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"Spoon is always one step ahead of the competition, whether that be in racing or introducing tuned versions of Honda&amp;#039;s sportiest cars. The new Spoon CR-Z closely follows Spoon president Tatsuru Ichishima&amp;#039;s philosophy on car tuning, improving the soul of the car rather than just its performance.   The Spoon car sits much closer to the ground, lowered by about an inch and a half. A black carbon-fiber hood and flashy wheels highlight its styling. Under the hood, Spoon took apart the 1.5-liter inline-4 and reassembled the i-VTEC powerplant with many of its own parts. The ECU was remapped, increasing redline from 6200 rpm to 8500, with more torque in the mid range. Of particular note is Spoon&amp;#039;s new exhaust, which makes this hybrid sound like an Italian exotic. Together, the gasoline engine and electric motor produce about 145 bhp and about 150 lb.-ft. of torque, significant gains over stock. Also, Spoon claims it shed about 220 lb. from the car&amp;#039;s curb weight.   Mash the throttle, and the car leaves the line in the same way as the original, with verve, but the Spoon CR-Z gets stronger as the engine revs rise. The Spoon Sports CR-Z, with a 6-speed manual gearbox, dashed to 60 mph in a scant 6.9 seconds and to the quarter mile in 15.5. Naturally, the car&amp;#039;s fuel economy takes a hit; I predict the Spoon CR-Z will still get around 25/29 mpg city/highway.   The car&amp;#039;s handling is much sharper, thanks to stiffer springs and shocks and thicker anti-roll bars. With a strengthened chassis and a custom limited-slip differential, the Spoon CR-Z feels much more neutral than the stock CR-Z. Spoon is currently working on a race version that Ichishima says will introduce a new era in endurance racing. He plans to have this car finished for the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in December.   This tuner version of the CR-Z will be available as a complete car later this year for about $8000 plus the cost of the car. For more information, go to the company&amp;#039;s website at www.spoonsports.us.   More: "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/reviews/a15745/world-exclusive-test-2011-spoon-sports-cr-z/>