Twenty-five years (give or take) have passed since the introduction the chassis that made arguably the most significant impact on Honda performance as we know it. The CRX chassis, specifically the '88-'91 era that now enters double decade territory, represents a number of milestones etched into the Honda history books. Not just minor notes, but major events-like breaking the ten second quarter mile barrier when the doubters said it could never happen with a front wheel drive vehicle. The short, abrupt, rear-end combined with almost cartoonish curves has seen every possible incarnation, from low-rider show stoppers to dominating track-only monsters. It's the unique versatility that's kept enthusiasts enthralled with all things CRX since the late '80s. However, reaching the double decade mark has no doubt taken its toll on the pint-sized workhorse. If you're in the market for a CRX, you've probably come across more than your fair share of rusted and beat-down examples.
Those who are lucky enough to find one in decent condition have a choice to make; restore the car back to factory condition through a traditional restoration, or perhaps choose the restomod route. While restorations typically focus on adhering to all things OEM from the seats to the engine, a restomod build uses modern upgrades along the way to improve a car's performance and safety. There's a bold line drawn between the two, and muscle car enthusiasts have been debating it for years.
Reynard Mauricio of Winnipeg, Canada had been searching high and low for a new project car after giving up on local offerings. "I always wanted a brand new CRX and I just got tired of trying to work with local winter-driven rust buckets," he said. Knowing that he'd have to look outside of Canada in order to find a suitable starting point, Mauricio contacted Marv at Coyote Cars, a local importer. After a few months and countless back and forth emails, a '90 SiR glass-top was sourced in the fall of 2007. Just three weeks after picking up his new car, Mauricio started tearing it apart, piece by piece. The way he explains it, the goal was simple. "I wanted to make the car as close to new as possible, but with a few aftermarket upgrades to make it that much better."
The choice to treat his new right-hand drive to a complete restomod started first by pulling out the factory motor. In its day, the stock power-plant would have been more than enough to satisfy Mauricio's appetite for speed. But with 20 years of development now behind Honda, he was more than confident that his project would be better off using a newer form of motivation. With the OEM engine removed and sold, the stripped shell was sent to the body shop for a fresh coat of "Pepper White" from of all cars, a Mini Cooper. "I originally wanted to paint it championship white, but I'd seen that done a few times already. I was looking for something a little different, and to this day, I haven't seen another CRX painted Pepper White," he says thankfully.
Wish a fresh coat of paint also came new OEM moldings, driver and passenger glass, and front windshield. Out back, a set of FAL Lexan windows were chosen to shave a few pounds. To clean up the engine bay, Mauricio took it upon himself to rip out all of the car's wiring and delete any unnecessary plugs, then added braided nylon sleeves and performed a brake line tuck.