Inside a subtly beautiful building nestled in the hills above Pasadena, Calif., one has a window into things to come. If you think that's just editorial hyperbole, it's actually quite literal. The building is home to the Art Center College of Design, and inside, students learn to design the things that we will use in the future. From computers to toasters to buildings to-of course-cars, if it looks cool, chances are an Art Center graduate designed it.
Naturally, Art Center students have an enhanced sense of aesthetics. And aside from the usual manifestations in class assignments, it crops up in various other places.
Take this Civic Si owned by Daniel Song, for example. Majoring in entertainment design at the Art Center, he purchased the 1999 coupe brand new. It has been steadily modified, enhanced and upgraded over the past two years, all under his keen eye. The result, as you can see, is stunning.
Daniel purchased his car the second week it was available. He had been in contact with the local dealership for weeks before the car was available, angling to be near the top of the list for the desirable two-door.
The project started simply enough. Daniel held out for a blue Si, arguably the car's best color, and the only one unique to the vehicle. Unique wheels followed, as did a free-flowing intake and exhaust. And this combination was fine for the first year of the car's ownership.
Then, things started to get a little crazy.
Today, Daniel's Civic is truly something to behold. The profile of the coupe has been drastically altered. 2020 Autobody Tech in the City of Industry, Calif., replaced the nose and side skirts with Ground Designs' 2000 Street Fyghter II pieces, and the rear bumper was replaced with a piece from the Black Widow kit. Additional exterior modifications include BMW M3-style outside mirrors, a Corvis adjustable rear wing, and a Kaminari carbon-fiber hood, still in its original black. TC Spoilers' carbon fiber eyelids blend with the black hood, and an HID kit from Phoenix Micro-Lite peers out from under them. Supra-style bumper lenses integrate nicely with the Ground Designs kit. Gone is the original blue color, which quickly became an all too common sight on the streets. With the exception of the hood and eyelids, everything is slathered in five coats of the same rich Solar Yellow paint one might find on a Lexus IS 300.
The interior has been stitched to match the lustrous body. The front and rear seats are covered in black leather with yellow vinyl inserts and piping. The same treatment extends to the door and side panels. The dash and center console are covered in bright yellow vinyl, with brushed aluminum overlays on the dash vents. The gauges have been dressed up with indigo-blue gauge faces and a metallic overlay from AC Autotechnic, giving the setup a look similar to the watch-face styling of the IS 300. Billet aluminum pieces from AC Autotechnic also replace the stock emergency brake, pedals and shift knob, with a short shift kit on the latter. AutoMeter carbon-series tachometer, oil pressure and fuel gauges give function to the form, while metallic floor mats and a faux bolt-in roll cage from Monkey Bars just adds a bit more form.
There are changes under the hood too. Impex Motorsports of San Gabriel, Calif., installed a blue-anodized AEM cold air intake system for better breathing. They also installed a DC Sports four into one header and a custom AC Revolution dual exhaust system. A Nology Power Core enhances spark through the Nology Hot wires, while a Sims clear yellow distributor cap just looks cool. AEM pulleys and cam gears round out the engine's performance modifications, and shifting is augmented with an ACT Stage 2 clutch.