But for a few nods to the U.S. companies- Skunk2, Omni Power, Endyn, Eagle-Fowler chose the subtle, if predictable, JDM approach. Take a good look and you'll see the Japanese concessions everywhere: front end conversion, front and rear lips, door moldings, mirrors, rear seat, foglights.
And whether or not you think JDM is overcooked, it's hard to argue with the symmetry of Fowler's choices. He hasn't blown it out. His picks are tasteful details, satisfying only to himself and the discriminating Japanophile's eye. We give him props, as some of the puzzle pieces required real work to get right.
The Civic Type-R pedals, for example, didn't bolt on as one might expect. They lost something in translation from right-hand- to left-hand-drive setup. Fowler first removed the whole pedal assembly. The clutch pedal fit fine and the brake pedal needed some persuasion, but the gas pedal was all off. There was no proper mounting provision for it at all. It was nothing the welding torch couldn't fix, however.
"I've never had a real gaudy car," he explains. "I wanted a clean and simple look. But there are some many little things [on the car] that it's just stupid. I spent a lot of nights on eBay. A lot of my friends think I'm anal, but I just don't want the car to look like a box of accessories. A lot of guys now, they just buy everything. They don't really have a plan."
For Fowler, some of those late-night eBay and forum discussions yielded finds like the Cusco six-point roll cage, the rear Civic Type-R seat and gauge cluster, and the Gathers double-DIN head unit with MiniDisc player for sounds.
All of it just to make a car unique enough to stand out from the pack and good enough to remind him that the best cars are still his first cars.
"I just grew up with Hondas. I guess I'm like the VW guys; I just can't get out of it. I just keep finding good deals. I've had Chevys, Toyotas, Nissans. And nothing is ever as reliable as a Honda."