What is seemingly a genetic copy taken from the DNA of Darth Vader's helmet, Ryan Der's ultra-black Honda Civic slowly rolls out of its garage every day, self-assured and bold as ever-as it should. The possibility of flight, pronounced by the glare of its rear wing, adds fear to its already aggressive stance. The 16-inch Work wheels appear to have been made just for the car, while the high-compression 1.8L B18C5 roars like a lion directing its pride. The confidence it gives off can scare away anything that approaches it. "Welcome to my world," it seems to say. "I can easily pull the spine out of cars, and watch their bodies drop in a sea of oil and metal." It is indeed one relentless piece of automotive greatness. It is a tuning phenomenon, and for the most part, still capable of turning heads despite the fact that it's black, JDM'd out, and the ubiquitous Civic.
Unlike other Civics that are mere dingle berries from the bush, this San Francisco creation is a virtual automotive masterpiece-its history profound, its style unprecedented. It was six years ago that Ryan had an idea to create a Civic that would not only be worthy enough to occupy the space of his garage, as well as satisfy his want to build a recreation of the Civic Type Rs from Japan, but also good enough to grace the pages of his favorite magazine. So far, he's accomplished all of the above, mainly because he's well aware of the mammoth potential behind the diminutive hatchback. He set on a journey to acquire the best designs and tuners in the industry to bring his idea to execution.
The first company he found was TEIN, the staple JDM suspension company that focuses on the perfection of all things spring, coilover, and shock. TEIN's full line of suspension products, which are proven both on the track and streets, is what attracted Ryan to the company. "I wanted to build a well handling vehicle that looked good," said Ryan. "The first stages of modification were aimed toward suspension because it's essentially the foundation of any car." He then added a few Civic Type R elements to the exterior to help solidify his JDM cred on the streets.
When he was finally ready to go all out with the shell, Ryan opted to use products from C-West, from the bumpers to the side skirts. The C-West kit carries the design characteristics of the production body surfaces. It features tight radii edges and planer surfaces. This C-West exterior endeavor meant he also needed to spice up the rest of the outside pieces. "The full C-West body kit on a Civic is pretty unique," he explained. "Everyone is still caught up in the JDM lip kits and such." To help highlight the body kit, he added a J's Racing hood, ARC canards, and BMW E46 Bi-Xenon projector lighting. He also added some minor details that include rear handles off a four-door Civic EX, ridding the need for keyholes, and MRacing carbon-fiber mirrors, making for a more stylish and aerodynamic look. "The goal was to build a car that has both show and go," he said. "I wanted to be able to show the car on one day and then take it to the track the next." Ryan's combination of these styles is what makes this Civic so unique. The car's lines are seamless, and the aesthetics offer both aggression and fluidity.
The Civic's interior is, not surprisingly, presented in JDM essentials, from the pedals to the back seats. It is, in fact, a cornucopia of JDM emblems, so don't be surprised to see it tattooed into your memory when you get up from the front seats. The one thing that stands out is the Vertex 10th anniversary steering wheel, which instantly conforms to your hand at first grip. Facing it is a Recaro SPG race bucket seat. The passenger airbag was replaced with a Canadian airbag tray, while the pedals were upgraded to a Mugen sport pedal set. But the major takeaway from the interior is the custom blue interior and carpet. "I opted for the blue color since everyone likes to do red," Ryan explained.