Auto blog

2014 Honda Ridgeline keeps on truckin' with new special edition model

Like many smaller trucks, the Honda Ridgeline has been left to stagnate on the market for far too many years. With production of the current model reportedly winding down later next year before production of the next-gen model picks up in 2016, Honda is sending the 2014 Ridgeline out with some style courtesy of a new Special Edition trim level.
The new Ridgeline SE essentially adds cues from the Ridgeline Sport to the luxurious RTL trim level. The means features like black-trimmed 18-inch alloys and matching interior trim arrives as a no-cost option. This new model carries the same starting price as the RTL at $37,505 (*not including $830 for destination), and all other trim level pricing is carried over unchanged from the 2013 model year. The new SE model won't be available until November, and it is not pictured in the image galleries (all of which seem to be identical to previous model years).
Speaking of carryover products, Honda has also released pricing for the unchanged 2014 Pilot and 2014 Acura TL, which will continue to be priced from $29,670 and $36,030, respectively (Acura's destination charge is $890). Scroll down for press releases on the 2014 Ridgeline, Pilot and TL.

2015 Acura NSX burns to the ground at the 'Ring [w/video]

Assuming all goes to plan, automakers test their vehicles to the breaking point in the months and years leading up to that vehicle's actual release into the public. Which is good, because it's much better for a car to break in glorious fashion in the hands of the company that produces it than in the driveway of an owner who just spent their hard-earned cash to get it.
Such was the case with this production-guise Acura NSX prototype that we saw running around the Nürburgring just the other day. We can't be 100-percent certain, but the burned-out carcass is wearing the same number plate as the car that was spotted earlier, so it's likely the very same NSX. We have no idea what was the cause of the blaze that turned this Acura into the car-b-q you see pictured above, but our spy shooters on the ground in Germany say it was not involved in any collision, having caught on fire all on its own with engineers behind the wheel.
The good news is that nobody was hurt, though the car is quite clearly a complete loss. We're sure there's another ready to to test in the burned car's place... just as soon as the engineers at Honda figure out exactly what went wrong. Have a look at the smoldering aftermath up above, and feel free to scroll down below to see a video of the car in much better circumstances.

Powerball winner's first purchase will be used Acura NSX off Craigslist

We don't play the lottery very often, but when we do, even a five-dollar win is cause for celebration. So we can't possibly imagine how Paul White from Minnesota is feeling after scoring a third of this week's $448 million Powerball jackpot. It has to be an overwhelming experience, but we think he's going to end up handling it well if his first press conference is any indication.
Like some of us, White has a pretty reasonable idea of what his first purchase is, and boy, is it a good one: an early Acura NSX. Yes, this man has class. Rather than run out and buy a clichéd Rolls-Royce or Lamborghini, his first instinct is to go pick up a $30,000 Acura that he has been eyeing on Craigslist for months. It's enough to make us wonder if he'll use his winnings to get on the list for one of Acura's new NSXs when they finally come around in 2015.
Watch White describe what it is about the NSX that makes heart skip a beat in the press conference video from USA Today below (note: video autoplays).