lunchbox 70

First thing’s first: sporty versions of the Honda Fit will always land up top here at speedster.news. Much more slow car fast content below. ;)

Not much to say here, except to feast your eyes on a snazzy bodykit for Japan and overseas markets from Mugen for the Honda Fit. Unlike when I was growing up and Mugen focused mainly on higher-performance mods, it now has a SKU or two for the entire Honda lineup.

Pictured is the RS model; scroll through the Carscoop coverage to see the differences between the two new Mugen Fit kits.

Japan’s Honda Fit RS Looks Like A Type R With Mugen’s New Bodykit • Carscoops

I’m sorry, what? Porsche 911s raced in NASCAR-sanctioned races? And Citroëns, too? The established racing historian nascarman put together a mini documentary that’s more of an informative, Ken Burns-style approach to stating how well each of these oddities did in competition.

Top 10 Oddest Cars To Race NASCAR • nascarman

see also :: @nascarman_rr on Twitter

Driving a slow car fast is always more fun than driving a fast car slowly.

You’re probably going to be driving that fast car slowly—fast car fast is reserved for racing drivers and religious trackday warriors.

So instead of coveting that Porsche 911 or whatever because of “how well it drives,” or a vehicle’s theoretical lap time, give a second look to cars that are entertaining to drive anywhere. This track-modified Ford Fiesta ST is about as useless as it gets as a hatchback, but does an admirable job of putting BMW M3s in their place.

FULL SEND WILD Fiesta ST & BMW E46 M3! // Nürburgring • Misha Charoudin

see also :: ST-eph Red Racing on YouTube

Refresher to catch you up: newer Kias and Hyundais are ridiculously easy to steal. So easy to steal, in fact, there’s now a factory accessory—installation extra—designed to add further theft protection for your car.

The older people and the police are blaming TikTok, where a wave of videos featuring younger thieves joyriding in Korean cars is washing across every state in the U.S. Thefts of these cars are up everywhere. In some places, more than half of vehicles stolen are from those brands.

But do you blame the fox if the gate doesn’t latch? The first time, sure. After thousands of chickens have been eaten, maybe the fox is just doing its job.

Class action lawsuits are now piling up because more and more people have been wondering: how is this possible? How can it still be so easy to steal a modern car?

Donut Media has done the best overview so far on this topic. Come for the laughs, sound effects, and thieving—then stay for the disassembly. To me, it looks like parts modularity and assembly times took precedence over theft protection. Might have saved a few seconds on the production line, but the company is paying for it now.

I Stole a Kia With a TikTok Hack • Donut Media

see also :: The Kia and Hyundai theft craze triggers a legal migraine • Automotive News

Electric cars are going to ruin the grid! We’re going to have blackouts! Solar panels are a hoax! Get ready to starve!

Well, former Junkyard Wars* host Robert Llewellyn has been a longtime evangelist for electric cars, ultra efficient transportation, housing, and more, culminating in his Fully Charged YouTube channel—founded way back in 2010.

And he now lives in a house that would shut a lot of people up.

Mind, it’s taken 12 years of work, but solar panels to a unique water heater for infinite hot water, home batteries, infrared panel heaters, and more have upgraded Robert’s traditional English country house to a dwelling that can charge electric cars and still put energy back into the grid…

Before you pass, thinking Robert is a smug, insufferable eco-warrior who wants to rub his green credentials in your face, I assure you he’s quite the opposite: cheeky, sure, but he’s an affable older British guy who’s excited to sum up all the work that’s been done.

From devices to prices, here’s one way to get (mostly) off the grid.

A Tour Of Robert Llewellyn’s Ultra-Efficient Eco Home • Fully Charged Show

*and I LOVED Junkyard Wars…

-30-