Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Honda Civic Si sedan.

We've avoided glossy-eyed retrospectives of 2007, but if you were in the market for a practical, affordable and entertaining ride in the last year, there were a handful of vehicles to be had for under $25 large. The Mazdaspeed3, R56 MINI Cooper S and VW GTI have set the fun-to-drive quotient relatively high, but one vehicle that's been left out of the Autoblog Garage is the Honda Civic Si. While the coupe has garnered its fair share of praise, we understand that your average Joe and Jane have people and stuff to schlep; thankfully, so does Honda. So with little fanfare last year, it released the Civic Si Sedan to the masses and in the process created yet another entertaining steer for those of us unable or unwilling to break the $30,000 ceiling.



All photos Copyright ©2008 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc.

When Honda introduced the Prelude in 1978, it was a strong indicator that the Japanese automaker wanted to move beyond its mundane, econo-box image. Over the next 23 years, the Prelude would go through five iterations and serve as a rolling test bed for Honda's R&D. The third generation Prelude received VTEC technology right after it was introduced in the NSX and it still has the distinction of being the only vehicle offered with an entirely mechanical four-wheel steering system. In 1987, Road & Track wrapped up testing the 1988 2.0Si 4WS version and realized that it's slalom figures eclipsed every vehicle they tested that year, including the Corvette, the new 911, and a couple Italian marques by the name of Lamborghini and Ferrari. It was a coup, but alas, all good things must come to an end.

Like all of Honda's products over the years, the Prelude got fat and with the popularity of the Acura Integra, Honda decided to axe the Prelude in 2001. However, a dedicated group on enthusiasts still hold the Honda in high standing and when it comes to the portly fifth-generation model, the best way to shed the pounds is to add some boost.

That's the tactic Flickr member smlude took when preparing his 2000 Prelude for cone-duty and judging by the list of mods after the jump, no freakin' expense was spared.

A few highlights from the mod list include a Jackson Racing supercharger, a Mugen header, coupled to Mugen cat-back exhaust, AEM cold air intake, cam gears and power pulleys, a lightweight flywheel and a JDM SIR-S Spec LSD-equipped tranny. That's maybe ten-percent of what's under the hood. On the suspension side of the equation, a Mugen Type S coilover kit drops the 'Lude about one-inch for street duty and is swapped out for a Ground Control setup when the owner hits the track. Brembo rotors and PBR ceramic pads handle the stoppage duties, and a Spoon rear strut bar firms things out in back.

The list goes on and on and on, and we didn't even get to the exterior and interior additions. Although one thing we particularly liked was the fact that the OEM stereo remains. Way to keep it real smlude.

The exhaustive list of modifications is posted after the jump, along with a few more pics of the Prelude getting its weekly parking lot workout.

NEXT WEEK'S THEME: Cars of the '80s!
Break out the leg warmers and your old Atari 2600, because we're going back to the '80s for our next RR of the Day theme. All next week we want to feature glorious cars from the decade that brought us the rise of Kevin Bacon as an actor and synthesized music as an art form. If you have a vehicle that originates from the 1980s, submit it to our Autoblog Flickr Pool to be considered for a RR of the Day feature. Man, it's gonna be a rad week.