When you seek for ‘Civic’ on Speedhunters, you’ll be presented with 17 pages of results.
With 12 features per page within the archives, that’s a staggering 204 Honda Civic-related posts alone. This number doesn’t even account for larger stories which will have included multiple Civics or articles that slipped through the tagging process.
Whichever way you take a look at it, it’s lots of content centred across the Honda favourite. The oldest Civic article within the Speedhunters archives dates back to May 19, 2008, featuring red EG as the quilt photo.
Why the nostalgia trip? Except for the indisputable fact that I used to be just nine years old then, it highlights how nearly every conceivable type of Honda Civic has featured on our platform through the years.
But just when I believed I had seen all of it, Ryan Basseri and his team at Rywire Motorsport Electronics have come together with a fresh perspective. You possibly can try the mid-build story here.
From the skin, this EK Civic looks like several other Southern California construct. The Milano Red paint is about as iconic as Championship White on the planet of OEM Honda finishes, and Ryan has pulled from the ‘Civic Hall of Fame’ for the remainder of the outside enhancement.
The Exceed Japan late-model front lip and rear wing inject a touch of aftermarket aggression into the classic EK lines. OEM+ touches appear within the EK9 Civic Type R grille, headlights, rear lip, and European folding door mirrors.
“Hondas are a brilliant essential a part of SoCal automobile culture,” says Ryan. “Street racing Hondas in Southern California laid the groundwork for the tuning scene in a significant way. Because the EK is a passion project, I desired to keep it timeless and nostalgic.”
The standout feature of the outside is the set of Desmond Regamaster Evo wheels, a real classic in Honda tuning, famously showcased on Spoon Sports’ iconic yellow and blue demo cars in ‘SW388′ form. Complementing the wheels are blue-anodised Spoon Sports Nissin brake callipers paired with WrenchMob discs, providing contrast against the all-red and black styling. Bespoke KW Motorsport coilovers keep the handling in check.
Inside, the upgrades are equally easy yet effective, with Recaro SPGs for each Ryan and his passenger. A Chase Bays handbrake setup sits between them, while ahead of the motive force lies a Zestek multifunction steering wheel hub and an AEM digital display.
With such a period-correct styling aesthetic, only two details hint on the progressive drivetrain beneath. One is the licence plate – a real ‘in case you know, you recognize’ detail – and the opposite is the exhaust tip – or lack thereof.
Rywire is well-known for its electronics work within the automotive aftermarket industry, but after nearly twenty years of constructing electrical systems for all the pieces from 300hp street cars to three,000hp drag machines, it was time for Ryan to explore recent horizons.
“I’ve been doing lots of private-label bespoke EV systems, and these conversions are something that excites me,” he explained. “I really like Hondas. I really like constructing and driving them, so I made a decision to impress some and see how I benefit from the drive.”
The EK’s powertrain centres around two Tesla AC drive units, enhanced with upgraded Wavetrac LSDs, all mounted on Hasport mounts with custom fabrication to suit the Civic’s chassis. In consequence, the little Honda not only produces 600whp, it’s all-wheel-drive.
While the front motor is positioned like a conventional combustion engine, the rear motor is housed beneath a custom floor in a bespoke cradle. The cabin floor conceals low-profile Tesla batteries in a custom pan. In line with Ryan, probably the most difficult elements of the project were the “systems design and battery box design. What may look easy is probably the most complicated to make.”
The setup features battery packs beneath the custom floor and tucked away in two battery boxes, rated to 400v at 85kWh. This provides the automobile an estimated range of around 400 miles – a hugely impressive number for such a small vehicle.
A set of AEM controllers ensures seamless operation, including a VCU300 control unit, battery management system, combined charging unit, and digital display. A Rywire PDM gives Ryan easy controls at his fingertips, while Tesla inverters and a Rywire contactor box complete the powertrain.
The cooling system within the EK is a stroke of genius that any engineer would appreciate. A CSF Race radiator, positioned behind the Type R grille, provides all of the cooling the Civic needs for spirited drives under the California sun.
Nonetheless, when driving the automobile in ‘Ludicrous’ mode or during extreme acceleration and deceleration, just a little extra cooling is vital. That’s why the automobile has air-con plumbed in, too. Not interior A/C, but a Freon (refrigerant) conditioning system adjoining to the CSF Race radiator, providing fast temperature drops even at a standstill.
I’m aware that to a petrolhead or gearhead, a few of this may occasionally sound like a foreign language, but after brushing up on my EV knowledge, I can assure you Ryan’s Civic features top-tier hardware and software.
The connection to CSF goes deeper, as CSF Race founder Ravi Dolwani and Ryan share a protracted history within the tuning industry.
15 Years Of CSF Race
“Ryan is one among my best friends within the industry. I showcased his orange Integra ‘GT3’ project at SEMA in 2015,” Ravi recalls. “It broke down barriers… a pioneering restomod import built to an unprecedented standard.”
Each CSF and Rywire have come a great distance within the aftermarket industry, with Ravi recently celebrating 15 years of his CSF Race division at CSF Cooling. This past weekend, that milestone was marked with a pre-SEMA 2024 party at Finish Line Auto Club in Costa Mesa.
As a visit down CSF memory lane and a showcase of their catalogue breadth, the event featured a mixture of current and past modified icons, from Porsches like Ravi’s own CSF 911 and Joey Seely’s E-Motion Engineering Project Nasty to Art of Attack’s BMW M4 Competition.
A private highlight for me was Paul Lefevre’s BMW 2002 – one among my all-time favourite builds. Forget the nice weather; I would like to spend a while in LA to soak in all of this automobile’s details.
“The energy was buzzing,” Ravi says. “So many great people from different segments of my life were there. I had family, lots of my closest friends, my neighbours, and, after all, so many individuals from our industry who’ve been a part of the CSF story throughout the years from the UK, Thailand, Brazil, Germany, Japan, China, and all around the US.”
“When Ryan told me he was constructing the EK for SEMA, I desired to support him by giving him the chance to showcase the automobile within the CSF booth, which has a major location. Greater than that, I desired to have an event before SEMA to essentially shine a light-weight on the automobile.”
“Again, it’s breaking down barriers of what a restomod may be, especially within the import segment. The way in which he’s tucked/shaved the bay, but as an EV, is an evolution and masterstroke of the import scene.”
“The identical may be said about my good friend Imran’s Evolve BMW 1M construct. Each Imran and Ryan were at my wedding; each are two of my closest friends within the industry, and I desired to do something special for them.”
“Their cars are truly unique in their very own right but carry so many similarities. Plus, with all the pieces coming together this yr coinciding with the CSF Race anniversary, it was an ideal opportunity for a tremendous event.”
It’s easy to forget that recognisable brands in multi-million dollar industries often have humble beginnings – whether it’s a wild swing into cutting-edge cooling systems or converting a passion for Honda engine swaps into an electrical powerhouse.
While events just like the SEMA Show are sometimes seen as attention-grabbing spectacles – and rightly so, as businesses need customers – it’s essential to recollect the dedication and fervour that goes on behind the scenes, too. That’s what truly keeps the wheels turning.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
mariochristou.world
Photography by Darrien Craven
Instagram: _crvn_
This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
