"Oh my God! I've never seen a Ferrari up close before," the child-like barista says to me as I walk into Starbucks, half paying attention to her as I try my best to ignore the eight-dollar apple fritter.

Bubble Boy
When you're young, unless your parents took you around the country, or perhaps around the world, you probably felt like the planet wasn't much bigger than your backyard. There might have been the occasional road trips to here or there, but the majority of the earth's activity seemed to revolve a few feet around you. Of course, as you mature over the years, you come to find out that there's much more out there, beyond your comfort zone. I can recall visiting family in the Midwest at a very young age, culture shock slapping me in the face as I stepped out of the airport terminal. It took a little time for me to wrap my head around the fact that all of "this" was going on outside my little bubble.

The mid-1990s was a special time. The original 90201 was on T.V., a gallon of gas was a buck, and Nirvana still had a lead singer. But the mid-1990s was also a blessing for enthusiasts. It was a time when consumers bought cars based on passion and performance-not hydrocarbon repercussions or the number of side-curtain airbags. And the Japanese automakers knew this. In 1993, those who willingly shied away from the likes of the Camaro Z28 SS, Mustang Cobra, and Corvette ZR-1 had their choice of no fewer than five Japanese alternatives that were each arguably as capable (if not more so) as what Detroit had to offer. The pie was split evenly: Mitsubishi had its AWD, 3000GT VR4; Mazda, its rotary-powered RX-7; Toyota, its Supra; and Nissan, its 300ZX; all twin-turbocharged, mind you and, save for the VR4, all RWD-configured. And then there was the NSX-the only one of the lot not to share in the lust that is boost. And it didn't matter one bit.

Homemade Grills
If you were into imports, especially Honda's, somewhere around 1993, you probably remember the infamous homemade mesh grill kits. No one is quite sure where it all started, though it was probably adopted from the body kit companies that included a mesh screen to fill the large openings on most of their front and rear bumpers. The more extreme the body kits became the more mesh that was used to sit behind the multiple openings.

First Major Challenge...
Ever since I first stepped foot into Honda waters, I found myself bombarded by options. In fact, I'd say I was pretty much spoiled. Aftermarket support for the various Hondas I've owned has been nothing short of amazing. Civic hatchback, CRX, EH chassis, they all had an abundance of options, whether it be power, appearance, or suspension related. Of course there weren't quite as many manufacturers in the early '90s, yet there was enough activity to keep my savings account in the red. When the B series/VTEC phenomenon finally struck the U.S. with the introduction of the GS-R, things momentarily slowed down. There were plenty of exhaust, header, and intake options available, but anything beyond that was thought to be a waste of money. "These engines will never make any more power than the simple bolt-ons. Cams won't work, and you can't boost a high compression motor" they would scream. But after the initial fear wore off, and envelope pushers got their hands dirty, our industry once again began to blossom, with new upgrades popping up almost weekly. Quiet were the naysayers once cam makers unveiled their newest offerings. Bolt-on turbo and supercharger kits were being produced in mass quantities. Realistically, once the initial B series fears were put to rest, we didn't see another major roadblock for a number of years.

Mugen Pro II Kit
If you had to name one group as the king of Honda aftermarket engineering and performance, it would probably be Mugen. And if you were asked to name one thing that influenced the knock-off industry more than any other item, it would probably be the CRX Pro II kit. This trend setting kit featured 6 body pieces made specifically for the 88-89, and 90-91 models, and managed to revolutionize the Honda aftermarket aero industry. Expertly laid high quality fiberglass offered an OEM-quality fit. The side skirt and door caps utilized stock mounting holes, and featured indentions on the exterior of both sides for the authentic Mugen badge. The rear bumper was fitted with its own bumper support that bolted to the chassis just like the factory piece. Also notable was the under-tray that ran along the length of the rear bumper and over the exhaust ends. An inset portion at the bottom of the bumper could be fitted with the included honeycomb-style mesh screen that mounted from the outside of the bumper.

Honda Tuning magazine-and those of the same ilk for that matter-have changed over the course of the past decade. Dramatically. While reminiscing over HT's past 11 years, I found myself perusing issues number one and two, the first of which was published but once that year and was little more than a compilation of old Sport Compact Car magazine articles that, incidentally, happened to have Hondas in them. HT very well could have been nothing more than an attempt by its previous owners to capitalize on its archived Honda and Acura content...twice...in light of the brand's then recent popularity (imagine if SCC had too many AMC Pacer features), but the magazine's grown to become so much more than that. It is, after all, the only publication in the world that exists because Honda does.

Somewhere around the early nineties, I made my way over to Del Mar, CA, for my first car show. It was Import Showoff, and I remember being excited at the fact that I'd be spending the afternoon gawking at a custom Integra or two, or maybe drooling over a heavily modified Civic. Sure, there would no doubt be other types of cars attending, but my interest at that time was solely vested in the big H. As we arrived at the event and drove through the gates, I couldn't believe my eyes. A line that couldn't have been any less than a few thousand people stretched from one end of the parking lot to the other. At the time I had no idea there were that many people even interested in imports, and it completely changed my perspective. Living in my little world, it never crossed my mind that there were plenty of cars outside my town, and beyond Turbo and Sport Compact Car Magazine. Though it took quite some time, we eventually found a parking spot and proceeded to break out the camcorder (which, at that time, was about the size of a minivan) to record the cars in the parking lot as we made our way toward the ticket line. Cars we'd never seen before from Los Angeles and surrounding cities completely blew our minds as we'd only been exposed to local cars on street race night.

Well, it took awhile, but I finally sold my long-term project car. It's something that I struggled with for a while. After owning my '93 Civic for more than eight years and putting it through countless changes, I was presented with an opportunity to get myself into an S2000 that I just couldn't pass up. After shooting so many nice S2Ks last year, I've since had my eyes on AP1 prices and owner issues. The fact that money isn't falling from trees in the U.S. right now only helped during my search as prices have dropped dramatically. Feeling like it was time to take a break from the Civic and Integra world, the little roadster felt like the perfect car to move on to. I know absolutely nothing about driving a RWD car, and I'm sure I'll look like a granny the first few laps I take around a road course, but I'm excited to learn, and the idea of trying something new is exciting to me.

Macs Japan
One-Stop NSX Shop
If you find yourself in the greater Tokyo area and you happen to be an NSX fan, you've got to visit Macs, one of the largest (perhaps the largest) NSX dealerships in the world. It doesn't take much to earn that reputation though-since 1997, when Macs first opened its doors to NSX fans, it's typically stored no more than a dozen or so aluminum supercars at a time, most of which remain inside the building, behind the glass. A rarity even in the NSX's birthplace, don't visit Macs expecting to find a small stable of NSX-Rs and Type S Zeros though, because you won't. Of course, the R and Type S Zero-rarities even in Japan-are what we all really want to see when we go there, but only the lucky are fortunate enough to see the real thing as both are about as unusual as they come. Instead, plan on settling for one or two of the next best thing, the Type S, which is nearly as cool to see.

They say that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. It's true. Time at Honda Tuning exists on its own. Weekends spent working on and shooting cars, 12-hour days behind the computer, nights at the dyno-none of it matters; perhaps that's because none of it actually feels like work. Some people will never experience this, and for that, I feel sorry for them.

The Inspiration
Today's thoughts go out to those heads on the streets. This year I've found myself talking about the streets over and over, as well as the strong underground movement that's been going on-the grassroots stuff, the stuff I relate to. Some of you need to wake up and get your inspiration from other places. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box, it just might do you some good.

Yes, it's true, project cars and legions of Honda heads existed long before the automotive Internet explosion took place. Today, we don't hesitate to log on to find technical information or new and used parts, or to keep tabs on the latest trends. But years ago, before the forums played such a vital role in our daily lives, car building took a little more time and quite a bit more effort. Face-to-face sales have been replaced with websites and digital shopping carts, but there's no harm in making sure that the younger generation understands just how things used to be.

It's no secret that I'm a forum junkie. Though I only post on a few, I keep an eye on a number of them, especially those that cater to the big H and its family. I love forums, even with their constant bickering and the PMs I get from people complaining about how someone badmouthed their car that they posted 15 times in a 24-hour period, or whining about why their uncomfortably specific thread titled "Post your fluorescent orange wheels on purple cars lowered 1.75 inches in a vacant lot with a gravel surface during a slight torrential downpour on a Thursday night surrounded by dandelions and lava rocks" was locked. The threads that pop up every other minute are like an up-to-the minute blog showing us what's new in every part of the country. Over the years they've become their own monster, spawning a subculture that relies on posted information to learn new methods in every aspect of Honda building. Many of the most popular trends you see at your local meet or track event were a result of a thread created by someone, then copied by someone else. From there, the trickle effect continued until that trend became the norm.

My friends and I thought about swapping a DOHC VTEC B-series engine into one of our '88-'91 Civic hatchbacks not long after Honda began selling the '92-'93 GS-R. We were pimple-faced, young and awkward, and a bit overzealous, but none of that got in the way of us saying amongst ourselves, "Hey, why not? The chassis looks similar to the Civic's, so why wouldn't it work?" But we never did find any B17A GS-R engines. Instead, the first DOHC VTEC engine I ever swapped into an EF chassis Civic came from a del Sol, shortly after the car was released. The Civic was a base-model, '89 hatchback, one that we'd almost settled on swapping a ZC into, maybe even a B18A if we could find one-but both of those had been done already. Besides, the problem was that B18As weren't all that abundant in 1994. I visited a couple of local engine yards in search of one, but what I found at a wrecking yard in nearby Fontana changed everything. Perched up high on a rack of smashed metal was a nearly new but beat-up Honda del Sol VTEC, complete with its B16A engine, ECU, and hydro transmission. We bought it all, everything we needed to do the swap and, in hindsight, all sorts of things that we didn't need...like the transmission...and the ECU...and the under-dash wiring harness. Never mind the fact that the del Sol's hydraulic transmission wouldn't work in the old hatchback (nobody really knew that at the time) or the fact that the ECU wouldn't plug in (nobody knew that either), we had ourselves a real-deal twin-cam VTEC engine, and we were going to make it fit.

If there's one person who knows a thing or two about old-school Honda paraphernalia, it's Oscar Jackson. Often credited as a pioneer of modern-day Honda performance, Jackson has collected just as many ground-breaking parts as he's created. Among the many artifacts in his collection is his Civic "R Type" engine, a Japanese version of the '73-'79 Civic 1200 that was sold in the U.S. Though it wasn't known as a performance car by any means, its Japanese brethren proved to be ahead of its time. Noteworthy differences include the engine's intake and exhaust. Instead of the U.S. model's two-barrel downdraft carburetor, the R Type features dual side draft carburetors for better airflow. And the Japanese version features a true Tri-Y exhaust manifold (pictured on left) in contrast to the U.S. engine's restrictive short-runner design. The Tri-Y design was so innovative that it continues to influence exhaust manifolds to this day-both aftermarket and OEM-like with the Integra Type R's B18C manifold, for example. It's hard to believe, but Honda's engineers developed this design almost 40 years ago, yet it remains relevant, even by today's standards.

The cooler's in the car, it's gassed up, and you jump beneath the sheets early for a good night's rest before your next meet. Yeah right, maybe if you're lucky. In the real world you're most likely up until 2 a.m., running behind on last-minute adjustments. You probably haven't packed and you're nowhere near finished with the car. Ah, the joys of preparing for a meet. If you're anything like me, you've been there. I see the stories on the forums--they usually have to do with all-nighters and sleep deprivation. I'm at many of these meets, and I can tell you stories of those who show up in the clothes they were wearing the night before. Many are running on no sleep, on borrowed time, even with borrowed parts, but they made it. That's really all that matters.

Earlier this year, Eibach Springs' Ryan Hoegner (aka vtecvoodoo) held an impromptu meet at the company's Corona, California facility. Infamous for its mega-sized Honda-only event held each May, Hoegner wanted to hold something open to all makes to kick off the New Year. The event was promoted on a few of the forums and, based on past events, no more than 300 cars were expected. By 11 a.m. the parking lot--which has a capacity of more than 500 cars--was full. Cars were double-parked and the streets were beginning to congest from blocks away.

When it first came out, I didn't realize that the NSX had VTEC. The truth is, in 1990, I didn't even know what VTEC was. Nobody really did though. It wasn't until one of my high school skateboarding buddies picked up a '92 GS-R a couple of years later that I was appropriately exposed to the acronym. And what an acronym it was. The idea of valve timing and lift that could both be dynamically adjusted while the engine ran was enough to pique my interest. It also became the cheapest way any of us could remotely associate ourselves with Acura's new mid-engine supercar. Honda wasn't the first to implement variable valve timing into a production engine, but it did it the best.

DR. Charles
Almost every industry has its standouts. Ours is no different. Technology, sports, the auto industry, none of these would be where they are now were it not for forward-thinking individuals. Our industry is full of leaders; the ones who've helped us grow over the years. But only a handful can claim they've been around since the beginning. And even fewer can say they've taken a hands-on approach at multiple levels and helped shape things into the way they are now. Charles Madrid can. For some, the name might conjure up images and events, a legendary history, even tall tales. For others, the name might ring a distant bell, but not one loud enough to make a difference simply because they're too young to know. Charles Madrid, or "Dr. Charles" as he's commonly known, has been involved with imports like Hondas since the late 1980s. He's gotten his hands dirty for the better part of 20 years working on the world's most famous Hondas, and somehow always managed to find himself at the forefront of the latest engine swaps and engine combinations that many initially shrugged off as "impossible." He's piloted a few of the fastest cars to date, helped break numerous records, and worked for some of the biggest names in the industry. Dr. Charles quickly became known as the "go-to guy" for a number of race teams, both for reasons of taking advantage of his mechanical prowess and his driving skills. His work ethic and ability to troubleshoot in-depth problems quickly are both to be reckoned with. Despite all of this, his history escapes many. Until now.

I've fallen off my rocker. That's right, I've lost my marbles but for good reason. Somehow I've committed myself to another build-up on the Civic. With thoughts of transforming some other platform-like maybe an AWD or RWD beast-I've found myself torn on the topic of which car to choose. Of course, ultimately I chose the Civic.

Love me or hate me, somebody over here's given me another chance this month to ramble on about some of those things that make me happy, mad, sad, or just about anything in between. Loyal readers may recall that I'm in the midst of rebuilding my B18C Type R engine. The premise is: Going big with the ITR. Or maybe it's: How to better the B. Either way, it'll be bigger, stronger, and hopefully make my hatchback faster. All things that make me happy. Think of it as the Six Million Dollar Man of the B-series realm. No, not Ted DiBiase the wrestler, but Steve Austin, the real bionic man. Like many, I thought the build would be straightforward, even easy. I mean, all I had to do was order some parts, yank the engine, send it to the machine shop, put it back together, and slap it back in place. Sounds easy enough. It isn't shaping up to be though. The parts gathering process wasn't too difficult. I know at least one or two important people in the industry, which made obtaining the things I wanted relatively easy and affordable. And pulling the engine out, well, that was even easier. Aaron and I dropped the engine in his garage in less than an hour and by the end of the day it was in pieces in the back of a truck ready for the machine shop. But now I find myself sitting here staring at an empty bay, waiting for the sleeves to be installed, waiting for the headwork to be completed. All of this waiting leaves entirely too much time for thinking, which isn't necessarily a good thing for me.

If there's a constant among Honda enthusiasts, it's that we can't leave well enough alone. No matter what's under our new projects' hoods, the idea of replacing the stock power plant is typically one of the first thoughts that pops into our heads. It's no secret that the K-series tidal wave that's crashing over the country took the place of B- and H-series swaps. But before VTEC swaps became as routine as oil changes, there was a little engine we like to call the ZC that's since lived out its 15 minutes of fame.

Who Let The Honda Guys In?
It's 4:50 on a rainy Friday morning and I'm tired. Not just regular tired, but the kind of tired you feel after only three hours of sleep. The kind of tired when you know you needed at least seven. I'm standing shoulder to shoulder in a sea of caffeine-powered shoppers, most of whom are elbowing their ways through a poorly organized line to reach that beloved cashier's counter. That's right, I woke up at 4 a.m. on Black Friday in a feeble attempt to find those legendary "can't-miss deals" that I'd long heard about. Though my attitude is that of an angry pre-teen, I sheepishly admit that it was well worth losing a few hours of sleep in order to save 300 big ones on that shiny new plasma that'll shock my mom on Christmas. Due to the Disneyland-esque line in front of me, my short attention is quickly drawn toward the magazine rack. I note a few import titles alongside the muscle car magazines and Auto Traders, but what really stands out is the Honda Civic on one cover in particular. It's probably the fourth or fifth Honda I've seen pasted on the cover of a magazine other than Honda Tuning this year, which is surprising. For a short moment, it reminded me of the good ol' days, when great mags like Sport Compact Car and Turbo would hit my mailbox with a CRX or an Integra on their covers just about every other month. It was a great time, and there was an endless flow of Honda info coming from every direction. For those of us mesmerized by all things Honda, it was a chance for us to learn. Times were good.

It's been awhile since I've taken on a build. Sure, I've always had at least one modified Honda to my name since I started driving, but I'm talking about a full-blown build, one that'll turn a daily driver into a heap of parts, one that isn't cheap, one that takes time. My NSX is a full-blown build and I'm reminded of that daily. It started out innocently enough. I searched long and hard for a clean, good running NA1, one that wouldn't need an engine rebuild, one that wouldn't need to be repainted, one that had a near-perfect interior. One that I could drive home, lightly modify, and enjoy. To be sure, the NSX I settled on was sold with a solid engine, the paint was decent, and the interior was quite nice. But solid, decent, and quite nice are never good enough.