Hello everyone and thank you for having me here.
I've been scrolling through some of these build threads and it got me thinking...
why not get some content up of my little 5 door Civic (seeing as its pre 2000)?
Firstly let's take this story back in time to early Feb 2020- where it all started.
A compound somewhere in West Sussex lay this Civic, untouched, unmolested and certainly unused.
It had a life of ease, that being a couple holiday trips towing a camping trailer and then ferrying the family about for a bit.
You couldn't call it a workhorse and you couldn't call it a weekend car.
It was the reliable practical 5 door car being used for what it was intended, albeit with some kick from it's 1.8L engine.
You see, it wasn't just any old 5 door civic, it was a VTIS- a limited edition.
It was just 1 of only 500 made in 1998, specifically designed to stand out from the other civics being manufactured at the time.
Some of the limited edition extras included a pearlescent paint (NH605P Pirates Black), a chrome gear knob, VTIS stitched mats, an aggressive yet subtle body kit and of course Speedline Chronos (not pictured).
In stock form it was comfortable, respectable and elegant.
The soft ride was on par with a German saloon car of the period, bouncy but not 'boaty'.
It was only until you kept your foot planted above 6000 revs you'd suddenly realise this engine had a real dark side.
A vicious bite, a change in character, a 'Hyde' to it's conservative everyday 'Jekyll'.
The way it revved and roared into life had me hooked- it was a drug.
From that first day of test driving onwards, I was totally foxed by it.
The VTIS was the start of my addiction to VTEC and NA tuning.
After many hours of forum hunting and questioning the Honda boffins, I soon realised the chassis and B18C4 engine could easily be played with.
To be continued...
How I found it.
I've been scrolling through some of these build threads and it got me thinking...
why not get some content up of my little 5 door Civic (seeing as its pre 2000)?
Firstly let's take this story back in time to early Feb 2020- where it all started.
A compound somewhere in West Sussex lay this Civic, untouched, unmolested and certainly unused.
It had a life of ease, that being a couple holiday trips towing a camping trailer and then ferrying the family about for a bit.
You couldn't call it a workhorse and you couldn't call it a weekend car.
It was the reliable practical 5 door car being used for what it was intended, albeit with some kick from it's 1.8L engine.
You see, it wasn't just any old 5 door civic, it was a VTIS- a limited edition.
It was just 1 of only 500 made in 1998, specifically designed to stand out from the other civics being manufactured at the time.
Some of the limited edition extras included a pearlescent paint (NH605P Pirates Black), a chrome gear knob, VTIS stitched mats, an aggressive yet subtle body kit and of course Speedline Chronos (not pictured).
In stock form it was comfortable, respectable and elegant.
The soft ride was on par with a German saloon car of the period, bouncy but not 'boaty'.
It was only until you kept your foot planted above 6000 revs you'd suddenly realise this engine had a real dark side.
A vicious bite, a change in character, a 'Hyde' to it's conservative everyday 'Jekyll'.
The way it revved and roared into life had me hooked- it was a drug.
From that first day of test driving onwards, I was totally foxed by it.
The VTIS was the start of my addiction to VTEC and NA tuning.
After many hours of forum hunting and questioning the Honda boffins, I soon realised the chassis and B18C4 engine could easily be played with.
To be continued...
How I found it.
