Yeah, There's Carbon Here But This Ain't Nocarboncopy.
writer: Adam S. Geczi
Marco Arias' EF CRX
The intensification of the JDM craze here is not news. Nor is the fact that JDM-clad imports can be found on just about all of our wish lists. The widespread appearance of I ♥ JDM license plate frames on random hondas all around us serve as reminders of the fine line between being different and trying to be different...Albeit just like everyone else, therefore being no different at all. Occasionally the truly unusual abounds, like this rare righthand drive '91 CRX SiR acquired from Japan by one Marco Arias. Unlike other conversions pieced together from wrecking yard parts and eBay finds making them seem JDM, Marco's CRX is the real deal.
Equipped with the once immensely popular B16A DOHC VTEC engine and wraparound directional lights from the factory, this rex is admired by both form and function crowds. Marco, who says he's not a huge fan of older Hondas, makes an exception when describing the newest addition to his collection of imports. Discussing the interior equipment, he's quick to point out the OEM instrument cluster, which includes a temperature-controlled climate system that others would be hard-pressed to find on newer cars of the same class, even today. As with other paraphernalia sourced from the motherland, true-to-form JDM hondas are more often than not outfitted with extras our USDM counterparts likely won't see for years to come, if ever. This alone is perhaps reason enough to jump on the JDM bandwagon, even if it is has already met its weight capacity. Marco's ride, however, is most often admired for the right-side steering column. "It's really cool to drive around and have the homies wonder how I got my hands on this ride," he says.
Astute Hondaphiles understand the drama associated with importing one's very own Japanese domestic car. Only those residing in the land where left-hand drive is the norm know the scrutinizing process presented by the authorities when it comes to anything else. As such, the waters are often muddied and the lines blurred when it comes to devising clever alternatives to bringing such vehicles over. Not that Mr. Arias did such things but more than a few capers have been known to occur. suppose an alternative was sought, unlike Marco who reportedly went through the proper channels, how then would one bring such JDM-ness to american soil?
The answer lies in the barcalounger. It should come as no surprise that more than a few right-hand drive chassis have made their way to the states under the guise of containers full of furniture. But before you plan on stuffing a CTR in between a dozen or so sofa beds, keep in mind that cars imported without the proper paperwork are about as useless as a two-legged kitchen table because they can never be registered or legalized for on-road use. The cost of shipping, federalizing and making a car 50-state legal runs roughly $15,000 and can only be performed if crash test data is provided to the government. Try registering a car at the state level and be prepared to pay upwards of $25,000. So, short of coughing up such dough, one's best alternative presents itself in the form of furniture, which of course means this little piece of JDM could only legally be driven off-road, but it's significantly cheaper at around $5,000 per container.