The grass is at all times greener on the opposite side of the fence, isn’t it? Or perhaps that must be the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean.
A few of you living stateside probably feel a robust desire for a slice of authentic Japanese culture, but Yuya Kishi – ‘Park’ to his friends – has taken a Latest York slice-sized bite of American culture, and not only along with his cars.
Park lives in a house that appears prefer it was shipped directly from the set of The Truman Show. That will not be removed from the reality, because it was built by the identical company that constructed Universal Studios Japan.
The home has an American-sized garage, which is undoubtedly a superb enough reason to live there, but much more handy for Park, who owns two Honda Civic Coupes – one a rare model sold exclusively on the Japanese domestic market but assembled within the USA.
Why is Park so enamoured with Americana? It began in his teenage years, during which period he was influenced by peers who drove USDM cars and took him to lowrider shows around Osaka.
This particular JDM Civic Coupe was owned by a friend for over 15 years before Park got his hands on it. It had been a long-term show construct that evolved into more of a street automobile, but recent life responsibilities eventually put paid to the fun. Park quickly snapped up the Honda as an unfinished project.
Stock, the JDM EJ7 was much like every other mid-grade EK Civic, with a D16A engine and CVT transmission as standard equipment. Nevertheless, its two-door coupe body – versus the design of the three-door hatch and four-door sedan – gave the model a unique vibe. The identical will be said of the sooner EG Civic Coupe.
While the 1996+ Civic Coupe was sold in a number of grade levels (denoted by different EJ chassis codes) in its North American goal market, only one model was exported recent to Japan in right-hand drive configuration.
Park’s example is more fast-road focused than his other, daily-driven EJ7 – a USDM left-hand drive EX Coupe (complete with Ferrari 360 Modena seats) that when called Florida home.
In the course of the time Park has owned his JDM EJ7, the automobile has been stripped back for weight reduction. Inside, Bride seats, TAKATA Racing harnesses and a big digital tablet feature, though the Civic does retain some factory comfort in the form of door cards, carpet, and even its original Honda of America floor mats.
While the Civic is targeted on fast street use, the painted engine bay stays a reminder of the automobile’s history. The present B20B engine is the third one Park has been through in three years. He has a lofty 300km/h goal for the Honda, so there’ll sure to be a number of mechanical casualties along the best way.
Third time lucky, the present block has been built up with Wiseco forged pistons and an Eagle crankshaft. The TODA cam-equipped cylinder head has been ported to just accept extra airflow from the Skunk intake plenum. Engine management duties fall upon a Link G4X.
In the intervening time, Park says the engine is making near 250hp with an additional 50hp available on the flick of a switch and push of a button. Yes, in fact it has NOS!
In his quest for 300km/h glory, Park has fitted a longer-ratio fifth gear within the Civic’s gearbox, but a K-Tuned shifter makes banging through all forward gears a joy at any time when he takes the automobile out on the road. Cusco coilovers take in all of the bumps at high speed.
One among the best features of the automobile is its wheels – a rare set of 15×7-inch Hayashi Racing Super Streets with centre locks, wrapped up in Toyo Proxes R1R rubber.
This Civic Coupe construct feels Kanjo Racer in spirit but executed in an OEM+ way. It’s a fun little automobile that took me by surprise when Park jumped on the gas, the torque-rich B20B engine coming alive immediately without the hesitation that comes with turbocharging.
As a real hero of Japanese performance cars, the Civic platform is known in its own right. Sarcastically though, one among the best JDM models wasn’t in-built Japan.
Toby Thyer
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This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
