When you think of Honda, words and terms such as ‘FF’, ‘high-rpm low-torque’, or
‘cornering sensation’ spring to mind. None of these would then normally be associated with any activity at or near a drag strip, so why are Hondas an exception?
The answer to that is pretty simple to be honest, because two other attributes I didn’t mention were reliability and tunability. Add those to the mix, and Hondas can contend with cars that double – even triple – their conservative engine displacement.
Whilst that summarises the justification for holding a Honda event at Santa Pod, so does the fact that there’s enough space for over 300 vehicles to park up in the paddock area.
Keep scrolling down to see what caught my fancy on the day!
With it being my first time attending a Mimms show down-south, I was hoping to
encounter cars that I’d never seen before up-north, as well as a few motors I’ve seen only virtually on the internet.
Yet, I couldn’t help gravitate towards everyone’s favourite EK9 Civic Type R as I walked through the show-and-shine stand. From initially reading about it on Speedhunters years back, to then finally coming across it at JPS last year, this Civic belonging to Andy Boyle is one that’ll never go off.
J’s Racing tow hook jutting out from the Seargent Race Division rear lip & diffuser combo.
Another tow hook in the front, courtesy of J’s Racing, along with their wide fenders, within which a pair of RAYS Volk Racing CE28N measuring a sensible 16 x 7J sit over Spoon Sports twinblock brakes. Also appearing in this shot is the very rare (and very genuine) Mugen Type SS front lip. From this angle, most of the engine’s valve cover is in shot, a telltale sign of one of the best engine swaps in the world. Yes, I am biased.
Proper wheels held on with proper duralumin nuts by none other than RAYS.
I forced myself away from Andy’s Civic and took a closer look at something that kinda sat under the radar…
… perhaps because it was the only black car in the assemblage, or maybe it was down to the fact its roofline was almost waist-height.
More 無限 MUGEN [not Fugen]?!
I don’t have a particular interest in Honda’s CR-X model. I don’t know why, because they look cool and I imagine they can go well with their sub-850kg kerbweight.
This second-gen looked too tough to ignore though.
Ash Islam has a highly noteworthy Honda, even though it looks so stealth and subdued, the parts of this formula are numerous and well-chosen. For a start, it’s definitely the first car I’ve seen make Work Wheels CR01 look pleasing to the eye.
An almost complete Mugen Pro.2 kit has been fitted, with the rear spoiler being custom it seems.
A well kept interior features a pair of Recaro Sport Topline seats upholstered in red cloth/suede, a K-Tuned shifter, and a set of Razo pedals.
I bet the S2000 digital gauge doesn’t struggle keeping up with the turbocharged B-series when it gets up and goes.
Honda branded trinkets sat upon the dash just under the triplet of auxillary gauges.
I rocked up to the event later than everybody else at around 11am, seen as though Civik couldn’t come out of hibernation with most of its body parts sat in a paint shop. Would have been cool to experience going up the strip but at the same time I’d get
frustrated spinning the front wheels off the line on every launch.
Anyways, there was like one car infront of me as I entered Santa Pod, luckily, because I saw the queue on people’s IG stories from the morning and it was pretty mad. Everybody’s keen on getting to shows these days, especially in the UK where the niche events are few and far between.
Seen as though I got there a bit late, I tried not to dawdle about and make sure I saw as much as I could in the static area so that I’d have time to watch some drag runs. I passed through show-and-shine and got chatting to a numberplate vendor, enquiring about the minimum legal dimensions for a front plate for the Civik. Next thing I know Teeky (TKY Performance) and Sid (camera car driver) show up beside me. Teeky had his new GoPro and gimbal in hand to document the event, so after reading this, check his
walkabout video.
This mobile work-of-art was a car I was praying to get to see IRL at the event, after
making do with looking at it on my screen via IG/Facebook.
James Flutter is the man to thank for gracing Santa Pod that day with his M&M-widebodied DC2 Integra Type R. Oh, and don’t worry, that Voltex Type 4 wing and those ZE40s filling out the wheelarches are there for good, functional reason…
… as the B was changed out for a K, with a Rotrex supercharger strapped onto it for
adequate ‘go’ to equalize the amount of ‘show’ on this Integra.
As immaculate as the bay of this car is, if only there was a way to hide those bonnet pins, haha.
I won’t waffle on about this machine here, mainly due to a lack of photos, but also in hopes of one day featuring this car in its entirety, as a ‘Fokal Point’ article.
Now this one stopped all three of us in our tracks with ease. An S2000 which was that overwhelming, I couldn’t even recognise the Amuse GT1 widebody kit it wore, correctly pointed out by Teeky. I suppose it’s both the bodykit’s unicorn-status (in the UK
especially) and then everything else going on with this hardtopped roadster.
The wheels I wasn’t a fan of, so I can’t tell you what sizes they measured in at, but they’re big enough I reckon. Does the futuristic styling hint at what we are bound to see more of on the modified scene, or has this person just played too much Cyberpunk 2077?
Headrest LCD displays for who? Maybe there’s a Playstation rigged up inside
somewhere for those service station Midnight Club breaks.
Variety is the spice of life. But some people prefer lemon & herb, and that’s alright too. I spent many hours trawling down Canibeat and Stancenation blogs back when I started showing proper interest in things with four wheels, so I find it hard to dismiss the
creative expression “show-cars” demonstrate on behalf of their owner.
‘The Captain‘, whose videos I’d watched studiously whilst I was in the early stages of navigating the K-swap maze, was out in his well put together EJ9 Civic. Klean and
simple aesthetic, EK9 front grill and lip, painted headlight housings, and a set of 15″ wheels pinched from zenki DC2 Integra Type R finished in bronze.
Round the back of the K20A2 is a little reminder of the period in time when this car was put together.
Nothing wrong with Hondas…
But I’ve gotta put some respek’ on it.
A light-hearted, humorous R34 GT-R owner.
Do I really need to say anything?
The older brother looks quite sedate in comparison. Maybe it’s that Nismo front bumper and bonnet.
Moving on, before we make ex-R34 owners drown in their tears of sorrow and regret…
This EG Civic was amongst the more serious attendees that day.
You know shit is serious when the intercooler doubles as a slam-panel. Also, look how fancy that custom lobster-cut intake pipe is.
Rare bits plaster this Phoenix Yellow EK9, such as the Speed(?) vented bonnet and EC Works wing mirrors. The Backyard Special front bumper not as rare, but will become so in years to come as they don’t make them anymore. Oh yeah, and you might have
noticed that K-swapped EG to the side of it.
No idea what rear bumper its got on, maybe Kumamon knows?
Teeky is obviously a bigger fanboy than me, because he noticed the R1 Titan by Amuse before I even checked the plaque welded to the side of the blast pipe.
As the world is being K-swapped, B16 & B18 engines will become an even more special and niche engine choice.
Stout-looking rubber wrap SW388 lightweight wheels, the fronts being especially widely offset leveraging as much grip from the highly capable chassis.
See you after the break (I’ll try not to make it longer than it needs to be) for more
highlights of the action caught at Mimms!
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