We love honda’s
ACCORD(CA5): My love for Honda’s actually began with a 1988 Honda Accord EX in Gold exterior with Burgundy interior. I bought it with over 200,000 miles but it looked like 30,000 with how clean the exterior and interior were. Being that I purchased it from the original owner, it was meticulously maintained and cared for. I loved the sleek, low-profile design of the front-end and those pop-up headlights were such a period-correct feature of cars of that era.
PRELUDE (BB6): Following the Accord, came my 2001 Honda Prelude in Premium Pearl White. It was a base automatic with barely 11,000 original miles so was essentially brand new to me. Again the sleek front-end did it for me, such a sporty design and looked fast even when just parked. This is the car that launched me into the car culture head first. I started attending car meets, car shows and meeting fellow owners, gathering ideas on how I wanted to modify it, including doing a 5-speed swap!
CIVIC (EJ8): When I purchased my 1998 Civic LX (4-door), it was a 5-speed manual and fully stock. In the short year I owned it, I made a ton of modifications - from carbon-fiber hood, Prelude seats, full sound system, JDM-sourced SiR steering wheel, retro-fit projector headlights and more. Sadly, that era came to an end when it was stolen and found about a week later fully stripped of its modifications. To make matters worse, I had to pay storage fees to get it home. After replacing missing parts, I sold it for what I could as I wanted to move from the platform. That was a sad but realistic chapter of enthusiast car ownership.
in black unfortunately not a ‘Prelude SH’ (Super Handling) Shortly thereafter, I came across an S2000 in Suzuka Blue and although I was not immediately drawn into the platform, when my infatuation with the S2000 finally did hit, it hit hard!
S2000 (AP2): I’ve owned a total of seven (7) S2000’s ranging in year/color/trim, and honestly, wouldn’t have it any other way. Here they are in chronological order, with our latest addition at the end:
NSX (NA1):
CIVIC TYPE R (FK8):
2007 New Formula Red (AP2v2) - OEM hardtop, OEM front lip, OEM trunk lip, OEM side-strakes, OEM AP2V2 wheels.
2001 Berlina Black (AP1) - no modification but this was a rare one as it came with the full red interior, including the red dashboard.
2004 Silverstone Metallic (AP2v1) - OEM hardtop, OEM front lip, OEM trunk lip, OEM side-strakes, OEM AP2V1 wheels.
2006 Grand Prix White (AP2v2) - OEM front lip, OEM trunk lip, RPF1 wheels; this was a rare one as it is the only year the GPW color came with a full black interior.
2005 Berlina Black (AP2v1) - replica OEM hardtop, OEM front lip, OEM trunk spoiler, OEM side-strakes, OEM AP2V1 wheels, Ohlins Coilovers.
2008 Berlina Black Club Racer (AP2v3) - the holy grail of S2000’s; this was modified on Swift springs, “UK-mod exhaust” and repainted to Grand Prix White.
2008 Apex Blue Pearl Club Racer (AP2v3 CR) - the holy grail of holy grail S2000’s; this gem was 100% stock and turned heads everywhere we went (miss it dearly).
2008 Berlina Black Club Racer (AP2v3 CR) - I could not stay away for long! This gem was purchase from the original owner and is 100% stock (for the time being). Incredibly happy to be back in a CR!
as well as mitsubishi evo ix’s
Before my infatuation with the S2000 world, I was first taken by storm by the turbo-charged 4-cylinder, 2-liter community - the iconic Mitsubishi Evolution IX. As these were only offered as a 2006 model year, I had my fair share of trim levels, minus the “RS” model. Here they are in chronological order:
2006 Evo IX SSL (CT9A) in Graphite Gray - this was the “SSL” or the Sun/Sound/Leather trim as it came with a sunroof, built-in subwoofer and leather seats; fun fact, this was the only trim to offer adjustable headrest for the rear passengers.
2006 Evo IX SE in Tarmac Black - this was the “SE” or Special Edition trim as it came with red-stitched alcantara seats, aluminum roof, special edition front lip, diamond BBS wheels, fog-lights and vortex generator in a 5-speed transmission (miss it dearly).
2006 Evo IX MR SE in Tarmac Black - this was the “MR” or Mitsubishi Racing and “SE” or Special Edition combined trim as it came with all of the “SE” features named above but came in a 6-speed transmission.
2006 Evo IX MR SE in Tarmac Apex Silver Metallic - exactly the same as the above but with more mileage and patina!
but especially jdm classics...
As luck would have it, I had the opportunity to come across two incredible, low-mileage JDM classics. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on each of them and thankfully thoroughly enjoyed them for many miles. Happy to report I remain close to the new owners, who are taking great care of them!
1993 Mazda RX7 Touring (FD3S) in Brilliant Black - twin-turbocharged rotary in all of it’s glory; the touring trim came with a sunroof, fog lights, leather seats, rear window wiper and Bose Acoustic Wave system (miss it dearly).
1991 Honda NSX (NA1) in Formula Red - aka “Honda’s Ferrari”, this V6 mid-engine VTEC naturally-aspirated engine and all-aluminum chassis is something everyone should drive at least once in their lives (miss it dearly).
...and future classics
With the very first Honda Civic Type R (FK8) to land in the states, I opted to move from the S2K platform to the FK8 platform. I had to experience it since on paper it seemed to combine two of my favorite cars - the S2K with it’s high-reving, VTEC engine and incredible chassis and the Evo IX with it’s sedan-like, daily-duty ability and turbocharged power. Now comes the journey to add that OEM+ touch to keep improving it along the way.
2019 Honda Civic Type R Touring in Championship White - connecting with our deep Honda roots, being able to experience Honda’s latest sports car has been a blast on long journey’s, around Tail of the Dragon and race tracks around the country. The FK8 CTR has been nothing but inspiring and unforgettable. What an incredible motor and chassis! This one’s a keeper!
