Raceline Tuning 1992 Honda Civic CX

Less than a handful of common crotch-rockets will succumb to a car in a head-to-head street matchup. A couple of years back this '92 Civic CX hatchback, owned and prepped by Cincinnati's Raceline Tuning, was far from changing that scenario, no matter how hard co-owner Rick Williams tried.

A race between the hatchback and a Honda CBR 600, in fact, led to a bird's-eye view of the CBR's backside for Williams and the demise of the Civic's B16A on the grounds of excessive boost.

Williams babied the EG back home with only three working cylinders and a plan-a crotch-rocket crushing plan. He and his Raceline Tuning partner, Josh Bonati, ironed out the specifics. Quarter-mile duty would be the Civic's main responsibility, but it had to be streetable. The guys had everything covered: the skills, the in-house dyno, the parts.

The hardest part of the whole project was deciding who would drive it first. Williams says they now solve that problem by flipping a coin. Heads, Williams takes it for the weekend; tails, Bonati.

Post engine blow, the guys yanked the B-series and sourced another JDM B16A. Williams concedes that a 1.8-liter or 2.2-liter block would have yielded more power, but there was no denying the B16's cost effectiveness and ease of sourcing. Raceline stripped the engine and beefed it up with top-of-the-line internals, including SRP, Crower and ARP offerings down below to withstand future boostings.

Up top, the cylinder head received DPR valve springs and retainers, and a Precision PT67/69 turbo was the weapon of choice. The guys chose a larger snail in the event they decide to go with a bigger engine. But even before they dropped in the new engine, they knew the Civic needed to be not only fast, but also stand out.

Williams and Bonati tapped Raceline employee Ryan Digman to lead the right-hand-drive conversion. Digman did the firewall and dash conversions, as well as the accompanying interior work, and integrated an assortment of JDM goodies including climate control and hard-to-find amber clock.

The EG's interior, meanwhile, is all business. Little more than a Bride racing seat and RCI harness rest beneath the AME roll cage. While right-hand-drive sleds are common in cities like Los Angeles, to see one roaming the highways of Cincinnati is about as rare as it gets. Williams claims he knows of only one other.

Conversion complete, the Civic got doused with House of Kolor Galaxy grey paint, thanks to friend Aaron Felsheim. The usual JDM suspects were fitted to the body as well, including city lights, corner lights, side markers and taillights.

The EG also sports a carbon-fiber hood, front and rear lips and canards courtesy of VIS. Coupled with the 16-inch Rays Gram Lights, this Civic strikes the perfect aesthetic balance of subtlety and refinement, something that was stressed from the get-go.

Williams and Bonati built a Civic that can beat a crotch-rocket and excels in streetability, power production, quarter-mile performance and looks. The car is driven on a semi-daily basis, produces 428-wheel hp, posted a 12.1 at 128 mph at the strip and earned first place at the Chicago Import Showoff (JDM/OEM class).

Three out of four ain't bad. Now where's that CBR?

Honda CBR
The 2005 Honda CBR 600 RR's blistering 15,000-rpm cutoff should make any Type R feel ashamed. In the blink of an eye, any given valve on the RR opens and closes about 31 times. The RR's goal was simple: improve upon CBR predecessors and do so in the likes of Superbike and MotoGP competition.

The DOHC, liquid-cooled, inline four powerplant measures 599cc (CBR 599 RR just sounds weird) and retains the previous engine's oversquared bore and stroke (67mm x 42.5mm). But the RR shines with lighter components, reduced friction and increased combustion efficiency. Skirtless, forged pistons mount to ultra-small tool steel wrist pins to reduce reciprocating mass. Also, the connecting rods feature a nutless design, which shaves off 12 grams. That's a huge savings on a crank that spins twice as fast as a B18A1.

The four-stroke engine also features a Dual Stage Fuel Injection system with two injectors per cylinder, a necessity when trying to squirt, vaporize and burn fuel in about four milliseconds. The first set opens a fraction of a second before the main set on each intake stroke and primes the incoming air into the velocity stacks of the lower throttle bodies.