Carolina Hondas @ Crown Honda Charlotte, 5/15/11

It's nice when enthusiasts and dealers get along. This allows events like a Honda car show at a Honda dealer to occur.  So big kudos to Crown Honda of Charlotte for hosting Carolina Honda's meet in their lot this Sunday.  It's a great venue for a show: plenty of parking, room for vendors and swap tents and a dyno, and of course so many awesome cars you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a set of titanium lug nuts.

What's really cool about Honda shows is the variety of cars that show up to them.  The bulk of the aftermarket and enthusiast support for Hondas are for mid-ninties Civics (EG and EK chassis, mainly for their low weight and double-wishbone suspension) and Integras (primarily the quad-headlight DC2 chassis that everyone's familiar with.)  And there was plenty of that to be seen.

Like this super-low, flawless EK hatchback, which other photographers were pretty much swarming around the whole day.  Love the roof rack too.

Obviously, the big thing with Hondas is picking the chassis you prefer, and then swapping in the most engine you can afford.  So while to the untrained eye, this looks like a Civic with some sort of engine in it, there's a lot more than meets the eye.  This one has a K20A in it, which is the new-generation four-cylinder found under the hood of the RSX Type S, US-market Civic Si, and Euro/JDM Market Civic Type R.  Before modifications this is comfortably double the amount of power an EG Civic had.  The odd thing is, the K-series was Honda's first clockwise-rotating four-cylinder - so this engine is actually sitting in the opposite orientation of the original engine (intake manifold in the front, header in the back.)  Of course, Hasport makes a mount kit for this.

Boosted Integra GS-R's will never go out of style.

Under the hood of a turbocharged DC2 Integra Type-R.  Those "Ram Horns" exhaust manifolds are a trip!  The level of detail on this one is quite impressive.  Also dig the TiAl 38mm wastegate sticking up there.

Good to see Integra's lookin' right.

The Integra's replacement, the RSX, is starting to get some love in the aftermarket as used car prices continue to fall for these.  The JDM Integra R wheels are a nice touch, as are the Integra R light housings and the carbon hood.

You can always tell the show cars from the race cars by the ridiculous amount of negative rear camber required to tuck the tires.  This car was assembled and painted down to the last detail.

Well of course you are!  The sticker says so!

Turbochargers aren't the only popular power-adder for Hondas, of course.  Here's a Vortech supercharger kit installed on a VTec B-series in a CRX.  I'd imagine this thing is pretty absurd when you roll on the throttle.

A Jackson Racing supercharger on a K20 Civic Si.  These kits lop about 2 seconds off the quarter mile time of a stock Si, without sacrificing driveability.  Of course, they're expensive as hell, so you get what you pay for.

There was also a portable DynoJet 4WD/2WD dyno on site, with the crew doing three pulls in a row.  I shot some dyno video, and later realized they were all K-series cars.  I guess I'm biased.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4-cB_Wi7GE

This RSX-S looked basically stock on the outside... well, I guess with the exception of the intercooler behind the front bumper.  Sadly the dyno guys weren't announcing peak numbers to the crowd (for shame!) but this boosted K20A is probably a 300+whp setup.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X-pHWO_Kho

Another K20A, this time with N/A bolt-ons including one of the few good-sounding exhaust systems I've heard for the K-series.  Revs - lots of them.

The same Si maneuvering onto the dyno rollers.  A pretty neat angle, I think.

It wasn't all Integras and Civics.  There was some rather odd stuff there.

I'm inspired.  Pre-facelift (and drive-by-wire) CM7 Accord sedan.  This one's a K24 (four-cylinder) but has had the 5-speed manual swapped out for the 6-speed from an Acura TSX; it's also got the TSX intake manifold (which I'm looking for one for my own Accord), a 4-2-1 header, and full suspension with a camber kit.  Those wheels are from the 6-cylinder 6-speed manual Accord.

Another, even lower CM7 Accord.  Who knew Grandma's grocery getter could look so dope?

Probably the car at this show I want to take home the most.  New-style Civic Si 4dr, with the suspension/wheels/tires just right.  And around back...

...JDM Civic conversion.  With a carbon-fibre trunk, because, you know, racecar.

The S2000 love was strong with the crowd.  Hint: anything with that National Speed sticker on the bumper (right rear) is probably not to be messed with.  They build serious stuff.

Whoa, rainbow-anodized wheels.  Haven't seen that before.

JDM front-end conversion on a DC2 Integra makes these much cleaner looking cars.  The BBS meshies don't hurt, either!

The lone CR-Z in attendance at the show, still stock!  How do these things happen?  SLAM IT!

Not everything there was a Honda, of course.  How about some slammed-to-the-ground Infiniti Q45?

The 99-00 Civic Si's can look extremely good with a few choice mods.

The turnout of Preludes was surprisingly small.  Would've helped if they hadn't all parked in a corner.  The two fifth-gen Preludes on the left are both owned by friends of mine.  I don't understand why these cars aren't more popular; they're a ton of fun to drive!

Honda's venerable F20C motor as found in the (AP1-generation) S2000.  Held the record for highest horsepower-per-liter in a naturally aspirated production car from the S2k's launch until the Ferrari 458 came out.  Also sounds amazing and is surprisingly tiny.

Another car I'm happy to see getting some love: the B13 chassis Nissan Sentra SE-R.  This one's got a Nissan Tsuru front end conversion, which is the Mexican-market B13 they continued to make for years after Nissan global stopped.  Seriously fun cars.

How about a pimped-out Honda Ruckus with a carbon fibre exhaust can?  Makes total sense.

Another Honda oddity - the precursor to the CR-V, the Civic "WagoVan" with Real Time 4WD.  This one was in remarkably great shape considering it's age.  Check out that engine bay...

Carburettor, distributor ignition, 3v/cylinder... This is truly old-school Honda right here.

Ok, that's... Odd.  Slammed Odyssey, why would you...

Oh!  So you can fit 3 Honda Ruckuses in the back of it!  Of course!

People really love the Honda Ruckus.  I'd love to have one as a pit bike.  First I need a race car.

And one last picture to finish this post off - EG's, car guys, Integras, and nice weather.  This is what it's all about.  The show was great, see you all next time!