It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a decade since Honda last produced the 92-95 Honda Civic body style. Carrying its popularity well past Y2K, it has never ceases to amaze us the vast differences people can build these cars. Brian Knauff got his hands on this 95 Civic EX coupe when it was Black Mica and automatic. Little did he think that many years from that day the car would be in the form it is presently. Not only has the stock automatic engine and transmission been scraped, the car rolls on an entirely new shade of paint with plenty of power to boot.
Starting with under the hood, the stock EX D16 was tossed aside along with the automatic transmission. Desiring a 5 speed swap and plenty more power, a B18C5 Type-R bottom end was tossed into the engine bay. Completely sleeved by Golden Eagle, the bottom end was fully built with a set of CP Pistons and Eagle Rods. Up top, a stock GS-R head was mated onto the Type-R bottom end. That’s where the fun begins, as the B18C5/C1 hybrid went into construction for some force induction. An Edelbrock intake manifold is force fed extremely chilled pressure thanks to a Precision intercooler. A Garrett GT30R turbo on an Inline Pro exhaust manifold produces the horsepower that this B18C5 never thought it’d have. Out the exhaust side is a 3-inch downpipe to a Thermal 3-inch exhaust system. Tuned with a Hondata S200 unit and a 3bar map sensor, all the power is brought to the ground thanks to a KAAZ LSD, ACT Clutch and a stock GS-R transmission.
After a decade of touring the streets, the exterior of the Civic saw its fair share of abuse. Brian knew it was time for a complete repaint and new body pieces to make the Civic look like new and set itself apart from the crowd. A Starry Blue Mica paint job was in the works, as Brian decided to shave the rear key hole, emblem, antenna and front license plate holes. The front bumper received a new Wings West front lip spoiler and a Sunny Styling carbon fiber hood offsets the new blue shade. Black housed headlights and tinted corner lenses and taillights also give a nice alteration to the otherwise blue chassis.
The car is nice and low courtesy of a set of JIC Magic FLTA-2 coilovers. A pair of DC Sports upper and lower tie bars tightens up the suspension while a Z10 Engineering traction bar helps bring every bit of turbocharged horsepower to the front wheels. A GS-R rear disc brake conversion got rid of the stock ’95 Civic drums as Power Slot rotors fill each gap along with AEM pads for braking enhancement. On each four corners is a set of 15x7 Final Speed wheels, wrapped with none other than BF Goodrich’s 225/50/R15 drag radials in the front. Out in the rear is a standard set of Nitto rubber in a 205/50/R15 setup.
The interior of the coupe is filled with electronics, mostly vital to the safety and health of the newly built B18C. An APEX’I AVC-R boost controller as well as an APEX’I turbo timer keeps things in check with the force induced setup. A GReddy electroni boost gauge and EGT gauge keeps Brian informed on the happenings as well as an AEM UEGO wideband sensor. A DC Sports short shifter mated to a ’97 GS-R shift knob makes everyday driving just like stock.