From the outset the Spider was intended to be the basis for a new one-car racing series. Renault had been running these championships since the early 80s with the 5 Turbo, 21 Turbo, and Clio models. A special Spider Trophy edition was designed and built for the purpose, with the engine tuned to produce 180 bhp. The Spider championships ran for several years as support series to larger championships such as the British Touring Car Championship (in which it is remembered for having produced one of that series' top drivers of recent years, Jason Plato, who won 11 out of 14 races in the inaugural year of the UK Spider Cup). In 1999 Andy Priaulx beat Plato's record of eight successive race wins in the Spiders by taking a clean sweep of 13 wins in all 13 races. He also qualified for each one on pole position and took fastest laps in all but two of the events.

From the outset the Spider was intended to be the basis for a new one-car racing series. Renault had been running these championships since the early 80s with the 5 Turbo, 21 Turbo, and Clio models. A special Spider Trophy edition was designed and built for the purpose, with the engine tuned to produce 180 bhp. The Spider championships ran for several years as support series to larger championships such as the British Touring Car Championship.

In 1967, Chiti produced the Tipo 33 with a 1995 cc 90-degree V-8 engine, designed by Alfa Romeo engineers Orazio Satta and Giuseppe Busso. Only 4 were ever constructed.The engine is of light alloy construction throughout, with twin overhead camshafts per bank of cylinders, Lucas fuel injection and a power output of 260 hp at 9000 rpm, a very competitive figure for the time. The engine is mounted at the rear between two projecting magnesium-alloy members linked by a fabricated sheet-steel metal section that carries the rear suspension. The transmission was by a 6-speed gearbox. Ventilated disc brakes were fitted front and rear, with those at the rear mounted inboard.The cars were plagued with reliability problems and two drivers were killed while testing. The Tipo 33 ran only a few races during the 1967 season and the only win was at an unimportant Bettojia Trophy race on the Vallelunga circuit at Rome.By 1968 the 33/2 had been improved and was now a serious contender. A 33/2 finished second a Daytona and took a clean sweep in its class at Le Mans en route to finishing fourth, fifth and sixth overall.

Adelaide, Australia -- The "race of a thousand years" lived up to its name: Spectacular action on the difficult street circuit in Adelaide and ultimately a dominant victory for the Audi R8 sporting a crocodile design turned the final of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in front of about 150,000 spectators into a real highlight of the season. After turbulent 5:45 hours, Rinaldo Capello and Allan McNish won with a margin of 21 laps. The companion Audi R8 of Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro achieved sixth place in the prototype category following a crash.

The Honda Civic is one of the most popular cars with today's high-performance enthusiasts. How did a car that started life as an economical, low-emissions commuter ``econobox” in the wake of the oil shortages of the early 1970s become a tuner’s favourite? Low cost, a solid chassis, and a robust engine amenable to increased output were and are important. And Honda itself has built some pretty sporty versions of the Civic, starting with the first Si hatchback, introduced back in 1986. In 1992, the Civic Si was the first North American Honda to use the company’s competition-developed ``VTEC” variable valve timing technology. The Si badge disappeared in the mid 1990s, to be re-introduced on a hot version of the Civic coupe in 1999 and 2000. It took a year and a half after the debut of the latest-generation Civic for the Si to reappear, but it was worth the wait. In 2002, the Civic Si hatchback was back, with new styling and hotter than ever, with a 2.0-liter engine that had the same 160 horsepower as the previous-generation Si’s 1.6-liter, but much more torque, for easier, more relaxed driving characteristics.