Honda’s recreation of Ayrton Senna’s record-setting lap at Suzuka Circuit has won the Grand Prize at the 17th annual Japan Media Arts Festival. The multimedia project, titled “Sound of Honda / Ayrton Senna 1989″ combines a film, interactive website, and smartphone app to give users the experience of witnessing the legendary driver’s achievement 24 years ago.

Senna’s qualifying lap of 1:38:041 was, at the time, a new record for one of the most difficult circuits on the Formula 1 roster. The McLaren-Honda MP4/5 that he drove was a dominant force in F1 as well, winning 16 races and 23 pole positions in the two years it was in service.

The recreation took telemetry data from Senna’s McLaren-Honda MP4/5, including changes in throttle position, engine and vehicle speed during his run. The sound of the car’s wailing naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V10 was then recorded with the actual car, currently part of Honda’s Collection Hall, and played over an array of speakers placed around Suzuka Circuit.

Watch the video below, or see it on Honda’s interactive website. Or, download the iPhone app that allows you to sync the sound of Senna’s MP4/5 while driving your own car.

A new report suggests Land Rover will launch a pickup variant of the next-generation Defender in 2017.

Scheduled to bow after the five- and seven-seater variants arrive in showrooms worldwide, the pickup will be positioned considerably higher on the market than the current Defender in order to take on well-appointed trucks like the Volkswagen Amarok. Land Rover is keeping its lips sealed about the truck, but rumors indicate it will take the form of a five-seater crew cab with a relatively long bed.

Offered with either a gasoline- or a diesel-burning engine, the Defender will boast best-in-class off-road capacity thanks in part to a permanent all-wheel drive system. A manual transmission will likely come standard on base models while an automatic will equip more expensive trim levels.

If the rumor proves true, look for more details about the Defender pickup to emerge next year. All versions of the next Defender will likely cross the Atlantic and join the company’s U.S. lineup.

The end of an icon
Land Rover has confirmed it will axe the Defender at the end of 2015 due to strict safety and emissions regulations that will come into effect throughout Europe. While it is technically possible to fit a more efficient engine in the Defender’s engine bay, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the truck to stay in compliance with Europe’s ever-stricter safety norms because its basic design precedes the Cold War.

A report coming out of Uruguay indicates Automóviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica (ALL) is gearing up to open a large production, service and storage facility in a business park located in Montevideo, the country’s capital. Based in Mexico, ALL is an independently-owned company that was granted the rights to use the Lamborghini name in the 1990s through a series of complex international agreements between the various firms that have owned the storied Italian brand throughout the years.

Toyota could be bringing a Supra successor to the Detroit Auto Show. The sports car concept would point at a design direction for a closer-to-production version to follow, positioning itself as a halo enthusiast’s vehicle for Toyota’s core brand.

According to Autoblog, key executives at Toyota are hinting in not-so-secret terms that a sports car concept in the vein of the much-beloved Supra is coming to the North American International Auto Show in January.

The Supra name, revered amongst Toyota enthusiasts, last appeared in the US market in 1998, ending a run of rear-wheel-drive six-cylinder sports GTs that began in 1979. The final iteration in particular, a 320-horse twin-turbo with 6-speed transmission and outlandish styling, provided supercar performance for half the price. It was a darling of the enthusiast community and starred in the first of six Fast and Furious movies.

In 2007 Toyota revealed the sporty FT-HS Concept at the Detroit Motor Show, but following the global financial downturn in 2008 any plans to build it were scuttled.

However, at the recent Tokyo Motor Show Toyota revealed the Lexus RC300h, a two-door grand tourer whose rear-wheel-drive platform could underpin a car like the Supra. Previous Supras have always shared a platform with the Japanese-market Toyota Soarer (sold in its third generation as the Lexus SC in the US) anyways.

Since the FT-HS was shown Toyota has installed a new president, self-avowed car enthusiast and sometimes race car driver Akio Toyoda, who has promised to reinvigorate the company with its sporting history. Toyoda’s brining of the Scion FR-S and Lexus LFA projects to fruition have bookended the revival, this concept would fill the void in between.

The United States has pledged to help China, the world’s No. 1 emitter of greenhouse gasses, to develop and implement its future vehicle emission standards.

According to a White House fact sheet, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Energy Department will help with the modeling, testing and other technical research needed for China to develop its sixth round of emissions standards, which will require that cars be fitted with filters that trap particulate matter that contributes to heavy smog.

At present, China is working to effect its fourth-stage emission standard, known as China IV, which will lower the allowed sulfur content from 350 to 50 parts per million. China V, expected to be implemented countrywide by 2017, will lower sulfur content to 10 parts per million.

The United States and the European Union currently cap sulfur content at 15 and 10 parts per million, respectively.

It represents a significant development that the U.S. will assist in creating China’s sixth stage of standards while the fifth stage is still in progress, one U.S. official believes.

“The United States is interested in moving to China to six as soon as possible,” the official told Reuters. “It is a clear signal that China wants to move forward in an accelerated way that will have far reaching impacts on air quality and public health.”

The new standards come as China is experiencing unprecedented growth in passenger car ownership, which reached 120 million at the end of 2012 and could exceed 200 million by 2020.

Photo by Ronan Glon.

Chrysler is calling back certain Dodge Dart models to fix a problem that may prevent the front seat-mounted side airbags from deploying properly.

Affected vehicles include 374 Darts built from May 10, 2013 through August 24, 2013 and fitted with the Mopar 13 trim package.

According to Chrysler documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the cause of the recall is improper installation of the front seat-mounted side airbags due to “operator noncompliance with work instructions.” In the event of a crash, the faulty installation may prevent the airbags from deploying properly and protecting occupants as designed.

Chrysler says it is unaware of any injuries stemming from the issue.

The automaker will begin notifying owners later this month, at which time dealers will inspect the affected airbags and re-install them as necessary, free of charge.

The campaign represents the second recall for the Dart. Back in June, a cold-weather stalling issue prompted Chrysler to recall 14,800 examples of the compact sedan.

Our spy photographers have managed to capture the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 undergoing last-minute testing ahead of its debut at next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

A number of elements signal the redesigned Z06′s increased performance potential, including a new front fascia optimized for maximum cooling and aerodynamic efficiency, air intakes ahead of the rear wheels and enormous cross-drilled brake rotors that could potentially be carbon ceramic.

The prototype wears the same sinister dark-finish wheels seen in a teaser image (see gallery above) GM released earlier this week, which also revealed carbon fiber side skirts and fender flare extensions.

Though obscured by camouflage, it appears that a more pronounced hood bulge, possibly with extra venting, may be implemented.

Precious few official details about the next-generation Z06 are available, but GM says the car will be “the most track-capable Corvette ever, designed to deliver supercar levels of performance through unique powertrain, chassis and aerodynamic features.”

GM has confirmed that the sports car will retain its current badging, rather than adopting the Z07 nameplate as some reports had hinted.

At this point, the new Z06′s powerplant very much remains shrouded in mystery. Rumors have suggested that a supercharged or twin turbocharged variant of the standard Corvette Stingray’s LT1 V8 – sized at 6.2-liters, or potentially with a smaller displacement – could be utilized. Regardless of what ends up in the engine bay, look for at least 600 horsepower to be on tap.

Following its unveiling in Detroit, the 2015 Z06 will enter into production in late 2014.

Hot on the heels of the stunning concept from Mercedes-Benz, the world’s top automakers have been releasing sketches and renderings of their own interpretations of the ultimate Gran Turismo car.

The virtual automotive showcase that is the Gran Turismo racing simulator series has been hugely influential in the automotive industry, with over 70 million units sold and spawning actual race drivers from enthusiasts. This year, to coincide with the launch for the sixth game in the franchise, creator Kazunori Yamauchi asked automakers to submit their ideas of what the ultimate grand touring or sports car would be in a contest called Vision Gran Turismo.

The design studies range from the whimsical (a hub-less open-wheeled racer from shoe company Nike) to the standard super car form (a mid-engined wedge from Aston Martin).

Often, the concepts reflect the direction their respective parent companies are taking. Subaru, for example, created a shooting brake combined with the BRZ’s swoopy fenders and the head and tail light treatments found on the WRX concept. Mitsubishi appears to have rendered an off-road racer in the vein of its Dakar Rally dominators. Ford’s open-wheel racer recalls Formula Fords while Toyota’s traditional FR silhouette has hints of the LFA and last-generation Supra.

In total, 28 companies are participating, from automotive giants like GM to design houses like Italdesign Giugiaro to newcomers like Tesla. These concepts will be rendered into virtual cars for Gran Turismo 6, scheduled for release December 6.