I've looked back on my PC tonight and I've had this pic on there since 30th September 2009. This picture was put straight up on the wall at work when I found it, and it was my work's PC desktop for ages until group policy dictated a set corporate desktop.
I'd found it along with many more wallpapers on the honda.co.jp website. A car that we couldn't have over here in the UK.
This is where it all started really and the reason some of you knew that I finally got my arse in gear and took myself off to Essex on Wednesday.
I've toyed with the idea for years. I started the "Decisions, decisions" thread on the 10th October 2009 as a bit of a sounding off thread about why I should and shouldn't spend silly money on a Civic. I got hold of a set of the brochures for the car and the accessory brochure, all in Japanese and I still don't know what any of it says except for the odd "R" in the middle of the text.
At the time I had my Cosmic EP3. I'd tasted what the K20 and Honda were about with these cars but knew that there was more to be had. I spent £14k modding an FN2, a majority of which was on engine bits that originated from this elusive Japanese car, plus fitting an LSD and bigger brakes. Thinking back now I should have just cut out the middle man.
I then went on to buy an STi, thinking that it would offer the same sort of thrills but it just didn't cut the mustard. Just not as involving or exciting. So having put the STi up for sale on the Friday and having an offer made on the Saturday, a deal was struck on Monday and the car was gone by Tuesday. Very Craig David esque.
I'd already been in contact with a chap called James, both via Pistonheads and FD2-Owners, and off I went at 9am on a not so epic journey covering about 270 miles, on 4 different trains over 5 hours. James collected me from the train station and took me to his house, the car was wheeled out of his garage and the deal was done.
Now at this juncture, I'll point out that Scousefella and CJN had very very kindly been down the weekend before to look round the car and give me an overview of it, so I wasn't buying blind so to speak. Much appreciation for that and I'll be buying them a beer or three at some point for their troubles. :smt023
Now to say that this car feels planted is an understatement. Don't get me wrong, bury the throttle on a country lane and it'll wriggle as it finds grip and howls away, but it seems to sit so low and feels so sure footed, it's a breath of fresh air after the Scooby. Oh, and the noise! I literally :lol: as I gave it the first bit of VTEC when it had warmed up.
I've not had much chance to give it a run down some of my usual routes, that'll come, but on the drive home it was superb! It doesn't feel that far off my FN2 but with a little less urgency over 8k. I've already bought a Flashpro so I'll see what happens after a remap. :lol:
Now the spec of what I got (you'll all know the standard spec so I'll not bore you with that).
58 plate with 34,700 miles in Vivid Blue Pearlescent with black interior
AST coilover kit with Koni rear shocks
Whiteline 22mm rear ARB
Ingalls camber bolts
HEL stainless steel braided lines
Jonster de-cat pipe (custom jobby done by a chap on the FD2-owners site)
Open cone filter on the OEM intake pipe
Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 alloys (18x8 with +30 offset front +45 rear)
Yokohama Advan AD08s
Blitz oil temperature and pressure guages mounted under the dash
All standard bits included and a Cusco front strut brace that wasn't fitted but needs a bit of tidying up.
Needless to say I'm very happy with what I paid for it.
I'll get some more pictures when it's dry and I get chance to give it a good scrub. I need to get a blanking plate for the lower section of the double DIN gap or a new headunit, as at the moment there is a Kenwood single DIN in there and I'm not 100% sure of the cone intake on there. The intake sounds bloody lovely, but whether it's adding anything other than noise I'm not sure. Other than that, it's spot on.
TL;DR - I've bought an FD2.
Drive home, lay by in Interceptor country:
Tucked up on the drive: