Honda Civic 1976 News

Flares have never gone out of fashion in Japan and the annual Tokyo Auto Salon shows why.

Honda is streaming ahead with the next Civic Type-R hot hatch -- which is on the wishlist for Honda Australia, but with no confirmation yet that we'll get it here. However with the US also being a gap in the Civic Type-R markets, we could see the new car's platform being used for the second generation of the CR-Z, giving it a sports performance boost.According to Motor Authority, the US will again miss out on the Civic Type-R because the Civic sold there is different to the rest of the world, and is positioned as an economy car -- which makes it hard to market a performance variant. So there are plans to beef up the next CR-Z to get more of a foothold in that market, and a prototype is reported to already have been built.It's said to carry a direct-injected and turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine mated with the CR-Z’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system, developing combined power of about 165kW -- a big step up from the current CR-Z's 84kW engine and 10kW motor effort.A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is reported to be taking over from both the CVT auto and the six-speed manual gearboxes, with the CR-Z able to be launched within two years if production is approved. Meanwhile, we'll be keeping an eye on the Civic Type-R rolling out overseas in 2015 with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, delivering at least 210kW: a considerable 62kW more than the last version we saw here in 2011.The new engine will use direct-fuel-injection technology rather than relying on the high revs of the previous model to generate power. Honda hasn't released performance figures yet, but with them stating they're aiming for a Nurburgring record, expect the newcomer to blast past the 2011 car's 6.6 seconds for the 0-100kmh sprint. 

Family size and frugal manners boost Honda's chances of success with its new Civic Tourer wagon. But Australia has shown little interest as the Tourer - a five-seater wagon based on the Civic hatch - aims its credentials at Europe. The UK-built wagon goes public next month at the Frankfurt motor show and on sale in Europe from early next year. Almost fully reflecting the Tourer concept shown at this year's Detroit motor show in January, the wagon gets Honda's 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine as fitted to the Australian Civic hatch, or a 1.8-litre petrol engine. It has the same 2595mm wheelbase as the Civic hatch but adds 235mm of rear overhang for extra cargo space - and gets a lower cargo floor than the hatch - down by 137mm - to ease loading and unloading exercises. Honda says the Tourer gets the company's "Magic Seats" design - also used on the Jazz - to claim boot space of 624 litres with the rear seats up, or 1668 litres with the seats folded. The Tourer also gets ZF Sachs' new electronically adjustable rear dampers that can be switched through three modes: Comfort, Normal and Dynamic. Honda Australia has dismissed the Civic wagon, saying the Australian small car wagon market is small. Six carmakers sell small-car wagons on the Australian market - Hyundai, Holden, Peugeot, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen. This reporter is on Twitter: @cg_dowling  

Paul Holter, 54, of North Arm on the Sunshine Coast got his nickname from years of converting American cars, mainly Pontiacs, to right-hand drive.Over the years he claims he has restored, converted, traded and owned as many as 600 cars and now has a dozen in his backyard and shed as well as a few restoration projects belonging to mates.  "I've been collecting cars all my life," he says  "When I got married 35 years ago my wife threatened that if I got any more cars she would leave me. She's still here."Holter got his first car when he was 11 years old.  "My dad bought a Mk V Jag and sold off the tyres and battery and gave me the rest," he says.  "I sold it and bought a '48 Ford Prefect for $40."His daily drivers are a 2005 CVZ Monaro, a 2007 Holden Rodeo and a 2008 Honda Civic, while his collectible cars include a 1976 Chrysler VK Valiant Hemi, a 1968 Pontiac Firebird Convertible, a 1959 Plymouth Suburban sports wagon, a 1960 Pontiac Ventura, a 1962 S Series Chrysler Valiant and a 1983 Pontiac Trans Am race car.He bought the Trans Am for $2000 and converted it into a race car by pulling out the 305 Chevy engine and four-speed auto box and replacing them with a Gen III Commodore 5.7-litre V8, six-speed Tremec gearbox and adding GT-R Skyline rear suspension and brakes.  He claims it gets about 350hp (260kW) at the rear wheels and propelled him to 77th out of 185 cars at last year's Noosa Hillclimb.His current project is the Plymouth he bought for $8500 two years ago. It features nine seats, including a rear-facing row in the back.  He's leaving it in left-hand drive, but is replacing the engine with a 440 V8 he bought online.  "I don't know what it will all cost," he says. "I'd prefer not to know as it could get expensive."It's all the little bits and pieces you have to buy that add up."  Over the past six years he has spent up to $40,000 in a loving restoration of the Ventura he bought for $11,000 and plans to spend about $30,000 _ "or something stupid like that" _ on the S Series Valiant.  "When you do it a bit at a time it doesn't seem so expensive," he says.He plans to fuel-inject and turbo-charge the Valiant's 225 slant-six engine.  "It's rated at 145bhp (108kW), but I reckon I can get it up to the middle 300s," he says.  "I do all my own mechanical work, but I get interiors, paint and body done by experts."Holter is a qualified train driver who moved from Victoria to Queensland 21 years ago and started his right-hand-drive conversion business.  He also had a business importing Nissan Laurel four-door, rear-wheel-drive pillarless sedans but found compliance laws kept changing too often. He bought an Autobarn franchise six years ago and another a year later.Business must be good because Holter has been able to indulge his interest in American cars, travelling several times to the US to buy cars and ship them home for conversion and restoration.And Holter is always looking toward his next project.  He's currently considering trading his Firebird for a Grand Prix and he's always had a soft spot for a Valiant Charger although he reckons they cost too much these days, some fetching as much as $300,000.

THE replacement for the Honda S2000 has been revealed in Britain. It's a new droptop built up from the hot Civic Type R. Officially, the next S2000 is known only as the Open Study Model and is being displayed at the British International Motor Show as a low-emission roadster. But it does not take much digging to discover the car's Civic roots and a production plan for late next year or early 2010. It is clearly related to the Civic, and Honda in Japan admits it is working on a front-drive two-seater to take over from the S2000 when production ends next year. The S2000 is 10 years old and its unique rear-wheel-drive mechanical package makes it very costly to make. A Civic-based successor opens the way for a more affordable replacement and has the potential for much higher sales. Honda Australia is not saying much about the potential for the Open Study Model. “It's purely a concept hyrid sports car. It shows you can be green and sporty as well,” Honda spokesman Mark Higgins says. “The car was designed by our R&D centre in Germany and is very much a European creation.” It is also a Civic-based creation, with a dashboard that could have come straight from the current Type R hatch. The car follows a stronger “green” direction by Honda, which previewed the CR-Z as a hybrid and has also put its FCX Clarity fuel-cell car into limited production. Honda says the design brief for the Open Study Model is “clean and dynamic”, an approach that means the rear of the body extends into the cabin between the seats. Much of the car is taken from the Civic — including its hidden front-drive mechanical package — and this runs right down to the gearshift in the centre of the dash and a Type R-style ignition start button.