By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I’m really loving entry # 1284, a rat rod CRX.

Bought this car from a guy that was taking it to a scrap yard. I payed $800 for it and started restoring it. After three years its almost done. I did a 95 del sol motor swap then turboed it with a homemade turbo kit I put together. Its making just over 200HP and is a blast to drive on the street.

There are still more chances to win, so if you haven’t already thrown your hat into the ring, make sure to enter the Amoco Ultimate Your Car Is Worth It Photo Contest!

Last weekend Brent Leivestad pulled his CRX out of its seven year hibernation and brought it out to the drags at the Bandimere Street Tuner Mayhem. With a few tweaks the car managed to run the quarter in 9.9 seconds, even with a broken traction bar. After that the tech guys decided the cage certification was out of date and stopped the CRX from making any more runs. But Brent plans to get the car legal and back on the track to shoot for 8s. See page 3 of his ride page for more on this wild CRX. Pages 1 and 2 document his one-of-a-kind Pro FWD Civic, which is nearing completion. We’ll keep you posted on Brent’s progress with both of these cars.

Alex blogged some time ago about the Taylor Aerocar that was slated to appear at the Meadowbrook Concours. What I didn’t realize at the time is that we’ve got an Aerocar right here in Seattle at the Museum of Flight, where I did the obligatory tour while my dad was in town visiting this weekend. The Taylor venture was once a pretty promising one, and at one time it turns out that the company was planning to base a future model on a Honda CRX. That could’ve been kind of cool—probably good on gas, too! Follow the jump to see pics of the full-size Aerocar on display at the Museum of Flight.

Continue reading "What Could've Been: A CRX Aerocar!" »

Looking at this amazing CRX, it’s hard to believe it was bought out of a junkyard. Saved from the very jaws of the crusher—now that’s what I like to see! And no matter how you happen to feel about custom bodywork, it’s clear that Luis has put a ton of hard labor into this project to get this deserving car exactly the way he wants it. Way to go on a very well-executed job! See more on Luis’s CRX ride page. Oh, and his Integra is pretty cool too!

Check out Justin’s cool CRX dirt track racer. He picked the car up for $100 and has invested another $1000 to make it race ready. Mods include a Corbeau Baja SS seat, RCI 5 gallon fuel cell, RCI 5 point racing harness, Exedy clutch and a Competition Engineering (Mororso) 8-Point roll cage. Those are Bear Claw ATV tires for the front. Looks pretty wicked. His MySpace page is pretty hilarious, too, and has more details on the Redneck Rally Racing League, which runs at the Fossil Bowl in Clarkia, Idaho.

As someone in a deadline business, I know how an impending due date can kick a project into high gear. Since last fall, my CRX has more or less slept in an auto cocoon in my driveway. While on the road two weeks ago, I decided to give myself a deadline: NASA’s track event at Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway May 17-18.

During a sub-two-week build the CRX got a full Progress coil-over suspension, fresh brakes and a new Momo wheel–basically we replaced the car’s trouble spots. The Rota wheels and Nitto tires came from my Miata. Well, despite the 202,000 miles showing on the odometer the car never missed a beat this past weekend. We drove up and back from Florida and ran five 20-minute track sessions. I never had to add oil, never had to bleed the brakes, and never even had to rotate the tires. So, for those of you with projects that have stalled, summer is here–get out there and go have some fun.

After procrastinating for way too long, I have finally moved my CRX to the front burner. It’s going to be my new track car, and the first order of business was to replace the world’s worst aftermarket steering wheel with a Momo that I scored online. It was tonight’s afterwork project.

Obviously I wasn’t the only one who detested this wheel, as the hub bore evidence that an earlier removal had been attempted. The scars told the story of a battle lost. Fortunately I had an ally: the correct tool for the job. I am still amazed how people will bent, pry and slam when, in my case, a simple steering wheel puller did the job in no time flat. While I don’t own one, I was able to borrow it from our local AutoZone. Today’s lesson: The correct tool can often be the difference between an evening filled with frustration and a job well done.

You smart cookies saw through our April Fool’s joke pretty quick. But it’s not as though plenty of people haven’t attempted—and completed—builds as insane as our donked hemi-Prius. Check out this supercharged big-block Honda CRX drag car and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Just think: this thing used to get 50 mpg!

Kevin’s done a fantastic build on his CRX, swapping in a JDM ZC engine and doing some serious upgrades on his sound system, which have all been glassed into the custom day-glo interior. What I love most about the page, though, is the step-by-step documentation of the crazy paint job. Congratulations, man!

The CRX was introduced in the US in 1984, and its cutting edge looks and sporty engine made it an instant hit. Those concerned with gas mileage also appreciated the fact that the entry level version could achieve over 50mpg! We saw two generations of CRX in the ’80s: the first gen ran from 1984 to 1987 and the second gen from 1988 to 1991. Both generations have a following with tuners and autocross enthusiasts. I owned a second generation CRX Si and consider it to be one of the best cars I’ve ever owned.

First gen CRXs were offered in either a base trim with a 1.3L motor kicking out a whopping 58hp, or the Si model with a 1.5L motor producing 92hp. The car wasn’t terribly fast, but it was hoot to drive. CarDomain member Goran_crx has a pretty clean 87 ‘Rex ready for the track. wolfcrx built a show-stopping first gen with custom wheels, carbon fiber hood, body kit, and an impressive custom interior and sound system. But 87crxmugen blew me away with his extremely rare Mugen wide body kit, custom intake, and Mugen header.

Second gen CRX’s received a slight cosmetic upgrade both inside and out, but the biggest upgrade was the Si’s new 1.6L motor pushing 108hp. This is by far the most popular body style for the CRX, with a plethora of performance and cosmetic upgrades available for customization and racing applications. T66crx has a pretty sick turbo setup pushing out 506hp on a custom turbo system! Bigmike60 built a clean CRX with a Mugen style body kit, projector headlamps, and interior. But nothing can top the mad fabrication skills by 88rexlover on his topless CRX Si!