One Lap of the Web: The Talented Mr. Honda, electric airplanes and Viper-powered Jensens

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- A blog post at Hemmings called our attention to this fascinating profile of Soichiro Honda, which was originally printed in the June 16, 1963 edition of the British newspaper The Observer.

GM begins Chevrolet Sonic production at suburban Detroit plant

General Motors Co. today launched production of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact at its Orion Township assembly plant in suburban Detroit. The Sonic will be available in dealerships this fall.

Gordon Murray Teewave AR.1

Gordon Murray Designs has announced the latest addition to its range of electric vehicles in the form of a two-seat sports car. Following on from the diminutive T.25 city car, the Teewave AR.1 is an all-electric roadster that features a carbon monocoque chassis, designed in such a way that it can be applied to a variety of vehicle types. The AR.1 sports car was designed in close collaboration with Toray Industries, a Japanese carbon fiber specialist.