Speed Freak

To help the head pass its gasses more efficiently, R&D installed a set of Honda Civic Type R camshafts and AEM adjustable camshaft gears. The intake and exhaust bumpsticks push down against Ferrea 25-degree Super-Flo intake and exhaust valves measuring 33.5mm and 28mm, respectively. Holding the valves tight against their seats are a set of Crane valvesprings and retainers, while Ferrea keepers were wedged between the valve and the retainer to keep the whole assembly together. R&D prepped for the orgy of valvetrain parts by performing a CNC port, combustion chamber work and a 3-angle valve job.

All the airflow in the world through an engine means nothing unless you've got fuel and fire in there too, or else you've got no boom to make you go. Not only that, but you've got to have it present in the correct proportions and at the exact time. Being that Romero is the lead electronics engineer for AEM, it should come as no surprise that he choose to use an AEM EMS to control the unruly mob of parts that hang out underhood of this mini SR-71 Blackbird.

At 10,000-plus rpm and 500-plus hp, the slightest problems with fuel or spark delivery could spell the end of the B-16's useful life. The AEM ECU makes sure that every aspect of the engine's tune is dialed in and that the car makes it across the desert with the engine in one piece.

To make the car go, the AEM standalone EMS basically determines how much air is getting into the engine and sends a signal to the Civic's gang of fuel injectors, ordering them to inject just the right amount of fuel to match the quantity of air. And were not talking a little dribble of fuel here, or a dash there. This car moves serious amounts of air through its engine and, as such, burns lots of fuel too.

But, just how many injectors do you need on a 1.5-liter car anyway? You might be surprised. Topside of the Edelbrock Victor X manifold sits four RC Engineering 440cc/min injectors. Standard stuff you say? Well there's more smarty-pants. Look carefully and you'll see four additional 660cc/min injectors bolted to the bottom of the manifold. Still not enough you say? Well, follow the intake tract from the Edlebrock 75mm throttle body back to the turbo's outlet and you'll find a pair of massive 1600cc/min injectors, ready to dump liberal amounts of fuel into the GT37's air stream once the big turbine whirls into action. Ensuring adequate fuel flow and pressure when all 10 of the Civic's injectors open are a DSR mechanical fuel pump and an AEM adjustable fuel pressure regulator. Once the EMS and injectors work in harmony to get the right amount of fuel and air into the engine, the EMS sends a signal to an AEM C2DI ignition system and the whole thing goes up in a bang.

If an engine can't exhale properly, it certainly can't inhale properly either. So to guarantee that there was as little restriction in the exhaust as possible, Romero contracted Love Fabrication to build the free flowing exhaust manifold and downpipe. After being ignited in the combustion chamber, the spent gasses exit in the engine just as easily as they came in, thanks to the stainless-steel tubular manifold and the 3-to-4-inch diverging downpipe.

Along with horsepower, all that burned fuel creates a lot of heat, too. However, as some of you more astute readers might have already noticed, this high-speed sled doesn't have a radiator - well at least in the conventional sense. Instead of having a traditional radiator, this car forgoes the "radiation" of the heat created by the engine and simply stores it in a tank behind the driver. What does that mean? Well, basically the car can only be driven for a short period of time, then the car must be allowed to cool off. A water pump mounted behind the tank pumps water through the engine and back into the tank.

All that power doesn't matter without the proper gearing, and to address this issue, Romero had a box built by GearSpeed in Rancho Cucamonga, California. An LS tranny with the stock ratios was chosen and GearSpeed did their magic and adapted the shift linkage to work in the EM2 chassis. Romero interfaces with the gearbox via a DC Sports shifter, while an ACT Extreme 4-puck clutch makes sure the torque gets from the lightened stock flywheel to the Integra transaxle. An LSD currently finds refuge in the 5-speed transaxle's aluminum shell, but Romero plans on swapping it out for a locked differential spool after discovering just how unstable the LSD locking and unlocking at 200mph can be.

Speaking of instability, the suspension and brakes on Romero's Civic are nearly stock, with a pair of Progress coilovers up front with 6-inch 600lb/in springs. The rear suspension and all four brakes are as they came from the factory. But hey, when you've got a parachute bolted to the back of your Honda, you don't need no stinkin' brakes anyway, right? And who says you need a fancy suspension setup to go fast in a straight line?

While we're still on the topic of fast and truly frightening cars, you might be wondering just how much safety equipment the car is loaded with. To be honest, we were a little shocked how little. While it may have all the typical racing safety equipment like a rollcage and on-board fire suppression, there is little else to protect Romero (or any other driver) in case the unspeakable happens.

Driving this car at speed takes balls. Hell, even the 215/50R-17 Toyo Proxes tires are off the shelf donuts. Yup, that's right, Romero is driving at over 200mph on the same tires you can buy at your local tire shop. If that isn't testament to the size of Romero's testes, we don't know what is. Driving a nearly stock Civic across the desert at 200mph may sound like a foolhardy idea to a sane man, but to a speed junkie, it's the ultimate high.