A Farewell Run of the Loop Road | TKY Performance’s EK9 Civic Type R

If only jpegs could be converted to an audible file. Seen as though we’re not in the year 2050, I’ll put it to you like this, if you were wearing headphones with the volume on full whack, this blog would give you tinnitus for a week minimum.

Of course I’m exaggerating a bit, but such is the reality of driving a stripped, caged, decatted EK9 with an AP Racing big-brake kit all-round.

Back in the middle of October last year, I linked up with Teeky of TKY Performance to shoot a 1997 Civic Type R he’d added to his inventory with plans to break it for spares. Before he went and mutilated the unfortunate shell, Teeky wanted to use it as a form of marketing along with showing off his new brand merch off.

I think all that was just an excuse for both of us to terrorize Leeds city centre with B-series at max volume, whilst getting some decent shots of the car in an urban environment. Maybe not as high in volume, but the brakes squealed with equally – if not more – obnoxiousness, echoing through the city streets at every set of traffic lights.

It’s a shame the car was broken for bits, as it was a solid track-focused base that could have been built upon. For starters, the wheel and tyre fitment was on the money.

16″ SSR Type-C and chunky Avon ZZR tyres snugly fit under the arches.

Fresh decal taking up the entirety of the rear hatch glass. Seemed to work well as a moving billboard, as when we were about to part ways later on that night, some guy in a BMW pulled up beside him asking for some EP3 Civic Type R parts.

That situation alone tells you how popular TKY is on the Honda scene. People like Teeky have become the ‘go-to’ recently, especially with the value-boom in modern Japanese classics.

One of very few functional ornaments occupying the Civic’s interior space.

KEY!S RACING is a Japanese parts company I’d heard of but not really known much about. I’ve only just found out it’s owned by Takayuki Kinoshita, professional racing driver who appears in Best Motoring videos and HyperREV magazines, probably most well-known/recognizable from a 2010 video of him ripping it up Goodwood in a Lexus LFA.

Back down to earth, this interior might not be as lavish as the LFA’s, but rest assured it’d keep you safe and secure within its six-point roll-cage with integrated X-bar and harness bar.

Up front is a view that gives only one impression: drive like hell.

It’s obvious this track-build was put together with some effort with inclusion of a fire-suppression system, door bars, flocked dashboard, and that all-important ignition cut-off.

We made an exit as fast as we could, following Teeky out down the multi-storey carpark in a car he could barely turn at full-lock thanks to those 225/45 section tyres.

His mate Sidd came along in his EP3, so I asked him to play the role of camera car driver to make it easy for me to jump out and get cliche shots like these. It’s not Osaka, but we can pretend.

My first time kapturing a car rolling. Actually, I’ve tried before, but that was with my DSLR stuck to the back of my car on a suction-mount whilst I tried practice shooting my brother’s Lexus IS in busy weekend traffic.

Something I’d never attempt again probably, especially now that my back-up full-frame DSLR decided to shit itself after the shoot I did with Matty and his S2000.

That’s all from this brief showcase gallery of TKY Performance. You can browse his current stock on FB or IG @tkyperformance. He’s regularly sourcing parts and cars to sell, mainly Honda Civics and Integras, but I’ve seen random stuff like LanEvo wheels become available in the past. As you can imagine if you’re already in the market for hot-ticket items, they don’t stay put for long, so make sure to follow Teeky’s online profiles!

Inabit. . .

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