Whenever Mark Jackson talks Hondas, there is one particular story he likes to recall about an encounter he had many years ago in one of his first Civics with a Corvette. It was 1984, and Jackson was tailing one of the famed American muscle cars in a '79 two-door sedan on a stretch of highway in his hometown of Fremont, Calif. At the time, the Civic was far from stock, boasting a swapped 1,800cc Prelude mill that was punched out another 0.5mm, matching 5-speed gearbox, body drop, gutted interior and primer finish.
"She wasn't much to look at," admits Jackson, "but boy, was she quick."
According to Jackson, the Civic matched the 'Vette's pace for several miles as the two cars accelerated, although, how fast they were going is anybody's guess. Apparently, Civic speedos of the time only went up to 100mph, and Jackson says the needle was buried for at least 5 miles. As both cars exited the freeway, Jackson still remembers the look of astonishment the 'Vette owner had as he realized the kind of car he couldn't shake. The event marked the beginnings of Jackson's interest in building performance Hondas.
He has since wrenched on the make for over 25 years, and currently owns and runs a thriving Honda/Acura service facility in Santa Cruz. With the business to take care of, Jackson rarely has time to tinker with any personal builds, but he does have his indulgences, like this third-gen. Civic. Affectionately called "Old Yeller," Jackson purchased the Si hatchback new in 1987, which came with a carbureted single-cam, 1.5-liter powerplant under the hood stamped EW4. Today, the compact has just a tick less than 64,000 original miles on it.
In the last couple years Jackson has refocused attention on Old Yeller in an effort to prep an autocross vehicle for his daughter. We recently caught up with him to get the story behind this one-of-a-kind racer.
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