Customizing the humble Honda Civic is nothing new: people have been doing it for decades. That's not to say that we've grown tired of hopped-up Civics, in fact, we love them more than ever, especially when it's a Civic Type R that's at the receiving end of some Mugen love. The sky's the limit when it comes to tuning these cars, but the build we're highlighting here blows everything we've seen out of the water as possibly one of the most unique Civic creations we've ever seen.
Listed for sale on Bring a Trailer, this 1984 Honda Civic Hatchback has been converted from front to rear-wheel-drive, and importantly, has an Acura V6 engine mounted where the trunk used to be. Yes, this is a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive Honda Civic.
The 1984 Civic was converted into a Renault 5-looking mid-engined beast by Bremerton, Washington hot rod builder Andy Barcheck over five years between 1987 and 1992, while its current owner has had it since 2008. The rear subframe has been fabricated to carry a 3.2-liter Acura J32A2 V6 and matching six-speed manual transaxle that the builders sourced from an Acura CL Type S. The body, which clearly takes notes from the 80s era Renault 5 Turbo, features steel box-flared fenders, a vented hood, Corvette brakes, and a relocated fuel tank.
The body features metallic grey over silver paintwork, as well as a ducted hood and rear spoiler. Morimoto HID headlamps guide the way. The car rides on a set of period-correct 15-inch Enkei "salad shooter" wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires with staggered fitment, 205/50 profile up front and 225/50 at the rear.
The fuel tank now sits where the engine once did, alongside the new home of the spare wheel. Suspension wise, this hardware is based on Datsun 240Z parts with fabricated adjustable rear A-arms as well as coilovers in all four corners. The interior is less impressive: it features bucket seats trimmed in two-tone gray microsuede, with power adjustment for the driver. A roll cage is integrated, with a fire extinguisher attached. To keep you cool when there are no flames, partial air conditioning is also included. The stock dashboard gets a CD player and a 120 mph speedo. The odometer shows only 9,400 miles, although the seller states that he has driven 10k miles over the last 12 years.
As a truly unique build, the Civic has been featured in numerous articles and magazines over the years, all of which have been dutifully logged and kept in a folder that the new owner will inherit. At the close of bidding, a final bid of $42,750 was locked in bt BAT user ATXGuy.