, Honda’s bringing out its newest track slut, the S2000 CR, to compete in the Performance Touring C segment. Not only is this a chance for the automaker to show how competitive the new lightweight variant of the S2000 can be on the track, it’s also rolling proof of how it can be adapted for serious competition. Two S2000 CRs have been outfitted with a McMahen Autosports cage, BF Goodrich g-Force R1 racing tires, a single outlet exhaust sourced from AEM, Cobalt Friction XR racing brake pads and Goodridge stainless steel brake lines.

We’re in the midst of contemplating coverage of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, and if we do make it up there to live blog the event, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the Honda boys.

Infiniti announced pricing for its entire M lineup this week, a lineup that grows by one model with the addition of the M45x. The M45x features Infiniti’s 325-hp 4.5L V8 paired to the company’s ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system. Previously buyers could only get AWD if they bought the entry-level M35x powered by the 275-hp 3.5L VQ V6. The M45x will start at $51,850, making it the most expensive M model, while the regular rear-wheel-drive M45 begins at $49,350 and the M35/M35x start at $43,050 and $44,800, respectively.

Also of note is that the M Sport models are gone, replaced by a Sport Package that can apparently be had on either the M35 or M45. The Sport Package includes unique exterior and interior tweaks, Rear Active Steer and 19-inch wheels. Also, the M35’s Journey Package including climate-controlled seats and Xenon headlamps is now standard equipment. There are a host of other minor improvements that have been made to the M about which you can read in Infiniti’s press release after the jump. Also check out the subtle visual changes made to the M in our high-res gallery below.

The Pontiac Vibe was born in 2003 as the latest GM-badged product from its NUMMI manufacturing joint venture with Toyota in Fremont, California. That made it the oldest model in the Pontiac lineup, and it showed — the Vibe, until today, was the last Pontiac to still wear vestiges of the horrendous cladding phase that ran from the late 80s to the early part of this decade. Like its Geo and Chevrolet-badged predecessors, the Vibe is based on the Toyota Corolla and Matrix. With new versions of the Toyotas dropping at SEMA last week. that meant it was time for a new Vibe. Pontiac unveiled it today in Detroit.

We got our first official glimpse of the car about a month ago, and anyone familiar with the original will recognize the new one. The five-door hatchback layout is preserved, as is the basic shape of the side glass. Replacing all the tacked-on plastic is newly-contoured sheetmetal that lends muscularity to the haunches. Follow the jump for more on the 2009 Pontiac Vibe.

Gaudy. Overstyled. Ostentatious. Attention-hungry. These are words that can be used to describe any number of high-end, six-figure automobiles with pedigreed names and gobs of power. Often, those credentials are accompanied by trademark styling that ranges from the merely adventurous to the outright extreme. That particular branch of motoring is not ideal for everyone, however. Some prefer elegance to envelope pushing; understatement to “Look at me!” Thankfully, elegance and power are not mutually exclusive. Bentley, you see, has just about perfected the art of merging the two. Tastefully beautiful, the Bentley Continental GTC draws as many stares as cars designed to be attention magnets. With 6.0 liters, 12 cylinders, and 552 twin-turbocharged horses underhood, it’s no shrinking violet, either. That’s the best part, you see. When asked, the Bentley sizes up all comers, and then it blows their doors off — with panache.

Some people just can’t leave exotic-enough alone, and IMSA is all too happy to help out – sometimes to unfortunate ends. The firm has had its hand in developing aero parts for both the Lamborghini Gallardo coupe and spyder, and has now put the larger, more powerful Murcielago LP640 under the knife. The result is the rolling anathema you see above, which eschews the clean lines of the Murcie in favor of excessive excess.

The carbon fiber body kit can be had either unpainted or color matched, and includes a new front clip, additional air ducting, a new rear diffuser, rear spoiler and fender flares that bring the track out an additional 70 mm in total. If money, and taste, is no object, IMSA is taking orders now and will begin manufacturing parts for the base Murcielago in the future.