When Soichiro Honda commissioned the first generation Honda Civic to be built over 30 years ago, his dream to have his motor cars driving on every road in the world. Today, that dream is just about true.
You almost never see them anymore, but when the first generation Civic first came out in the 70's, they were everywhere. I was still quite young but I remember seeing them often. Even my parents had a red 1976 hatchback. I remember the smell of vinyl, how they burned in the summer time and how they were freezing cold in the winter. Back then, the interior seemed a lot bigger, but by today's standards, I could probably fit my first gen inside the back of my Jeep.
My parent's Honda Civic was special to them as they were new to Canada, starting a new life, doing it with a new car (I think it cost them $2500 back then?) and it was the very first car I have memories of. In 1984, they traded her in for a 3rd gen Honda Accord to accomodate a bigger family. They've regretted letting go of it ever since.
My first car was a used '92 Honda Prelude. I loved cars, more specifically Hondas. I would collect anything Honda, and even went as far as flying to Japan to visit Twin Rings Motegi, and the Honda Collection Hall in Tochigi, Japan. My Prelude was a quick car that handled well but at the time, I was addicted to.....misbehaving (speed limits...bah humbug) and wanted something more. I sold the Prelude and got a red 1993 NSX.
The NSX was a phenominal machine, Honda's pinnacle of tecnology for road and track, and an absolute dream to drive, but I needed a winter beater. And this is how it started. I didn't want any beater, I wanted a beater with a bit of class and style. I thought of my parent's first car and decided that's what I would get - a beat up old first gen Honda Civic. My plan was to buy it cheap, get it running and maybe spray-balm it red to make it look like what my parents had.......and then I met Justin and my idea of a beater soon evolved into a rebirth of an icon. I ended up dumping so much money (plus loads of Justin's blood and sweat) into my "beater" that I could no longer afford to keep my second NSX (yes, second, I wrote off the first one). Eventually, I needed a beater for my beater.
Look forward to pictures and stories of my Civic...and everything Honda.
