If you search for ‘Civic’ on Speedhunters, you’ll be presented with 17 pages of results.

With 12 features per page in the archives, that’s a staggering 204 Honda Civic-related posts alone. This number doesn’t even account for larger stories that may have included multiple Civics or articles that slipped through the tagging process.

Whichever way you look at it, it’s a lot of content centred around the Honda favourite. The oldest Civic article in the Speedhunters archives dates back to May 19, 2008, featuring red EG as the cover photo.

Why the nostalgia trip? Aside from the fact that I was just nine years old then, it highlights how nearly every conceivable form of Honda Civic has featured on our platform over the years.

But just when I thought I had seen it all, Ryan Basseri and his team at Rywire Motorsport Electronics have come along with a fresh perspective. You can check out the mid-build story here.

From the outside, this EK Civic looks like any other Southern California build. The Milano Red paint is about as iconic as Championship White in the world of OEM Honda finishes, and Ryan has pulled from the ‘Civic Hall of Fame’ for the rest of the exterior enhancement.

The Exceed Japan late-model front lip and rear wing inject a touch of aftermarket aggression into the classic EK lines. OEM+ touches appear in the EK9 Civic Type R grille, headlights, rear lip, and European folding door mirrors.

“Hondas are a super essential part of SoCal car culture,” says Ryan. “Street racing Hondas in Southern California laid the groundwork for the tuning scene in a major way. Since the EK is a passion project, I wanted to keep it timeless and nostalgic.”

The standout feature of the exterior is the set of Desmond Regamaster Evo wheels, a true classic in Honda tuning, famously showcased on Spoon Sports’ iconic yellow and blue demo cars in ‘SW388′ form. Complementing the wheels are blue-anodised Spoon Sports Nissin brake callipers paired with WrenchMob discs, providing contrast against the all-red and black styling. Bespoke KW Motorsport coilovers keep the handling in check.

Inside, the upgrades are equally simple yet effective, with Recaro SPGs for both Ryan and his passenger. A Chase Bays handbrake setup sits between them, while ahead of the driver lies a Zestek multifunction steering wheel hub and an AEM digital display.

With such a period-correct styling aesthetic, only two details hint at the innovative drivetrain beneath. One is the licence plate – a true ‘if you know, you know’ detail – and the other is the exhaust tip – or lack thereof.

Rywire is well known for its electronics work in the automotive aftermarket industry, but after nearly two decades of building electrical systems for everything from 300hp street cars to 3,000hp drag machines, it was time for Ryan to explore new horizons.

“I’ve been doing a lot of private-label bespoke EV systems, and these conversions are something that excites me,” he explained. “I love Hondas. I love building and driving them, so I decided to electrify some and see how I enjoy the drive.”

The EK’s powertrain centres around two Tesla AC drive units, enhanced with upgraded Wavetrac LSDs, all mounted on Hasport mounts with custom fabrication to fit the Civic’s chassis. As a result, the little Honda not only produces 600whp, it’s all-wheel-drive.

While the front motor is positioned like a traditional combustion engine, the rear motor is housed beneath a custom floor in a bespoke cradle. The cabin floor conceals low-profile Tesla batteries in a custom pan. According to Ryan, the most challenging aspects of the project were the “systems design and battery box design. What may look simple is the most complicated to make.”

The setup features battery packs beneath the custom floor and tucked away in two battery boxes, rated to 400v at 85kWh. This gives the car an estimated range of around 400 miles – a hugely impressive number for such a small vehicle.

A suite of AEM controllers ensures seamless operation, including a VCU300 control unit, battery management system, combined charging unit, and digital display. A Rywire PDM gives Ryan simple controls at his fingertips, while Tesla inverters and a Rywire contactor box complete the powertrain.

The cooling system in the EK is a stroke of genius that any engineer would appreciate. A CSF Race radiator, positioned behind the Type R grille, provides all the cooling the Civic needs for spirited drives under the California sun.

However, when driving the car in ‘Ludicrous’ mode or during extreme acceleration and deceleration, a little extra cooling is necessary. That’s why the car has air conditioning plumbed in, too. Not interior A/C, but a Freon (refrigerant) conditioning system adjacent to the CSF Race radiator, providing instant temperature drops even at a standstill.

I’m aware that to a petrolhead or gearhead, some of this may sound like a foreign language, but after brushing up on my EV knowledge, I can assure you Ryan’s Civic features top-tier hardware and software.

The connection to CSF goes deeper, as CSF Race founder Ravi Dolwani and Ryan share a long history in the tuning industry.

“Ryan is one of my best friends in the industry. I showcased his orange Integra ‘GT3’ project at SEMA in 2015,” Ravi recalls. “It broke down barriers… a pioneering restomod import built to an unprecedented standard.”

Both CSF and Rywire have come a long way in the aftermarket industry, with Ravi recently celebrating 15 years of his CSF Race division at CSF Cooling. This past weekend, that milestone was marked with a pre-SEMA 2024 party at Finish Line Auto Club in Costa Mesa.

As a trip down CSF memory lane and a showcase of their catalogue breadth, the event featured a mix of current and past modified icons, from Porsches like Ravi’s own CSF 911 and Joey Seely’s E-Motion Engineering Project Nasty to Art of Attack’s BMW M4 Competition.

A personal highlight for me was Paul Lefevre’s BMW 2002 – one of my all-time favourite builds. Forget the great weather; I want to spend some time in LA to soak in all of this car’s details.

“The energy was buzzing,” Ravi says. “So many great people from different segments of my life were there. I had family, many of my closest friends, my neighbours, and, of course, so many people from our industry who have been part of the CSF story throughout the years from the UK, Thailand, Brazil, Germany, Japan, China, and all over the US.”

“When Ryan told me he was building the EK for SEMA, I wanted to support him by giving him the opportunity to showcase the car in the CSF booth, which has a prime location. More than that, I wanted to have an event before SEMA to really shine a light on the car.”

“Again, it’s breaking down barriers of what a restomod can be, especially in the import segment. The way he’s tucked/shaved the bay, but as an EV, is an evolution and masterstroke of the import scene.”

“The same can be said about my good friend Imran’s Evolve BMW 1M build. Both Imran and Ryan were at my wedding; both are two of my closest friends in the industry, and I wanted to do something special for them.”

“Their cars are truly unique in their own right but carry so many similarities. Plus, with everything coming together this year coinciding with the CSF Race anniversary, it was a perfect opportunity for an amazing event.”

It’s easy to forget that recognisable brands in multi-million dollar industries often have humble beginnings – whether it’s a wild swing into cutting-edge cooling systems or converting a passion for Honda engine swaps into an electrical powerhouse.

While events like the SEMA Show are often seen as attention-grabbing spectacles – and rightly so, as businesses need customers – it’s important to remember the dedication and passion that goes on behind the scenes, too. That’s what truly keeps the wheels turning.

Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
mariochristou.world

Photography by Darrien Craven
Instagram: _crvn_