_Revenge of the shopping trolley.

It’s hard to believe, though there was a time when soccer moms didn’t drive their kids to school in a crossover or SUV. Most of the time they drove a classic 4-doors, an estate or in some cases a minivan. Though you had exceptions. Back in the late 80s and early 90s there was always that one guy in the neighbourhood whose mother drove him to school in a small nerdy Honda Civic.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen. It was the first day that you got your driver’s license, and your parents gave permission to use their fancy German automobile to go to school. On your way to school you had to stop for a red light, and on your left side appeared a little Japanese Volkswagen. And while you were watching the light turn green, that little nerdy Civic already left the intersection. It was like a bad dream. You pulled over at the next gas station and bought a stack of magazines to find out everything there is to know about the 4th generation Honda Civic Hatchback.

Giant slayer. These days even the Playstation generation and Sim Racers know that this little Honda Hatchback is a genuine giant slayer. Three decades ago, back in 1989, Honda dropped the VTEC bomb. In Japan they introduced it VTEC in the Honda Integra Xsi, that same year Europe saw the arrival of VTEC in the Honda Civic and CRX, while the US had to wait until 1991 to discover the VTEC power in the Acura NSX.

Greta’s black list. It didn’t take very long before the After market jumped on this little ricer, and one of them was Mugen, the legendary official tuning house from Honda. They didn’t had to play their A-game in order to get 200 hp out of the little aspirated B16A 4-cylinder engine. And take it from us, 200 horses in a little lightweight Honda is as mind-blowing as dropping an F1 engine in a small Fiat. Nobody in their right mind would do it, and you’ll probably end up on Greta’s black list. On page 47.845…

The swap. Engine transfer. This white EF Civic belongs to the President of GReddy Performance Products. Kenji Sumino swapped the original source for a complete rebuilt DC Integra racing engine from D-Sport. All power gadgets like the custom turbo kit with a one-off air-to-water air-con intercooler setup are hidden in a fake factory airbox! The GReddy retro-looking turbo manifold also covers the small T518Z turbo. Kenji mentioned they have plenty of horsepower to play with it, cause at the moment everything is de-tuned.

Size 36 fits all. The chassis from the former shopping trolley wears Japanese OEM bumpers that are painted in innocent white. Another from of perfection are those old school looking 15″ Speed Star Racing EX-C Neo wheels. They fit on the Civic like a size 36 on Kim Kardashian’s ass. Inside the passenger core, JDM enthusiasts can enjoy lots of the original Civic EF pieces and a bunch of After Market goodies like the crazy Hybrid Racing Shifter and a bunch of other GReddy Racing goodies. By the way, Kenji’s hot Hatchback looks like the actual Hot Wheels Car from the Hot Wheels Speed Graphics 8/10! Bet you didn’t knew that! Bet you do now…

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Suspension Tech Info: In addition to the series development, KW offers also the option to build custom suspension kits according to the customers wishes. Depending on the vehicle-specific application, the coilover struts or damper housings made of aluminum, steel or stainless steel are combined with the optimal KW damper valve technology. If desired or required by the regulations, the suspension can also be converted into a nonadjustable damper variant after the evaluation and approval of the customer. A comprehensive documentation according to QS processes and the specifications of the VdTÜV-advices (= German Association of Technical Inspection) permits an individual acceptance and entry into the vehicle papers.

// KW.Classic Custom Coilover suspension build: