2012 Honda Civic Si Takes On New Role As IZOD IndyCar Series Safety Car

TORRANCE, Calif. (July 6, 2011) – The all-new, ninth-generation 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe will take on new duties as a Safety Car for the IZOD IndyCar Series, beginning on the weekend of the Honda Indy Toronto, July 8-10.

Already a hit with race fans through the Civic Racing Style Sweepstakes, the 201-horsepower Honda Civic Si Coupe was recently transformed by Honda Performance Development (HPD), Honda’s racing subsidiary north of Los Angeles, into an official IZOD IndyCar Series Safety Car.

Modifications to the already high-performance stock Civic Si include Sparco seats and four-point racing harnesses; an HPD high-performance brake system, with four-piston calipers, competition rotors, racing pads, and stainless brake lines; a Honda Genuine Accessory aerodynamic body kit, consisting of front, side and rear under spoilers; and Firestone Firehawk 225/40 R18 tires mounted on Enkei alloy wheels.

An exclusive graphics theme completes the conversion from a showroom Civic Si Coupe to an IZOD IndyCar Series Safety Car. The Safety Car will be driven during IZOD IndyCar Series events by three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Johnny Rutherford.

“The high-performance new Honda Civic Si is the perfect match for the IndyCar Safety Car fleet,” said John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president, auto sales. “With its larger and more powerful 2.4-liter engine and enhancements provided by HPD, it is ready to lead the IZOD IndyCar Series field at the Honda Indy Toronto and beyond.”

Unveiled in April at the New York International Auto Show, the 2012 Honda Civic features more streamlined and expressive “mono-form” exterior styling, wrapped around a spacious cabin with more style and convenience. Available new technology features include an intelligent, Multi- Information Display (i-MID), USB audio interface, Bluetooth® HandsFree Link® and a satellite-linked Navigation System with voice recognition and FM traffic.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., was founded in 1959 as the U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda currently produces automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, lawn mowers and engines at its nine major U.S. manufacturing operations, using domestic and globally sourced parts.Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. HPD is the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans and European Le Mans Series. In addition to its grassroots motorsports support programs, HPD offers race engine products from karting to pinnacle.
From Honda / HPD

Source;
http://insidetracknews.blogspot.com/2011/07/2012-honda-civic-si-takes-on-new-role.html

2012 Honda Civic Si Features Video Reviews Highlights of All-New Model

Different.... I like it.

2012 Honda Civic Si concept Car

2012 Honda Civic Si

After you see the commercials for the 2012 Honda Civic Si, you might think the car was built by over-caffeinated Japanese animators for equally restless gum-chewing teenage girls who dabble in ninja work when they tire of hanging out in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. Anything but subtle, the marketing message appears to target a buyer raised on video games, Red Bull and manga. Ironically, inspiration for the new Si came from a farther-flung blend of kookiness: yoga and Pilates.

Seeking ideas for the ninth generation of a cornerstone product, Honda designers from Japan's Wako studio came to the U.S. to walk among Civic buyers, both past and potential. Toshiyuki Okumoto, chief exterior designer for the new car, says he wanted to learn their lifestyles and values. His team found that Civic buyers are an earthy, body-conscious lot into ecology, good fuel economy and Eastern stretching. Okumoto wanted to integrate yogic principles of purity and efficiency into the new Civic skin, and create something that brought vitality to the surface.