Featured Civics » Hien24's 1996 Honda Civic CX Hatchback

A lot of people classify a certain style of cars as "JDM". Honestly I'm not sure what exactly makes a car JDM other than it actually being from Japan. Some think it's black rims, others think it's a style of interior, and even others think certain lip or body kits do the trick. Some even use JDM to classify an import as looking particularly clean and well done. I think that Ben's 1996 Hatchback could classify under at least one of these categories. Under the hood the lousy non-VTEC D series motor originally powering the front wheels was yanked and replaced with the ever popular and higher-revving B16A2. An aftermarket clutch sourced from Exedy engages the B16's more aggressive transmission. Helping the 100 HP per liter motor to breathe easier is a short ram intake, high-flow cat, and a stock ITR 2.25" exhaust. Simplifying future tuning sessions, Ben converted to OBD-I thanks to a Skunk2 harness and chip which is home on a p28 ecu. Suspension and braking is as important as having power under the hood and that's why Ben has opted to aggressively lower the chassis with H&R's race springs. These springs don't play fair with the factory struts so they had to go, replaced with Tokiko Blues on all four corners. Stiffening the chassis further are a set of front and rear lower tie bars. Braking is more reliable now, thanks to a set of sexy Brembo rotors. Finally, in a function over fashion decision, Ben fitted his ride with 15" flat black Rota Slipstreams wrapped in Bridgestone Potenzas. Exterior wise, this hot hatch stands apart from the crowd with a host of both JDM and 99-00 Si parts including a total Si front-end conversion complete with Si foglamps. The JDM goodies include a CTR rear lip and wing, spoon mirrors, and a mugen style front lip. Finally, further drawing the eye is the fact that the side mouldings are gone, lending to a super clean look. On the inside, Ben's hatch is nothing short of a hybrid of Civic Type R, EX, and even Del Sol parts. An Si gauge cluster keeps track of the B16's speed and revs while a power window conversion makes it easier for him to share his tunes with other drivers, provided by a Rockford Fosgate MP3 head unit. A civic EX graciously donated it's center arm rest to Ben and a Del Sol donatd it's green-striped seats which match the color scheme of the car. With all these good looks going for Ben (the car that is), a Clifford alarm keeps the gawkers from getting too sneaky. His future plans for the car include stiffening up the chassis further, blinging out the backseat with some GSR leather seats, and ditching the ugly rear drums for a set of disk brakes.

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