2000 Honda Civic Type R

When it comes to hard to find parts, tuners are a bloodthirsty bunch. If you're not quick to pull the trigger on those rare offset BBSs, they'll be gone before you can even check your account balance. Matt Tucker of Fayetteville, Tennessee, is a fast draw, and when a legit 2000 CTR popped up for sale, the eager enthusiast wasted no time. One catch...the car was located in Los Angeles, while Matt resides in Tennessee.

Matt caught wind of the CTR from a local buddy picking up his newly acquired EG6 in the city of angels. "I'd had a bunch of other hatches, and when I saw my friend's EG6 I knew I wanted the real thing." A few phone calls and some low-res pics later, and Matt was on a plane bound for the 323 via Los Angeles international. Matt's new Phoenix Yellow hatch was housed at G-spot Automotive, and behind some number crunching, he walked out with his new chariot. With gas tanks full and keys in hand, Matt and his compadre decided to forego a delivery truck and pilot their new Japanese-born hatchbacks halfway across the country to home sweet Tennessee. Matt's new ride was far from a road sofa. A barren interior save for a dashboard and door cards were the only bits hiding the yellow sheet metal. "The thing had some weird racing seats in it and a Momo Formula wheel, no carpet, sound deadening, or interior. Even the glove box was missing." The lack of creature comforts didn't slow Matt down, and after a hiccup involving a seized distributor in Amarillo Texas, Matt was back on the highway. "The car was crazy on the interstate, with gearing for the track, no cat, and no muffler, it was loud as hell. It was awesome!" When Matt got back home (and the ringing in his ears finally stopped) he hopped online and starting hunting down finishing pieces for the interior. A glove box, kick panels, and an emergency brake cover were at the top of the list. An OEM carpet and set of floor mats got the interior back to stock, while a set of all red Recaro SRDs replaced the mystery Japanese equipment originally in the civic. A fresh set of CTR headlights, side markers, and thin molding were ordered to give their original, track-beaten counterparts a break.

Not to say the B16B is underpowered, but after a little while, Matt wanted more. After separating the civic from its heart, Matt swapped in something with a little more kick in the ass. Built with Matt's own hands, a run-of-the mill B18C1 was saddled with a custom turbo setup sporting a Precision GT35R turbo, Tial waste gate, HKS Blow off valve and SLS ram horn exhaust manifold. Only after sleeving the block and swapping out the crank with an 89mm LS alternative was the new heart ready to be installed. After breaking the engine in, the car was strapped to the dyno and put down a pavement-blistering 622hp and 404 lb-ft of torque. "It was crazy! I never expected that much power." After daily-driving the CTR with almost triple its original horsepower for going on 3 months, Matt's uncle decided his car was due for a makeover. As we all know, nothing says "hey, get your car painted" like the business end of a pickup being forced into your passenger door.

Needless to say the car now needed some parts, namely a door, the glass, and interior panel. Matt figured now would be a good time to clean up the track-bruised body. "The car was a road race car in Japan. The bumper was hacked up to fit some ridiculously large wheels, like 15x9, and the bumper was held on with zip ties; it was time to change it out." Matt replaced the "race" bumper with an OEM version, and matched it with a fresh set of fenders. The front end was now free of scars, so a fresh draping of paint was in order. No color other than the OEM Phoenix Yellow (Sunshine Yellow in the land of the rising sun) would do, so the hatch was temporarily relocated to the paint booth. While the chassis was busy getting a makeover, Matt embraced his second automotive passion-wheel shopping. "I have to admit it, I'm a recovering wheel whore. When I found the Starks, I just had to get them."