Car Feature>> Tra Kyoto Civic

Picture this. Transplanted B16A screaming close to redline as you weave through traffic in the middle of the night, blasting your way through the Osaka Kanjo highway system in a stripped out EF Civic, with no number plates and having sneaked through the toll gate to avoid the steep charges.  It might sound like something out of a politically incorrect video game but these guys do it, or at least used to do it for real. Kei Miura is the man behind Top Resin Art Kyoto, TRA Kyoto for short. If you have never heard of them, one click of the hyperlink will take you directly to what has to be the coolest, most attention-grabbing intro page to a website ever, but little opening video aside, you will instantly be familiarized with some of the sub brands Miura-san has created. Rocket Bunny, 6666 Customs and Number 6 might be simple line ups of aero parts but in the vast reaches of the interwebs they have become legendary.

Kanjo racing has died down since the good old days when huge groups of barely street legal Honda's used to terrorize the highways…

…but Miura and one of his employees still hold on to the cars that fueled their passion over the years.  Before setting up one of the most successful and advanced aero design and manufacturing shops in Japan Miura used to be a pretty badass bosozoku, riding around on his unsilenced old bike raising havoc through the streets of Kyoto. Those times are long gone, but the bosozoku influences in the style that defines his creations are very much evident. I met up with these guys back in 2009 at a rather familiar gas station, the same place where Miura has shot all of his 6666 Customs demo cars for his web catalogue. The idea was to take a closer look at Miura's EF Civic and to chat about those crazy nights on the Kanjo.

Of course racing a car without license plates on the street, not paying toll charges and often getting chased by the Police meant they were all forced to somehow conceal their identities. The NASCAR-inspired window nets do help to offer some anonymity, but for the full effect these guys used to wear Jason masks! As we were setting up for a shot with both Civics I tired on Miura's mask…fits rather well, right?

Miura's little EF wears a 6666 Customs front bumper and side skirts…

…as well as an extended roof spoiler. The period correct graphics give a cool racecar feel…

…while the oldschool 14-inch Mugen CF-48s are the perfect wheel choice, especially wrapped in sticky Advan A048 tires. The car's ground hugging stance is courtesy of rock-hard Cusco adjustable suspension.

The engine bay might not be pretty to look at but it sure is purposeful with a transplanted and lightly tuned B16 engine.

Fujitsubo headers and full N1 exhaust supply the eardrum-piercing sounds you would expect a car like this to scream out!

The interior is completely stripped and stiffened with a Safety 21 bolt-in roll cage. Strangely enough Miura has fitted a headunit and kept a functioning audio system…however it's almost impossible to hear over the loud exhaust, he tells us. Heat shielding covers the whole floor…

…all the way over to where the rear seats used to once be. 

These two Civics can be pretty much seen all the time sitting outside the small TRA Kyoto whorkshop…

…but there are still nights that they get taken out for a much deserved thrash.

I think Honda month wouldn't have been complete without a quick look at these two rides. Kansai is indeed a very unique region of Japan.

TRA Kyoto

Honda 2011

-Dino Dalle Carbonare

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1

I see a plate on that last photo.... :)

2

Kanjo antics are too violent and unlawful for me.

3

Hardcore! Amazing!

4

The intro on their homepage is a japanese nude model posing for photos :D!

5

damn, 2009 status! I don't even have an EF and I want that front bumper!

6

man those ef's are sick wish i could actually see them in person

7

The plate with a stripe through it is a temp. You can legalize a car for just a few days by paying for a temporary plate like that.

8

Nice cars, but i feel like i've seen them before...I feel like they've been featured in a magazine. But i could be wrong.

9

I still love their website's homepage!

10

love Miura's EF....cleanest one around these days! The dirty engine bay is a nice touch even if its not meant to be =)

11

wicked post, kind of skirting of the realms of illegal/naughty - which all adds up to lots of fun on the road. gotta to say like the look of both these cars - do something about that last shot tho' - "we can see his registration plate" - thanks for the quality pics & post!

12

I believe that's a temp plate...at least what I was told a while back

13

Youtube: Jdm Insider- Osaka Kanjo or Kanjo Racers.

14

The polics struggle to keep up with those ? .................. Really ? What do they use out there ? Scooters ?

15

Is that it? No more detail on either car?

16

Yeah Rob, Police definitely struggle as these cars are kamikaze driven between traffic with tiny gaps that a car larger than a Civic would have no chance getting between. Your Skyline has no place here. Think more like fixed gear cyclist in NYC, a cop should be able to get them, he's in a car. But he's physically limited by the environment

17

Who the heck uses a B16 these days. The least they could have done was install a K20.



18

nice....

19

If they are EF9´s they already came with B16A from factory...Just like the EF8 CR-X SiR...

20

I've already seen this pictures on another website. This Civic is one of my favorite EF's, I love the decals !

21

Damn, these guys were badass. I love Kanjo Racer's EF Civics.



@Rick Ross: Think about it. These photos are from 2009, and these guys raced years ago; modifications haven't been changed because it wasn't necessary. Plus, why take the oldschool feel by swapping a K-Series engine?

22

This steelo owns that beat up drift car steez ALL DAY.

23

if u have some video or sound clip for this loud car!!!!

24

Their website sounds like I should be looking for truck parts for a K10 Blazer.

25

i have recently read another article on mr muria's ride stating that the motor was in fact a ZC block with B16A head, a swap i am unfamiliar with but keen to know more on if it is possible. Can anyone confirm?

26

Could've told us the website was NSFW



Crikey

27

@Rick Ross

K swaps aren't as popular in Japan as the rest of the world.

A lot of circuit tuned Hondas still have the B series motors too, it also helps that the B16s are everywhere in Japan compared to America where swaps are the norm, unless you buy a chassis with the desired motor already in it.

Still, B16 in a EF chassis will still be fun to drive due to the low weight, at least in my opinion.





28

they use b16s because they dont like complicated technology and they were featured in import tuner-

29

the car has been showed at tokyo auto salon and been featured i think on superstreet or impurttuner, but i still love their love for the classic EF civics. a car that hasn't too much followers in japan nowadays...

30

The video in the intro is a clip from kates playground i believe, not a japanese model. None the less, this is a traditional kanjo civic racer right here. Been a fan of this car since i saw it back when it was in the TAS. MUCH PROPS AND RESPECT MIURA-SAN!

31

One of my fav all time EF's out there. Loved it ever since I seen it at TAS. The articles the Super Street and Import Tuner puts a smile on my face knowing that Miura-san still shows his kanjo-running/bosozoku roots. You get a glimpse of the TRA-Kyoto EF here, along with the other Late Riser runners: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vPs38Jbnt4

Cheers.

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