With Honda's in-house parts department in the game and Mugen developing it's own line of kit for the CR-Z, the tuner trifecta is almost complete with the release of Spoon's performance parts for Honda's hybrid hatch. While we thought bright blue wheels went out of vogue (even in the U.S.) in 2008, Spoon has coated its CR93 rollers in the company's signature hue, along with upgraded calipers clamping onto 15-inch slotted discs. A ride height lowered by 50mm comes courtesy of front coilovers and a spring and shock combo in the rear, while the body has been subtly altered with the addition of a carbon fiber hood, mirrors and front lip spoiler. More importantly, a new N1 exhaust has been fitted and Spoon is fiddling with the ECU to churn out a few extra (and much-needed) ponies. There's no word on what the rejiggered computer and exhaust is good for power-wise or how Spoon is manipulating the hybrid drive system to boost performance, but considering the company's past endeavors, we're expecting good things.

Ikuo Maeda, Mazda's design overlord, designed the soon-to-be-Stateside Mazda2. He also penned the Mazda RX-8, following quite literally the path his father laid before him: Maeda's father created the original Mazda RX-7. Now Maeda wants to bring the RX-7 back to life, saying "I do have a strong yearning to revive the RX-7 during my tenure."Even though many enthusiasts would like nothing more than for Mazda to tap that root, we have heard that other Mazda officials queried on the subject poo-pooed the idea, asking "Why go backwards?" If we were to answer, we'd say "Because things were awesome back then. Except for the warranty claims..." That latter point being another reason the last RX-7 is not exactly a fond memory for the Japanese brand. For it to have any chance at all, though, Maeda said "... we need the U.S. economy to come back, first and foremost." We hereby give you our permission to begin buying everything.

First of all, before you run down to the comments section to... run us down, what you see pictured above is NOT the special edition F-Sport model but an F-Sport equipped IS350C as Lexus did not accompany the announcement on its new model with pictures. Not that we've cleared that up, let's see what the IS 350C F-Sport special is all about. To put it briefly, it's a limited run version of the coupe-convertible IS packed with performance and styling accessories from Lexus' F-Sport accessories line as well as additional equipment that will be available only in two colors, Tungsten Pearl or Obsidian. On the outside, the special edition IS 350C will be distinguished by a set of newly designed 19-inch forged alloy wheels, exterior badging and a unique F-Sport grille not previously available. To improve handling, Lexus upgraded the suspension with a sway bar, a new set of shocks from Bilstein and new springs that reduce the ride height by approximately one-inch while it also wrapped the new rims in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber size 225/35ZR19 in the front and 255/35ZR19 in the rear. An upgraded brake kit that is said to offer a firmer pedal feel and enhanced fade resistance is also part of the package.

The diesel version of the European market Subaru Impreza has caught the tuning attention of Unichip, a firm that as its name implies, fiddles around with ECUs. The company claims that thanks to some subtle electronic tweaks to the 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine's fuelling and boost settings, output is raised by 18HP and torque by 33 lb-ft for a total of 168-horsepower and 291lb.ft of torque. No performance or economy figures were released, but Unichip vaguely states that "drivers reported a 5-10% consumption improvement compared to standard". In the UK, the Unichip U-Connect upgrade is priced at £465.30 including 17.5% VAT.

Production of our new EVO X intercooler upgrade is in full swing. These will be a direct replacement for the 2008+ Mitsubishi EVO X's restrictive and inefficient OEM intercooler. A mandrel bent aluminum intercooler piping kit (available separately) will be released soon.