Civics… Well, what can I say except that there’s more to them than meets the eye. If you think of lightweight, naturally aspirated, front wheel drive cars, they are what come to mind immediately. From its release in 1997, the Type R variants of these cars have been overlooked. Some say they’re overrated and others have learnt the hard way to respect not only Honda, but more so the famous VTEC. Hondas have been said to be the underdog of the sports car world… The car you may have overlooked and believe wouldn’t stand a chance. Over the years they truly have come a long way, proving to be a formidable foe on the tracks. In a car life filled with turbocharged vehicles, who would think that this underdog would be such a great competitor? With that being said, we took some time to admire one of Saint Lucia’s very own.
At first glance this car may seem like any other clean kept Honda Civic. It’s when you look for a little while the subtle details catch your eye. From the distinctive scream of the engine and exhaust, it’s easy to see why these little pocket rockets have acquired a very solid cult following, surely not forgetting how easy this hot hatch is on the eye. This car is truly one that stands out. It’s so peppy and responsive, it’s no wonder this car has such a high held reputation of holding its own on our curvy roads. Sporting the K20A engine, this EP3 Honda Civic Type R’s 200bhp and immaculate cornering capability is more than enough to give you a run for your money.
Would you believe that this car comes from the factory like this? With a simple driver mod, is it really considered “stock?’ I’ll leave you to debate that one. Kuan has been a Honda lover and driver for years. Looking at practicality and affordability, he carefully chooses his next car up the Honda ladder. Personally seeing this car and driver bond just put a smile on my face, if I’m to be honest. Viewing this car in action showed that you can have real fun with whatever car you love, whichever brand it may be.
While his car is stock, Kuan is completely smitten with it just the way it is. Having the privilege to speak to Kuan, I realized that this Honda Civic brings nothing but fun and joy to him and after he effortlessly gave us at Lucian streets a few samples, I got the opportunity to ask some questions.
Q&A
How did you acquire this vehicle?
This vehicle was actually brought to Saint Lucia in 2010 and it was for sale for what Saint Lucians would consider a ridiculous price, but that was actually the worth of the car at the time. It stayed on this guy’s hands for quite some time until I hounded him enough till he was able to bring the price down for me at least 3 years later.
Before this car, what cars did you own, and compared to this one, which do you prefer?
I owned a 1995 Honda Accord coupe with a F22 single cam VTEC engine before. I prefer this car over all the cars I’ve had. I’ve been a solid Honda fan since day one. This is my fifth Honda. The Accord nor the Civic, or the other Civic, or the other Civic I had before it could match up to this. I think this is a perfect cross between sports and comfort. It’s definitely a daily, a solid daily driver.
Having this as your daily, what would your future plans be?
To be totally honest no future plans really, I probably only want to lower it. I actually really like it bone stock. I am very content with it right now.
You said this is your fifth Honda. What were the previous ones?
My very first car was a 1997 Honda Civic sedan with a D15B VTEC engine. My second car was a ‘94 civic EK3 which is one that a lot of people would remember me by; it was yellow with a black hood, black roof and black trunk. It had a really good set up, what was referred to as the poor man’s Type R. It was an 1800 GSR block with a 1600 head and an 1800 Type R gear box. Solid basic mods, clutch kit, intake, exhaust and that’s it. After that I owned a manual ‘95 Civic sedan with a D16YZC VTEC engine. And then after that was my ‘95 Honda Accord with my F22B single cam VTEC engine.
Any on road experiences?
Definitely, when I was younger, I worked with a company where we would leave work at 2 in the morning and we would line up on the Vigie stretch. It was just a couple of guys with Starlets, Chasers, and of course Levins hashing it out. There were probably a few brisk runs going home when the road is empty, maybe 3 or 4 in the morning where I’d definitely test the limits of the car. There was a time when I was coming from Vieux Fort with the other Honda guys, just exiting Tomazo, and I think I went into the corner with a little too much throttle. I got some real understeer and ended up slightly off the road but I was able to pull it back. That definitely showed me the limits of the car… I mean the response of the car is absolutely terrific. The fact that I could’ve quickly pull it back was terrific. The Civic EP3 is supposed to be one of the best handling front wheel drive cars in the world, so it’s definitely lived up to its name, thank God.
What do you personally love about that car, if you could name one thing?
The handling of the car, that’s definitely the best thing about the car. From stopping, to cornering, to engine response, I definitely think Honda has out done itself. I’m so thankful for how this car stays on the road sometimes for the things I’ve tried over the years.
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
To be honest my dream car is a Honda S2000. It’s a car I would have probably acquired by the end of this year but due to a few changes in plans I decided to put it off for a couple of years to take care of other things. I think I want to go for an NSX. The dream car, the Honda super car, that’s what I need in my life. I think I’ve let go of the S2000 and that I’m just going to go for the NSX.
