Spied: Bing-Winged Prototype Could be a Test Mule for the Next Honda Civic Type-R

Honda, a brand that used to be synonymous with performance cars for the masses, has toned down if not…completely erased its sporty side these past few years, something that has not gone unnoticed by consumers and fans alike.

However, it seems that the Japanese automaker has received the message and is making plans to revitalize itself by returning to its roots, as evidenced by the new NSX sports car that will go on sale within the next three years.

For the mainstream crowd in Europe, Japan and other markets worldwide sans North America, Honda appears to be preparing a replacement for one of its more popular models, the Civic Type R.

Our spy shooters spotted a prototype of the latest generation of the European market Civic hatchback featuring a large rear wing near Honda’s technical center at the Nürburgring, which we believe could be a test mule for the next Type R.

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Spied: New Porsche 911 Turbo Filmed on the Autobahn and the Nürburgring

There are many new Porsches heading our way, but one model of particular interest is the next generation of the 911 Turbo, prototypes of which were spotted testing on both the German Autobahn and the Nürburgring racetrack.

The word on the street is that the new 911 Turbo models (including the Coupe and Convertible in both regular and 'S' trims) will adopt an advanced tri-turbo system for the existing 3.8-litre flat-six gasoline engine.

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Scoop: Aston Martin's DBS Replacement Filmed on the Road

While Aston Martin's top brass were previewing the looks of the next DBS with the Project AM310 Concept on the scenic shores of Lake Como in Italy during the 2012 Concorso d'Eleganza, the brand's engineers were hard at work conducting tests of the production model in and around the Nürburgring in Germany.

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Spy Shots: Sporty 2014 MINI Cooper S Hits the Nürburgring for Testing

Under normal circumstances, it's not that hard to tell apart a regular Mini Cooper from its sportier Cooper S counterpart, but try doing the same with a body cloaked in a hippie like camo full of swirls, and it may get complicated.

So how do we do know that this particular prototype that our scoop photographers nabbed racing around the famed Nurburgring track in Germany is actually the Cooper S?

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Spy Video: New BMW 4-Series Convertible Filmed at the Green Hell

We have just filmed the replacement of the BMW 3-Series Convertible while the brand's engineers were driving a camouflaged prototype on the Nürburgring track.

BMW is rumored to replace the 3-Series badge with the 4-series moniker for the two-door coupe and convertible variants of its newly revealed 3-series sedan, in much the same way that it does with the larger 5-Series (sedan, Touring and GT) and 6-Series (Coupe and Convertible) models.

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SPIED: All-New 2013 Volkswagen Golf GTI MkVII Hits the Nürburgring for Testing

If there was ever a more important model in the vast lineup of the Volkswagen Group, it is the seventh generation of the Golf, which we will have the opportunity to see it in person for the first time at the upcoming 2012 Paris Motor Show this September.

Say we had to single out one variant out of the Golf's range, that would no doubt be the GTI, the model that gave birth to an entire segment. However, before you get too excited, learn that we will not be seeing the next Golf GTI in Paris but most likely in Geneva the following March.

Since its presentation is a full year away, we have the next best thing with our first spy pictures of the Golf GTI MkVII wearing its production outfit while testing on the 'Ring.

Compared to the regular Golf prototypes we caught earlier this year, the GTI is distinguished by the larger alloy wheels wrapped around beefier tires, the lowered body and the side skirts. The car seen here is the five-door model, but Volkswagen will also offer a three-door variant and possibly a convertible later on.

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Spied: All-New Skoda Rapid Compact Sedan Caught Undisguised

Czech carmaker Skoda is more or less done hiding its Rapid sedan prototypes, one of which was snagged by our scoop photographers while running around the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany.

Skoda's engineers simply applied some convincing, but fake, decals on the tail lamps, the top part of the headlamps, and the rear door lines, just to keep our spies on their toes.

Other than that, what you see in these pictures is what European buyers will get when the compact sedan model makes its first public outing at the Paris Motor Show this September before reaching dealerships at the end of the year.

The European market Rapid (Skoda also sells a smaller and unrelated Rapid sedan in India) is the production variant of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show Mission L Concept.

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