Visually, the engine is just as much a feast for the eyes as the exterior. The valve cover is the same bright yellow as the body, and RS Akimoto yellow silicone hoses further integrate the underhood area. A Do*Ken engine dress-up kit consists of chrome fluid caps and breather filters, while the oil cap, battery tie down and chrome radiator reservoir from AC Autotechnic add visual flash. An oversized Fluidyne radiator not only looks cool, but adds additional cooling capacity.
Chassis mods are part of the game, too. AC Autotechnic's front upper strut tower brace is complemented in the rear by a lower strut brace. The suspension is lowered with Eibach Sportline springs coupled with Tokico struts. Prothane urethane bushings remove unwanted compliance from the suspension. Braking is handled by AEM's oversized brake kit. Rolling stock on all four corners is 215/35ZR18 Toyo Proxes FZ4s mounted on white RH Evolution Z5000 wheels from Dazz Motorsports.
One would expect a car like this to be a carpet queen, but one look at the odometer's 80,000-plus miles shows that Daniel drives his Civic every day. "As pristine as it's kept, people are amazed that I drive it about 80 to 100 miles every day," he says. "All in all I'm keen on keeping it in prime condition." It shows, and through the year that the car was built it convinced enough sponsors to let him assemble the car with plenty of help. After all, honing one's artistic skills at the Art Center isn't exactly cheap, and putting together a car like this without the help of his many sponsors would have been almost impossible.
Like any project, this one is never finished. "This car is kind of like one long-term art project to be constantly fixed up and designed by me," says Daniel. Future plans include a full sound system by MA Audio, and after that, who knows? The only certain thing is that, with Daniel's artistic eye, honed to a razor edge by his chosen career path, it's bound to be a looker.