Weird Car of the Week: The 1,000HP NSX-Powered Honda Civic Si

BOLD RIDE

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Posted by Zach Doell

 

 

There’s a rather humorous theme in the car-modding world, and it sounds something like this: “My tuned Honda Civic could beat your __insert supercar here__.” No matter how quick or how powerful the challengers become, someone knows someone with a Civic that is allegedly much, much faster. 

 

Generally it’s not the case, but in 2002 it most certainly was. Unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, this was the Honda Civic Si Pro Drag car – an NHRA drag racing Civic that was sponsored by Honda and driven by notable racer Adam Saruwatari. Beyond the outrageous looks and massive drag racing tires, it sported the 3.2-liter V6 from a Honda NSX, which was tuned to well over 1,000 horsepower. Albeit not road legal, it could chomp pretty much any supercar in a straight line.

The NSX V6 came fitted with a TiAL Sport turbocharger, which helps explain the massive power jump, all controlled by a MoTec M880 ECU. When he raced it during the 2003 NHRA season, Saruwatari would have been shuffling that power through a G-Force sequential five-speed gearbox… and probably getting a good long look at the sky in the process. Thank goodness for the wheelie bar.

 

Inside and out, there’s not much standard Civic left… but such is drag racing. The entire car sits on a Hansen Race Cars chassis, riding atop Lamb coilovers and Eibach ERS springs. Power meets the road at a set of Enkei racing wheels wrapped in Nitto drag slicks. Outside, the Civic body has been chopped and chiseled, now sporting a Hansen race wing, scalped roofline, and a carbon fiber hood, doors, and rear hatch.

Where Is It Now?

So what ever happened to it? Good question. The now 13-year-old car made passes in 2003 but hasn’t exactly been camera-friendly in the past decade. We can only hope that it’s preserved under a tarp, in some Southern California barn somewhere… waiting to fire up its turbo V6 once again.


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