2000 Honda Civic DX Hatchback

Sometimes in life it's not where you start, but where you end up. In the world of tuned street cars, few rise higher with the kind of frequency that DX-model Civics do, the lowliest low of a line-up cast from a cut-rate commuter mold. Other cars make big transitions, too: a carbureted SR5 Corolla can be morphed into an injected GT-S; a 240SX converted into a JDM Silvia; and an SC300 can be Supra swapped. But for Honda fans, it starts with the DX.

The whipping boy of the Civic family, the DX's measly 106 hp, zero-VTEC powerplant gives the word "anemic" a bad name, while its limited upscale amenities make the commute feel like punishment. But like a lot of us believe, anything with an "H" on the hood has unlimited potential. If the Civic didn't, it wouldn't be the most heavily supported import on the road today.

Albert Yau rolls the Windy City in a JDM Civic Type-R-inspired EK Civic that rolled of the assembly line in DX trim. As is often the case, this car was made possible by the tragic demise of another. "My passion for building this hatch began in '98 when I crashed my beloved '95 Civic coupe," says Yau. "During that time, my dream car was the Japanese Civic Type-R. I loved everything about it, how it looked, how the bodylines flowed on the car, its track-inspired design and engineering... all of it. Back in '99, the import scene was just starting to pick up here in Chicago but it was still lagging a bit compared to cars on the coasts, so I went right to the source and set-off to build something that mimicked cars that were being built in Japan. The JDM phenomenon wasn't really that big yet, so I decided to build something that Chicago wasn't used to seeing."

Yau began to stockpile rare JDM gems as he searched for the right car. It turns out that the DX is the most logical platform. Why pay for a VTEC engine if you plan to scrap it for a Type-R B18C? He bought a brand new 2000 DX hatch and started wrenching.

But his creation needed to be adaptable. "I think the biggest challenge for me was to build a car that was elite yet safe enough to drive on the streets of Chicago," says Yau. "I work for the Chicago Public Schools as a hardware technician and my job requires me to travel throughout the city. Some of the 'hoods here in Chicago aren't exactly the safest spots to be parking a tricked out car. So, the EK had to be streetable and ready to handle the rigors of daily driving while avoiding the flashy body kits and not placing too much importance on the overall exterior of the car. I've had front and rear lips stolen on several occasions, beer bottles thrown at it, radios and subwoofers stolen... The mentality going into this project was to keep it looking as simple as possible and just drive it everyday proudly so that all the JDM Civic Type R mods would give that custom look without the flash."

Consequently, every trim item on the shell has been converted to CTR status with a Mugen roof spoiler and VIS carbon hood thrown in for good measure.