‘Give a person a body kit, and he’ll look cool for a day. Give him a sheet of raw carbon fibre, and he’ll look cool for a lifetime.’
Masato Nitta lives by this philosophy, and he’s built a one-piece carbon front cowl for his EK9 Honda Civic Type R to prove it. In fact, while this ancient Japanese proverb uses man within the context of humanity; everyone can live by this philosophy.
On my most up-to-date trip south to the Kansai region of Japan, I planned to go and take a look at the local Civic scene in Nara, specifically a tuning shop called Real Company. Unfortunately, the day before the shoot, a crew of road employees descended on the road outside the shop, limiting access, so we’ll need to try again one other time.
Not wanting to return home with only one feature, I started messaging my local contacts, asking if anyone knew of a interesting automotive that I could shoot immediately. My good friend Park-san got here to the rescue. He works at Tommykaira, owns two Civics, and knows nearly every modified Honda within the Kansai region price knowing.
After a number of “Sorry, I can’t make it” messages from various owners, Masato-san contacted me to say he would brave the blizzard and drive across the mountains from Nara to Mie prefecture and my location near Suzuka Circuit. I used to be already frozen by this time, and the long drive home was not looking fun in any respect, so I warmed up in my rental automotive with the heater on full and waited for Masato-san to reach.
I’ve shot a number of Civics over time, from Pandem-kitted cars to hatch-converted sedans, but nothing beats a Kanjo Racer-spec EF, EG or EK sporting a superb livery.
Real Company didn’t construct Masato-san’s Civic, but they’re good friends. Nara is only a stone’s throw from Osaka and the legendary Kanjo Loop, where for many years Civics have raced fiercely on the highway, outgunning and outsmarting the police along the way in which. But we’ll get into the wealthy history of that subculture one other time – for now, let’s take a look at Masato-san’s construct…
The livery is, after all, inspired by Scuderia AlphaTauri F1, who switched to using Honda engines in 2018 (as Toro Rosso) despite being an Italian team. Honda, as an engine supplier, is synonymous with F1, so having an F1-themed exterior may be very cool.
The party piece, nevertheless, is the genius carbon fibre front end. Moderately than replace the fenders, bonnet and bumper with off-the-shelf parts, Masato-san went down the DIY route and made a one-piece carbon front cowl in his home garage.
First, Masato-san prepped the surface, sealing up the panel gaps before laying down fibreglass to make a mould. That mould was then used to create the only carbon fibre piece. It doesn’t must hinge; it’s light enough for Masato-san to only lift off and place next to the automotive. I’m sure that may drive any normal person mad, but when a ‘race automotive is life,’ it probably never gets old.
Under the carbon cowl is the EK9’s original 1.6L DOHC VTEC B16B, now sitting on stiffer Cusco engine mounts and benefiting from a J’s Racing Tsuchinoko Chamber intake and a ROM-tuned ECU.
The inside is pure Civic street fighter spec, a six-point roll cage acting as chassis reinforcer and each ounce of unnecessary weight removed. Which means no air-con, no cup holders, and definitely no audio system.
The back end has been reinforced with a tube frame below the ground pan, all welded up by Masato-san. A tow rope hangs proudly on display, not as an admission of an inevitable breakdown but as a show of readiness to clear the highway in case of any mishaps. It says, ‘If anything ever happens, I’m prepared to flee the police even when my motor is blown.’ Live by the code, break down by the code.
BuddyClub P1 Racing wheels feature in any respect 4 corners, wrapped in Dunlop Direzza V01 ZIII 190/600R15 semi-slicks specifically manufactured for Japan’s Zeta kit automotive one-make race series.
Improved stopping power comes from a set of NSX front brake callipers. Honda parts are much more LEGO-like than Subaru parts, it seems.
I wish I had more time with Masato-san and his Civic, but I had to go away him at 10:00pm with a four-hour drive home ahead of me. Possibly sooner or later I’ll get to drive a rad little Honda like this around a circuit or the Kanjo Loop itself, but I used to be pretty glad to be driving home in a toasty rental automotive on this ice-cold occasion.
Toby Thyer
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This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
