Honda guys from New Jersey are among some of our favorites. Ever since we did Hondafest in '03 at the famed Englishtown drag strip, which attracted scores of local talent, we've had nothing but love and respect for our compatriots in the Garden State. It warmed our hearts to see so much devotion and enthusiasm for the big H. It was almost like we never left the Civic- and Integra-friendly environs of SoCal. Mullet heads in IROCs these are not.
Our latest Jersey gem is this '93 del Sol S owned by Marc Outram of Bayville. Outram bleeds Honda red, having owned an '82 Accord, a '95 Civic EX coupe, an '01 CL Type-S, and an '04 TL over the years. He picked up his Sol in '01 for a G and has since turned it into what he describes as "a fun weekend ride," dumping nearly 30 thousand dollars into the build. Given the car's mods and expense, though, something tells us he's out for more than just "fun."
We caught up with Outram not too long ago to find out more about his Targa-top terror.
Honda Tuning: Where did you find the del Sol? Marc Outram: A friend of mine had owned it for a long time and wanted to get rid of it because he wanted an S2000. I got the car really cheap because he owed me money.
HT: For $1,000, what condition was vehicle in? MO: It had a few dings here and there, but no real major body damage. The car was basically his winter vehicle, and he left it stock. I bought it because I wanted a new project. I had gotten rid of my old Civic and wanted something that was convertible. [I got the del Sol with] a Targa top.
HT: Why this Sol, the S?MO: The lightest del Sol that Honda made was the S because it came with nothing. It was basically the stripped down version. The only thing power on the car is the windows.
HT: Have you had a chance to weigh the car in its current state?MO: Yeah, it weighs 2,180lbs. It's not super light, but it's light compared to a [Civic] coupe. A del Sol with a B16 averages almost 2,600lbs.
HT: What plans did you have for this car initially, if any?MO: The original plan was to have an everyday street vehicle and have some fun, go drag racing on the weekends, do some road racing with it. In the beginning I did everything nice, put a GSR [motor] in it, and once everything was done I became bored with the motor. The header and exhaust were satisfying for a little while, and then I added the NOS to it and that kept me going for another year. I got bored with that as well.
At that point I thought to try NA, because I had never built a strictly all-motor car. I enjoyed that for a little while. I went with a wet [nitrous] system and I couldn't get it to work the way I wanted it, so I went back to my roots, which is turbo. I wanted more and more power-it's a never-ending cycle. I always say I'm satisfied, but I seem to be upgrading every two years.