I know what you're saying, "Another Honda?" Well, this Civic certainly caught our eyes because, from all outward appearances, it looks like it has the coveted Import Tuner "Total-Package" approach covered. Think of it as the bastard child of a midnight rendezvous between DaimlerChrysler and Honda and the outcome would probably be something similar to the car you see here; something elegant and functional on the inside, yet sporty and aggressive on the outside. As a matter of fact, you probably wouldn't be reading this right now if its clean lines hadn't caught your attention, too. Behold, the Honda S-Civic.
Jaime Shadrick is the proud owner of this one-off '93 Civic coupe. His plan was to build a car that could blaze down the track, had looks that could stop traffic on the autobahn, and stay completely in the realm of daily driveability. Down here in Southern California, we see a lot of fast rides and a lot of dope-looking rides, but the occasions are few and far between when we see a car that finds a comfortable medium between the two. Living in the Mecca of organized import drag racing, Palmdale, Calif., means that Jaime had to have some "go" with his "show" because, let's face it, Palmdale gets more than its fair share of out-of-town competition. And, like all people who know where they're from and where they're at, Jaime had to represent. His car shakes a fist at the competition and flaunts the best of both worlds.
Jaime knew if he wanted to be fast he would have to ditch the single-cam motor. Not to say that the D16 was anything to sneeze at, but with motor swaps becoming more of the norm rather than the exception, he knew he needed something more to get his car into the upper echelons of the import performance scene. So, John from John's Swap Shop was called on to mastermind the car's new motivator and build-up. He took care of the installation of the JDM B16 with a factory LSD, RPS Turbo clutch and a Drag Gen III turbo kit. As you can see, this was no overnight project. John spent many hours to guarantee installation would be as close to factory as possible. With the massive air-to-air intercooler restricting air to the stock-dinky radiator, Jaime opted for a larger aluminum radiator from Koyo that was supplied by California's Best Radiators. This ensures smooth operation and lower coolant temperatures.
Boosting 10 psi required additional fueling and even the swapped B16's fuel supply was not enough to satiate the demands of the turbo kit. To make sure the fueling system was up to the test, a GReddy FMU and BBK in-tank fuel pump were installed. The final touch on the engine was the NOS spool-up kit that eliminated much of the turbo lag associated with big, hybrid-housing turbos. A Tanabe G-Medallion cat-back exhaust disperses the spent gases from the ferocious powerplant, which, according to Jaime, puts down an estimated 300 hp to the highways and byways of his neighborhood.
When he's out cruising on the now-world-famous Palmdale Blvd. Jaime uses the OBX coilover system to keep the 18-in. Racing Hart C2 Evolutions and Nitto rubber rolling smoothly. Peeking out from behind the Racing Harts is an AEM Big Brake kit with larger-diameter rotors, which prevent brake fade under heavy use.
A walk around this Civic will soon bring to your attention the seamless installation of the Black Widow body kit, the handiwork of Tony at California Collision in Lancaster. Tony is also responsible for shooting the smooth stardust metallic blue paint after shaving the antenna and emblems, giving Jamie's ride a cleaner appearance. Thanks to Albert from Fiber Images, Jaime's Civic also sports a carbon-fiber hood that has an exact OEM-quality fit.