Raul Corrales, JR.'S '06 TSXSouthern California youth of the '90s looked away from the musclecar and dedicated their interest elsewhere, like Hondas. The import movement had barely begun, and was far from reaching the level of mainstream attention it's since earned. As such, most kids got their fixes at the local street races. Sneaking out of their parents' house late at night to hit up the races became second nature-that and gawking at the chicks at local car shows. Like many, Raul Corrales, Jr.'s, project car dream had yet to come to fruition and, at the time, wishful thinking was the only modification he could afford. "I was too young to drive at the time but, being around the import street racing scene, I always wanted to build a fast car," Raul says. "As the years went by my vision never changed, cars were always on my mind."
When it came time to purchase a car of his own, Raul began researching the Subaru WRX. He thought he had his mind set on one until the day he went for a ride in a boosted RSX. "The RSX only had a basic bolt-on turbo kit but, let's just say that after a few rides in it, the idea of picking up a Subaru was tossed out the window," Raul says. Honda's potential and reliability were what attracted him to the brand most. The only problem he had with the RSX was that it didn't have four doors so, naturally, Acura's TSX became the solution. After witnessing varying degrees of TSX options, Raul settled on the exact one he wanted. Unfortunately, what he'd longed for was nearly impossible to obtain. "I'd stop at every dealership at any time of the day or night just to look at all the TSXs, knowing they didn't have what I was looking for," Raul says. It didn't take long for Acura's sales personnel to recognize Raul, referring to him on a first-name basis, each time warning him that he wasn't going to find what he was looking for: a Premium White Pearl TSX complete with ebony interior, a six-speed manual transmission, and navigation.
Raul's dream TSX was the automotive equivalent of the unicorn and fate would have to step in to align him with his CL9. It was no unicorn, but a friend was able to track Honda's inventory and give Raul a heads-up on the only TSX built to his specifications and headed for the U.S. Lucky for Raul, a SoCal dealership was its drop point. He immediately contacted the dealership where they confirmed that they were indeed taking delivery of this very CL9. A game of phone tag soon resulted in a giant "Sold" sign being plastered on the front of the very TSX he'd waited eight long months for. "I couldn't believe they sold the car," Raul says. The sales team saw the look on Raul's face and began laughing. "There's your baby," one of them said. "You must be Raul." With the paperwork signed and keys in hand, Raul finally had the TSX of his dreams.
The wait may have been long, but Raul still had a lifetime's worth of TSX dreams to make reality. He did, after all, still have to build the car. The first step was to bring it to the ground. Being a part of SoCal's infamous Phaze 2 crew meant that ride height was essential, so he opted for TEIN Flex coilovers with the EDFC option, which allows dampening adjustments at the touch of a button. The next step was to get the right set of wheels. "I wanted a wheel that was lightweight and gave the car a sportier look," Raul says.
"I knew that Regamasters were the right wheel, the challenge was finding the right size and offset." Raul and the rest of the Phaze 2 crew live by one motto: "If your wheels tuck, your wheels suck." A bit of trial and error in the form of Desmond Marquis Promada rims manufactured to NSX specs seemed to be the solution. The staggered combo fit perfectly.