Beneath the layers of foliage captured over several seasons under a yard full of trees is an early version of the Honda Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion or CVCC engine. The engineers at Honda managed to design an engine that made good use of combustion chamber efficiency to meet 1970's EPA emissions standards without use of a catalytic converter. Honda achieved this feat … [Read more...]
Measuring Honda CR-Z Performance
For those who ponder how aftermarket parts and performance upgrades are available as soon as an automobile hits the market, this Honda CR-Z measuring session is the answer. The Specialty Equipment Marketing Association, or SEMA, brings the big car makers together with aftermarket gurus far enough ahead so that the good stuff is ready for action as soon as the automobile is. The … [Read more...]
1969 Honda Electric Rear Driver
Garage talk concerning engine swaps or drivetrain transplants is plentiful. Thousands of instant message windows, forum posts, and Facebook updates are populated at any given second with declarations of Hayabusa powered mid-engine rear-drive Ford Festivas (or similar) with induction systems managed by MegaSquirt. And so on. Some folks actually go so far as to get the pieces. … [Read more...]
Biggest Ruckus
If you happen to be in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles and hear a motorized ruckus rolling down the boulevard, chances are it will the the Bowls LA crew. Taking a stock Honda Ruckus onto the ninth level of customization is the best two-wheeled idea since a Honda put an inline four under the gas tank of the CB750 back in 1969. The Bowls crew brought some of their finest … [Read more...]
Super Durability!
From the unrestored race car department comes the Bob Boileau Jr. 1974 SCCA Honda Civic 1200. Any car that runs hard for sixteen years is impressive enough. One that wins six championships along the way is that much more awesome. Honda rolled out this and more historical examples of greatness here at the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas, but the Civic was the first car ever … [Read more...]