2011 Honda CR-Z with Red-Out Wrap Kit

The 2011 CR-Z Hybrid is intended to be the successor to the Honda Insight and to wrest control of the carbon-sensitive crowd from the clutches of the Prius. The folks at Car and Driver have given a pretty detailed analysis of the history of Honda's hybrid lines and how they have consistently out-performed the Prius in terms of fuel efficiency but for most of the first decade of the 21st Century sales of all Honda hybrids combined paled in comparison to those of the Prius alone. So, with high hopes, Honda introduced the CR-Z in 2011 and would like everyone to think of it as the symbolic successor to the athletic and iconic CRX of? years passed. But the CR-Z is actually mmore closely related to the two-seater Insight and thus the progeny of the original, and now, ironically, much-sought-after Insight. From the outside, the 2011 CR-Z stout and low-slung but with a large rear cargo area capped by a transparent hatch lid that remains innovative even though it seems directly carried over from the old Insight. Of particular interest to reviewers is instrument panel's layout, illumination and graphics, which make the interior look futuristic while remaining Honda-functional. All in all, the CR-Z seems to straddle the worlds of green and boy-racer without fully mastering either. Despite this fact, the CR-Z is an attractive looking ride with innovative styling cues on the inside and out. Perhaps the best part of the CR-Z aesthetic is found in the design of the rear hatch and over-sized taillights. Luckily for us, Arthur sent in his rebate photos of precisely this area. For those of you not already familiar, red-out film is transparent red smoke Rtint which can be purchased pre-cut or as a wrap and allows you to modify the look of your head and/or taillights in an easy and semi-permanent fashion. I had to do a triple-take before I realized that there even was a red-out kit applied so be sure to look closely. Enjoy!

The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer - The Marriage of Aeronautic and Nautical Design

The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer symbolizes a complete retooling of the inside and outside of the revered ride. Mitsubishi obviously took some motivation from it’s aircraft collections with the upgrade of the Lancer’s front-end to provide its all-new front fascia which Mitsubishi called a “shark-nosed” look. Regardless of whether you want to use nautical or aeronautic metaphors there is no doubt that the 2008 Lancer is a better looking car than its forerunner. The 2008 is built on an all new, FWD foundation with many similarities to those used on the Dodge Caliber. As such, the 2008 Lancer furnishes a wider wheelbase to provide a more constant and stable ride.

Check out our post here: http://blog.rvinyl.com/2012/07/30/the-shark-nosed-2008-lancer-gts/

The 2004 Dodge SRT-4 - Street Racing Technology Meets Smoked Headlights

Before we begin, and just in case you were wondering, the Dodge SRT-4 is the performance version of the ubiquitous Neon that continues to haunt the strips and parking lots of middle America. The SRT-4 was developed when Chrysler was stgill in the hands of the Germans (as DaimlerChrysler) by their in-house tuner group then known as PVO (which stands for the uninspired Performance Vehicle Operations). In 2004 the PVO was wisely renamedStreet Racing and Technology (you now see the SRT connection don’t you) and the 4 in the tile is indicative of the 4 cylinders f the turbocharged engine. Knowing all of that you can now sleep easier.

The SRT-4 is a nice looking vehicle and surprisingly quick at that. The fornt seats of the vehicle featured additional lumbar and lateral support in order to assist in performance driving (although I’m not sure how physical driving can be unless you intend to flip your ride). What’s great about the 2004 SRT-4 is that it comes with the interior pre-tuned with a faux CF steering wheel (NICE!), shift boot (the thing that goes around the shifter) and a satin silver “cue” ball shifter knob. These elements along with the special SRT gauge faces and matching silver rings on the climate controlreally render it the perfect palette for the addition of an R24 black carbon fiber dash kit. One of these days I’ll actually get around to posting pics but until then you”ll have to trust me on it.

But, I digress. Today’s post is about the aggressive, snub-nosed front fascia and headlights of the SRT-4. I don’t think I need to describe the exterior much since I’ll be showing the pictures shortly but the light smoked headlights really add an extra special touch. I would have preferred the dark smoke or blackout to the light smoke but I think it still works well. Anyway thanks to Brandon in the form of this post and the $20.00 rebate we sent his way and enjoy!