Over the past couple of years, Speedhunters has brought to you countless themed months, with dedicated specials on a variety of manufacturers. But April signifies the last time we’ll have a month-long theme. That’s right, come May Speedhunters will be bringing you your daily fix in a slightly different way (more on that in the coming weeks). Before we move away from themed months however, there’s one genre that needs addressing; an itch amongst the Speedhunters team that still needs to be scratched. You see, one manufacturer has been glaringly missing from our monthly themed spotlight. And that manufacturer is Honda.
What does Honda mean to you? For many, I’m sure the first thing to pop into your mind will be Civics and Integras, but there’s much, much more to Honda than that. Out of all the Japanese manufacturers, Honda has one of the most enviable histories in motorsport.
Honda will always hold a special place in the hearts of the F1 faithful, even if they bowed out of the sport on a relative low.
On circuits around the world, you'll find almost every Honda model represented in various guises…
…And they even pop up in the most unlikely of places!
Of course, Hondas became prolific in drag racing, with a group of drivers pioneering the FWD category. People like Stephan Papadakis, the Bergenholtz brothers and Lisa Kubo to name just a few. In many ways, it was pioneers like these who opened the Pandora's box and showed enthusiasts what was possible with these little Hondas. Seriously, no one thought it was possible to accomplish the power levels, elapsed times and trap speeds that they did out of small capacity FWDS.
Some camps snigger at the Honda enthusiasts, questioning why they would even bother with a low capacity grocery getter that powers the wrong pair of wheels. Hopefully the features we have this month will change some of those opinions, and shed some light on what makes this marque so popular around the world.
Now we recognise that many of you might not share the intense passion for Hondas as others might, so we'll be balancing out the next four weeks so there will still be a variety of features on other makes and models!
Amongst the sport compact community, Honda has been a driving force since the early beginning. I can still remember the days when Electron Blue EK Coupes were the bee's knees, and it's amazing to see how tuned Hondas have evolved over the years.
Hondas are, of course, notorious for engine swaps. No matter what car or what donor, I’m sure someone out there has tried mating the two together. B16As, B18Cs, B20s, H22As, Mini-me setups. Shoe-horning an S2000-derived F20C in a Civic? It’s been done. Many times.
I was an Editor of a car magazine when Honda decided to kill off the B-series engine; and I remember many people in the aftermarket industry at the time were certain it would stall Honda’s popularity amongst enthusiasts.
At face value, they had a point. One of the undeniable reasons why Hondas were so popular in the late 90s and early 00s was the fact that the B-series had such rich aftermarket support. The possibilities were endless, regardless of whether you wanted to go all-motor, turbo, or supercharged. The parts you needed were right there on the shelf, and you could draw upon a wealth of experience from the communities who had been there, done that.
If anything however, the birth of the K-series motor injected new life into the Honda movement, and captivated the imaginations of a new generation of followers. With some light tuning, enthusiasts were finding they could unlock considerable power from these small capacity 2.0l and 2.4l engines. And it wasn't long before they found a way to retrofit the Ks into older gen models…
I built a couple of Hondas back in the day, and I think many people are drawn to how easily they can be modified. As an 18 year old with little money, this was a big draw card for me. The sheer amount of components that could be shared between models was staggering. For example, the brakes from a DC2 Type R were an affordable alternative to BBKs. Indeed it's quite possible to alter your Honda's entire performance, handling and braking using mainly OEM components from other models.
This affordability of parts has meant that many Honda owners were introduced to grassroots motorsports early on. While some have graduated up to turbo RWD or AWD cars, others have stuck with their Hondas, becoming more serious with their builds. Some of these found their addiction in time attack…
…While others found their calling on the 1320.
We’ll be touching on not only some of the current trends, but also taking a look back at how the movement started and what's on the horizon for the Honda community.
Casey will be jetting off to Japan shortly, but before he does he'll be snapping some of the Hondas in Australia.
Paddy has a rather exciting feature on this EK9 Civic Type R…
While Jeroen will be featuring this EK, which is powered by a K20A. We also have some pretty cool spotlights coming up to show you just how broad the Honda spectrum is.
Although some of our plans for this month have taken a backseat to the tragedies that have struck Japan, we'll still be bringing you a host of articles from the Land of the Rising Sun. Dino's recently returned to Japan, and will be dishing up a look at Spoon Sport's CR-Z…
We'll hopefully be able to corner Spoon's charismatic owner, Ichishima-san, for a one on one interview.
We also couldn't have a Honda themed month without some Mugen content, so we'll also have a feature on the FD2R 'RR'.
Dino will be travelling down to Osaka (J's Racing anyone?), and will be covering the Exciting Car Showdown…
…Which will no doubt have some interesting eye candy!
Linhbergh will be bringing us a feature on the Gasoline Girls Car Club…
…Along with the Lonestar Rod & Kustoms Round Up in Austin, Texas.
After working on a Speedhunters secret project for the past few months, Paddy will finally be able to see daylight again, and will be hitting Oulton Park for the kick off of the 2011 Time Attack series.
He'll be glued trackside for the Irish Touring Car Championship as well.
Jeroen will be converging on Zandvoort for the GT event…
…While on the other side of the world, Mike Garrett will be on the streets of Long Beach for the ALMS race.
Mike will also be attending the Mopar Spring Fling Meet in Van Nuys…
…And will be checking out the Fatlace Car Show that will be held at Formula Drift Long Beach.
Speaking of FD, I'll be flying down to LA early next week to link up with Mike, Linhbergh, Larry Chen, Will Roegge and the TNFS crew. It's certainly shaping up to be a really exciting season opener, with Fredric in a new car and Matt's S14 on the receiving end of a heart transplant.
Bring on April!
- Charles Kha
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Can't wait...Although month themes will truly be missed by this at-work Speedhunter...
can't wait for the FD2R 'RR' spotlight.. make it in depth please! and don't forget about the CRX ok!! love that monster of a first photo..
ill be in long beach too!
Nice try speedhunters....
Speedhunters is one of the few motorsport web sites with class, speaking from a Honda stand point its not just about body kits for some of us, its the thought out suspension, brakes, and tasteful engine mods that Honda has rewarded us with over the years. B-series is still my favorite platform, keep up the good work guys, Thanks!!
The thing is that every car if they put the same amount of money it will be good, so the onda its more than a fanboyish thing they you can take any other car and put the same amount of money and get better overall performance and balance than a honda, thats the thrut but they dont wnat to see it.
Honda!
Please do a thread on da integra too
Its gonna be a good month
Speaking of unexpected, what about a feature on some of the Honda rally cars that have been around over the years? Between the 'factory' R3 cars run in Europe, EG and EK hatches on Irish Tarmac, and the staggering number of new/recent builds in the US, there's a lot more out there than you'd expect.
(Covering the Super 2000 Civic from BTCC/WTCC wouldn't hurt either...)
Finally Honda! Thanks guys.
It's probably a smart idea to stop doing themed months.....
.
.
Beacuase after a month of Honda spot-lights,, , no one will bother checking Speediunters anymore .... . lolz
im with you indy510.. just please dont do another spot light of that one civic that had its seams pop riveted.. or anyother janky civics along the line of that. plz and thank youuu
Holy christ! I'm about to suffer a motorsport overdose!
haha, a honda month?! ahahhaa
awesome april fools joke guys!
Love to see that haters will always be haters no matter how many times we prove you wrong. Thank you so much Speedhunters this theme is greatly appreciated! Please don't leave out the ground breaking records being made right now in drag racing!
I <3 (my AP2) HONDA and always will~
what got me into car modding in the first place and arguably what started the whole bang of import tuning scene in the U.S. Respect where it is due!
Monthly theme was really cool but I'm sure it won't be missed much as long as you guys keep bringing all the great coverages and pics/stories.
Thanks SpeedHunters.. you guys are great and keep up the great work!
(I check this site at least few times through out the day)
yo if your lads popping by J's can he get my exhaust for me that i ordered back in november!! haha. This was awesome to read by the way, really looking forward to the Honda month!!
J's racing is located in ibaraki perfecture in Konto not Osaka.....
Really looking forward to this month! I've been tinkering with Hondas since I was a teen (now I'm 32!) and I still love the cars, their practicality, how fun they are, and how easy they are to work on. This should be a great month for SpeedHunters!
wooooooooooooooooooooot i have been waiting for this thank u love u guys
Really looking forward to the coming month. Also nice to see Casey gettin some air miles, i enjoy his work.
This is gonna be a good month!!! cant wait to see all the Honda love!!
"Out of all the Japanese manufacturers, Honda has one of the most enviable histories in motorsport" Good one
Show me one manufacturer's title with a production car please (though Integra's and NSX's are nice they aren't greats; the JGTC is far from production by the way)... and their formula 1 chassis's sucked; stick to making engines alone please (never released a commercial V8 by the way).
Happy April Fools by the way
I liked the theme months, it broke up the monotony of drifthunters. No offense. But yeah, like 75% of your stuff seems to be about drift cars, and they're all starting to look the same to me. I loved the oddball months, like wagons. How about just a weird crap month? So tired of the usual stuff.
Great work guys, just as long as you feature some tasty race born NSX's i'll be happy
being the 1st april...hmmmmm but if this is true the themed months will be missed!!!
you guys better have a worthy replacement!!!!!
I couldn't relate to this more. I got my first car, a '94 Honda Accord, right before I was 16 because I had little money and the options seemed endless. I ended up only putting a few bolt-ons on it but, it allowed me to do some racing and learn how to work on a car all while being very reliable. I just recently (couple of days ago) sold it after owning it for 6 years and bought a STi as a college graduation present to myself. That car had 195,000 miles on it, rarely needed new parts, and ALWAYS started without a hitch; and I ran the piss out of it. It may not have been fast, beautiful, or able to pull anywhere near a G on a skid test but it ran like a champ. Strangely, after hating that car for 4 years, I kinda miss it and am finding myself a bit of a Honda fan too.
"But April signifies the last time well have a month-long theme."
I do hope that that is just an April fool...
I'm eagerly all the people claiming this to be an april fools joke. FF Hondas aren't the best performing cars on the market and they don't claim to be but they are extremely fun. I <3 Honda
April Fools!!!
Great post! We'll be expecting a great month at Speedhunters
Stock DC2R kills Stock evo's on the track.
I sure hope this isn't an April Fools' joke. Looking forward to some Honda eye candy. Don't forget about the teggies! I have a db1 sedan and I think it's a rather underrated car!
HA HA HA april fools... theres no way youre giving up march 2,3 or 4.
I wonder if this an April Fools prank... But it seems kinda serious :/
What would Honda month be without an in depth look at Honda turning it's back on the enthusiast over the recent years? First should be the marginalizing and death of the Integra, then the axing of the NSX, and finally the nail in the coffin with the end of the S2000. There can even be a grand finale with introduction of the Crosstour and Pilot/Ridgeline. JIAN!
What bizzaro universe are we in where Hyundai is producing RWD cars, Toyota is bringing a RWD "affordable" coupe back, and Honda's sportiest models are the Civic Si and CR-Z?
Please don't only focus on Civics, Integras and NSX's. Show us some Prelude love!!!
And like Brandon said, no more pop-rivetted cars, regardless of the series' rule, thats just freakin GHETTO tech. "Let me drill massive amount of holes in the steel framework of my car and then use aluminim pop rivets to hold it together...it'll be real strong, I swear!!" Bullcrap.
I wish it was the early 90s so i could say i still loved Honda, but nowadays there are far too many people with their hats on sideways in the scene that i like to keep away from...hope this is an elaborate april fools joke and we get a Nissan/Datsun Z month. mmmm, Z month *drools*
No, no, no, no, no, April fool's i hope....no Hondas please....anything is better....
Honda! Great theme for the last theme month! Please make something with the CRX´s. I will love to see what´s coming from Speedhunters
Yay Honda Month! Please do include the Honda civic Euro aswell
Sad to know I'll be visiting here a lot less. What you got for us next a Kia month? Moving stancenation.com to the forefront of car websites for a while
I like really like Hondas!
Dino, if you can, try to spot some kanjo racers or some cool street sightings, please.
So much idiots around here that don't like Honda... What a shame,,, Clearly they have some ego problems...
Great month ahead! Like all the others!
How could not you not use a picture of the HONDA powered Mp4/4
"sigh", looks like there'll be excessive use of the word "yo" this month by guys wearing their illest pants halfway down their hella arse cheeks. see you next month.
Does anyone happen to know what date that Gt race in Zandvoort is on? Thanks!
Good stuff Charles! I have been reading ASM for so long and loved what you did with it. Good to see your passion has not changed. I actually got a chance to drive the EK you built many years ago. Really great build! Keep up the amazing work man!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jake.
In my eyes, one of the best ways to go out in glory.. By dedicating a month to Honda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
haters like it or not, hondas have an unmistakable role in the speedhunting scene and its about time they're being given a good look!
btw i second a feature on the DA... one of my favorites!
This month is gonna be dope! Even though I own a WRX Wagon now, I have owned a em1 electron blue Si (which was stolen) and Honda will always be my favorite Japanese manufacturer,
@Cian - It's on Friday the 15th
Never owned a honda but have massive respect for the company and can see myself going there once Ive had enough of my silvia.
Awesome month ahead!!! I personally love Honda's and I am saddened to read the comments above. this is a motoring enthusiast website, and guess what? Honda's are cars that have a very strong following of enthusiasts who mod their cars, keep 'em clean and simple or just restore them to their former glory.
we are all on the same team!
good work Speed hunters,
P.S. please don't forget about the CRX
the no-more themed months is an april fools joke.... right?
J's Racing? Nope, didn't the owner hit someone with his car then drive off? He's probably in jail.
I am a total slut for tasteful civics
Honda!!! Yeah!!!
If this is an April Fools joke, then you had me going for a minute. If not, thank you, I don't want to see another drag-month pop up.
Great news to see a Honda Theme month.
Also great to see Samuels JDMCONCEPT/J's Racing DC5 there. Had a few nights spent around that car with Sam. Also gave me the chance to meet Murukami San while with the team at WTAC in 2010.
Hopefully will get to see some nice EF's.
EF8s and EF9s that is!
more hondas plz.
yeah!!!!!!!!!! i'm so going to love this month/honda fanboi(and proud of it)
YES HONDA MONTH!!!!!! ive been waiting!!! lmao
NO F1 coverage and call this speedhunters? This is madness!
Just for anyone wondering about the situation at J's Racing.
Junichi Umemoto is no longer apart of J's Racing he was removed almost imediatly form the board and company. J's Racing no longer associates with him in anyway. Hissaki Murakami has stepped up from the position of COO to CEO.
And to GABE.
J's Racing is in Osaka Prefecture. Exact Address below.
Osaka Prefecture Ibaraki City Hatada-cho 10-17
impressive 1994 Manx Rally stage, eg6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYUlNXwJ8fY
sooooo...what about Mitsubishi month? I love Mitsus, everything from the AWD Tommy Makinen Edition Lancer Evolution VI to the classic RWD Starion, and the Eclipse GSX in between...I like a Mitsubishi month idea!!!
One thing I can SAY. YES.
"Stock DC2R kills Stock evo's on the track."
Are you serious?
I have ZERO respect for Hondas new models lately. I wish they would bring out something smaller with RWD, like the S2000 used to be. But wait a minute, Toyota (the one company even more boring than Honda nowadays) is working on the FT86. Didn't they kill off the JDM FD2 TypeR which was a very nice "sporty" sedan?
Screw you Honda, for not bringing out any interesting models (s2000, nsx replacement?).
I have been wanting to see this for a while!! Although the monthly themes will be missed, to have the last one be Honda themed is great in my opinion. I used to hate these cars, but after buying my first back in 07, i have had nothing but a Honda since then and have grown to love them. Definitely looking forward to this!!
Besides being a Honda fan, i really enjoyed reading this, seriously nice write up! And about the no more theme month thing, that sucks a little, but this being Speedhunters I doubt it''s going to be less awesome!
I LOVE Hondas! This has been a long time coming. Look foward to the drag racing articles. I used to be hella into Hondas, up until my Civic got jacked. Had a 99 coupe with a jdm b18c, gt30r, with a hondata s300 boost by gear set up. Parked it on the street one night and they stole it with a TOW TRUCK!
Since then, I've been turned off by the fact that every fucking low life scum in Southern California (Mexican's mainly) are likely to JACK YOUR SHIT!
It's the interchangeability of parts that have been the Honda community's greatest strength, yet it's also it's greatest weakness because people WILL JACK YOU! MORE THAN ANY OTHER CAMP!
Thanks (Speedhunters) for making a Honda themed month.
This will expose more people to Honda and the motorsports that is synonymous with the brand.
As for the Honda Haters please grow up. Can we all get along?
Speedhunters is a place that features different types of cars from different makes and models, there is no need to discriminate between makes just because of its country of origin, drive train (lol), etc..
However I do agree that the Riveted bodied EG methods of chassis reinforcement was a poor attempt at stiffening the chassis, but not every Honda resorts to ghetto measures as the Riveted EG.
Most serious road race Civic's in fact have proper weld-on roll cages that increases safety and stiffness better than rivets do.
Despite the fact that people will still post opinionated "facts" about Honda and its stereotypes, I'm still looking forward to seeing great month while learning more about the brand.
Thanks (Speedhunters) for making a Honda themed month.
This will expose more people to Honda and the motorsports that is synonymous with the brand.
As for the Honda Haters please grow up. Can we all get along?
Speedhunters is a place that features different types of cars from different makes and models, there is no need to discriminate between makes just because of its country of origin, drive train (lol), etc..
However I do agree that the Riveted bodied EG methods of chassis reinforcement was a poor attempt at stiffening the chassis, but not every Honda resorts to ghetto measures as the Riveted EG.
Most serious road race Civic's in fact have proper weld-on roll cages that increases safety and stiffness better than rivets do.
Despite the fact that people will still post opinionated "facts" about Honda and its stereotypes, I'm still looking forward to seeing great month while learning more about the brand.
Nice article Charles! looking forward to upcoming updates
A Honda Themed Month Really? Look I really like Honda's and their cool cars.
But... They dont deserve an entire month review on a site that is suppose to be related to Car Culture @ Large.
The Honda Community is its own tight nit bubble with its own Magazine, Forums, Events, and Web Sites. If they Deserve a Month Chevy, Ford, Nissan, and Toyota deserve 1 too. You and everybody else overexposed and exploits this group because they are so hardcore committed to their brand. even if their brand has completely abandoned them...
Yes they have had some cool things in the past but dont you thing other brand and fans who never actually get exposed and deserve that time in the spotlight.
Good Job Speedhunters You managed to please a core audience that already spends too much time behind the cpu screen, and alienated the majority of the autosport scene...
(Types in http://www.motoiq.com),,,
finally some Honda love, thanks speedhunters!
Great to finally see hondas getting some love. Just because there was an identity crisis in the 90s with cali type R conversions and ridiculous headlight swaps doesnt mean hondas are garbage. They pioneered the fwd drag scene and can still hold their own against more powerful competition. I bet theres a few people here that either know someone or have been fooled themselves by a civic on the street. Hopefully this month will educate people that hondas are great cars, and not just a bunch of "ricers" focused on negative camber and combat bodykits.
@Live Fast
LOL! Are you mad? I have to disagree with Honda getting too much exposure.
I am also a Toyota owner and I see well built Toyota's being in the spotlight all the time online and in magazines. Nissan and Ford have there own magazines too, in fact I still have the old issue of 5.0s and Fast Fords Magazine. A great car is a great no matter where its from.
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quote=Good Job Speedhunters You managed to please a core audience that already spends too much time behind the cpu screen, and alienated the majority of the autosport scene...
^Likewise. You did realize Speed Hunters did themed months on various car from different makes didn't you? If feel like you've seen enough Hondas online maybe its time to get some fresh air outside...
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@jack
My thoughts exactly, anybody that been in the industry remembers FWD drag cars that people said wouldn't break into 11's, 10's 09's. Same people that said wheelie bars weren't necessary on FWD cars but still broke records after that.