Vicki Butler Henderson once admitted on TV that she was so in love with the car that she has underwear with ‘Type R’ printed on the waist band. I can honestly say that VB-H’s nether regions were not in my mind when I tested the Honda Civic Type R last weekend but I will admit to emitting one of those squeals of joy that have become Vicki’s trademark.

However as she says, “It has a rock-hard ride, but if you want to know what it’s like to be strapped to a firework rocket, drive one”. To me, it’s ride felt hewn from stainless steel so I chose the diesel Civic instead and will retain the use of my skeleton. Albeit at a second or so slower from 0-60.

Slap bang in the middle
One big feature of Honda’s latest Civic hits you when you turn the key. It is staring you right in the face. Slap bang in the centre of the rev. counter is Honda’s computer screen. Obviously it’s only for showing car-related information such as average fuel consumption and how much faster than the legal limit you are currently driving but its ease of use and simplicity is a joy. Interface designers should take a lesson here because for all it’s whistles and bells, it needs only two buttons to program all of its umpteen functions.

Computers and vehicles have come a long way together in a such a short time so that modern vehicles have upwards of 50 microprocessors in them. These control everything from the engine management and ABS, to air bags, power distribution and cruise control. While they make it harder for amateurs to work on their own vehicles, they also make servicing easier for workshops with the right gadgets to access and tweak the data held by the microprocessors. Long gone are the days when a mechanic revved an engine to tune it by ear. Nowadays he’ll need at least a laptop and his overalls are likely to be clean and white rather than old school oily blue.

TNBT
The next big thing is going to be in-car computers complete with touch screens, entertainment, GPS and Internet connections. According to Malaysian-based SkyTech Multi Media the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games is likely to spur demand for in-car PC’s and they already have an order of 500 for installation into rental cars for upmarket tourists. The Indian car market has also seen a boom in such products recently.

However, the rise in car computers has been mirrored by a rise in virus infections. South African security experts Shaya Technologies warn that in 2005, 150,000 US cars had been infected in one week alone. The infection was spread via cellphones to certain Lexus models. Lexus later denied that its cars were susceptible but until two-way wireless transmissions were banned in races, F1 cars were equipped with antivirus software. Fiat use an off-the-shelf Microsoft operating system in their cars as does TomTom who accidentally included two Windows viruses in one of its products, here.

It is inevitable that an attack will be made because any on-board computer, GPS or cellphone can pick up an infection. When it does happen, the hackers will soon be on the Internet blabbing about their exploits and in the end, only the anti-virus firms will be the winners.

The days of Christine and Killdozer may be closer than we think.