car

Acura is the performance and luxury division of Honda. The brand was created in 1986 and became the first Japanese luxury car line. Since then Nissan and Toyota have also introduced luxury car brands, Infiniti and Lexus, respectfully.

Honda revealed its new compact minivan today in Japan called the Freed. On sale today as well, the Freed can carry up to eight passengers within its diminutive dimensions thanks to a low, completely flat floor and some clever packaging. Opt for captains chairs in the second row and you can still ferry seven people between Kyoto and Tokyo in relative comfort. The Freed will also be offered in three versions that accommodate people in wheelchairs with ramps and lift-up seats. Honda’s JDM mini-minivan will be offered in front-wheel and all-wheel-drive models powered by a 1.5L VTEC four-cylinder engine mated to either a 5-speed automatic or CVT transmission. It looks like a promising vehicle that Japanese buyers will snap up like 10-cent sushi, and we bet Honda would find a market for the Freed here in the U.S. as well considering the current popularity of fuel-efficient vehicles packing tons of practicality.

From the beginning the American Muscle Car Show was set to be more than just a show. Company founders, backed by enthusiastic employees, pushed to give something back to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. The initial goal was to raise $5,000 to Homes for Our Troops, a charity that buys or builds homes for disabled veterans. After two previous donations, the team at AM decided to recruit its customers, vendors, families and friends to join the cause and give to this noble charity at the show.

With American Muscle pledging to donate 100 percent of all show proceeds, the effort was fueled by the AM Girls selling raffle tickets for some seriously sweet parts donated by many top Mustang performance brands like SCT, Roush, Eibach, dba, Hawk, Pypes Exhaust, BBK, Maximum Motorsports, aFe, MagnaFlow, Motive, Edelbrock, PA Performance, H&R Springs and more. Also adding to that total were t-Shirt and food sales, plus personal contributions from AM employees.

At the end of the day, with all donations counted, American Muscle wrote a check for $8015 to Homes for our Troops. Joining American Muscle in supporting this great cause, the members of the Garden State Region Mustang Club voted unanimously to give a generous donation of $850 to the charity. Another donation of $500 was received from an anonymous American Muscle supplier bringing the total joint donation to $9,365.

Accepting on behalf of the charity were Frank and Karen McKee of Springfield, PA. After receiving the very large check, Mr. McKee expressed sincere appreciation saying he was humbled by the donation. Personally, I think we’re more humbled by our troops.