He had his car tuned at 3 a.m. He enjoyed the drive home under the rising sun with a freshly tuned Hondata K-Pro ECU to the drumbeat of 223 wheel horsepower. He arrived home exactly 24 hours later from the time he left the previous morning, without a wink of sleep. It's taxing days like these coupled with Mike's focus that kept the build in constant motion.
Disaster also struck three days before the photo shoot. The Honda gods really had it in for Mike this time. Doug had come back to Connecticut to see Mike's finished EM2. Mike was more than eager to take Doug for a spin. The drive came to an abrupt end as the serpentine belt snapped. The car overheated and Mike had to drop the car off at his mother's house that happened to be nearby...and she had no tools. The parts arrived in three days. Mike and Steve stayed up for another straight 24 hours without even a nap to arrive an hour late to the photo shoot. "I couldn't even blink my eyes," he recalls.
Mike has decided to change the status of his silver Civic to show car. "I rarely bring out the Civic, only on pretty summer days. It's a show car that sits in the garage and collects dust," he says with a slight tone of disgust. He scooped up a '90 CRX with an LS swap to get the groceries. However, Mike is continuing the build. He intends to pull everything off the car and shave every unnecessary hole and hide more wires in the engine bay. "I kind of feel like I have accomplished something," he timidly admits. And he has.
Bolts & Washers
Propulsion
K20A2 engine
Hasport engine mounts
K&N air filter
Custom 3-inch intake
ITR RBC intake manifold
Megan Racing exhaust manifold
A'PEXi N1 cat-back exhaust
Walbro 255 lph fuel pump
BDL fuel rail
Russell's fittings and stainless lines
Earl's fittings and stainless lines
NGK-R spark plugs
ARC spark plug cover
TWM Performance short shift kit
Competition Clutch 6-puck clutch
Spoon Sports reservoir covers
Custom green painted valve cover
Hondata K-Pro ECU
Stance
Tein Flex coilovers
Tein rear shock tower bar
RSX-S front/rear antiroll bars
Resistance
CTR EP3 rear disc conversion
Power Slot discs
Hawk HPS pads
Rims & Rubber
17x7 Volk Racing CE28N (+48 offset)
225/45-17 Kumho Ecsta MX
Outside
VIS carbon-fiber front lip
Honda Factory Performance rear lip
Honda Factory Performance side skirts
Nukabe rear tow hook
JDM Honda red badges
Inside
ITR DC5 Recaro red seats
Takata 4-point harnesses
Takata harness pads
ARC shift knob
CTR EP3 shift boot
Innovate Motor Sports wide band
air/fuel ratio gauge
Pioneer S5000 head unit
20% window tint
Custom red carpet
Props
Doug Dunleavy
Bryan Lacature
Jose @ Marrero Motor Sports (Waterbury, CT)
John @ Honda of Danbury
Tim Cummings, Stephen Peters
Dunleavy's Road Service (Brookfield, CT)
Mariel Westphalen
www.inlinefour.com
Hybrid Racing
Colin Post, Eugene Torres
DRT NYC, Eric Yosolo
Boston Garage (Danbury, CT)
Mike Spezzano, Brian
Owner Specs
Favorite Website:
www.nwp4life.com
Screen Name Or Nickname:
recaroem2
Building Hondas For How Long:
5 years
Your Dream Car:
Ferrari Enzo, Bugatti Veyron
Build Inspiration:
To make a car that no one else really
makes nice, well...nice!
What's Playing In Your iPOD/CD/
MP3 Player Right Now:
Notorious B.I.G.
Greatest Movie Of All Time:
Transformers