#dekagrams

“I’ve said it time & time again: Car manufacturers 20-30 years ago… they took chances. They made these oddball cars like the CRX or the Del Sol that were more for the driver and NOT for the purpose.

The 80’s & 90s stand out to me… because it was more about the drive. It was more about style… and what you have. It was standing out from the crowd.

It’s been a few years now, but a buddy of mine & I were driving around, and we were just looking at cars in car lots. And we drove through an Infinity dealership. Every single new car on that lot was either gray, white, or black. There is no other colors. Who??? Like….We have color TVs for a reason!”

-John Moore / Jacksonville, FL

This is John Moore’s 1988 Honda CRX HF, powered by a K20A2 from an RSX Type-S. And his words above are just a little glimpse into his mindset… a mindset that a lot of us tuners, drivers, and enthusiasts feel at our core.

It’s true: The automotive landscape has changed. And the rate at which it’s changed… is nothing compared to the rate that it’s changing now. Technological innovations, combined with cost-cutting, combines with safety requirements, combined with changing consumer demands is shuffling all the papers here. We don’t know where exactly is gonna go, but we know it’s going there fast. And we know it’s not good for expressive sports cars.

The Tragedy

Ford isn’t making any cars/sedans for the US anymore, except for the Mustang. GM looks like they’re following that path… although not quite as extremely. Electric engines are forcing the internal combustion engine to witness their own fate. On the same token though, electric engines are also changing everything we thought we knew about performance.

Manufacturers are cutting costs & closing facilities, while raising sticker prices. New cars are priced higher than ever… absurdly high for someone who hasn’t been in the market for a while. Yet new cars are competing for a tight spot with more ‘monthly charges’ than we’ve ever seen in our lives.

Cars have already turned into full-on appliances. Rolling Bluetooth devices… save for a few exceptions. Fat cars for fat consumers.

And the tragedy is: Today’s commuters are not willing to make any sacrifices to their comforts or conveniences… for the sake of memorable experiences and/or enjoyment. And today’s manufactures aren’t willing to risk it & tell these slugs to go pound sand… except maybe for Mopar. So we’ve lowered the curve to meet the needs of the uninspired. And began to spin-off lazy things, as exciting things. Started to market convenience as performance. They don’t care if it’s lies… so long as it’s what they want to hear.

And if you think the appliancing of vehicles has peaked-out, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Less variety, and more repurposed chassis… that’s what you can expect to see domino into the near future.

What Matters

I’m not sure how to wrap this up. I’m not sure where the pretty bow went. And admittedly – everything I just wrote, was written in generalities. Please understand that. I know people with SUVs, crossovers, and minivans who are not lazy. They’re just busy!! Busy with parenting, work, errands, recitals… all of the above. I get it! I’m not speaking on an individual basis, but I AM speaking on a blanket truth.

But just because the masses go one way… doesn’t mean you need to follow. Know your True North. Don’t forget who you are. If driving matters to you… it’s usually part of a bigger set of character traits. It means that THINGS matter to you. SENSES matter. DETAILS matter. And a sense of FREEDOM & EXPLORATION… matters. It means that you’re in touch with these types of things. So yes, GO OUT OF YOUR WAY… and SPEND YOUR MONEY & EFFORT to support the brands who are led by passion. Car culture and otherwise. Buy what moves you… even if it doesn’t always make perfect sense. And remember that each time we make a purchase, we cast our own personal vote on what’s important… and how we want this world to be.

John Moore is absolutely right: The most memorable cars & trucks throughout history, are usually the one’s that fall at the edges of the spectrum. Same with people.

  Catch up with John on Facebook under John Moore. And/or on Instagram @slo88crx.

And if you’ve got a few minutes to kill, go watch our behind-the-scenes video with John on our S3 Magazine Youtube channel.

1988 HONDA CRX HF

Superior Blue Metallic

Fiber Images JDM style carbon hood

Specialty Carbon – carbon fiber fenders

EDM SI rear spoiler

’90-’91 CRX taillights

XENON front bumper cap

PCI side skirts

Konig Dekagrams in 15×7.5 +35 – matte black

Federal RSRR – 225/45/15

  UNDERNEATH

90-93 Integra brakes front & rear

PowerStop slotted/drilled rotors

EBC Green Stuff brake pads

Goodrich stainless brake lines

KTuned traction bar

Function Form type-2 coilovers

Skunk2 front & rear camber kit

ST Suspension 22mm sway bars front & rear

All-In Fab rear lower control arms

  INSIDE

Sparco sprint driver seat

PCI seat brackets

Auto Power roll bar

Full ’88 SI interior

CRX SIR instrument cluster

Tegiwa rubber dash insert

OEM radio and equalizer

CTR shift knob

Checkered sports hub boss

Momo mod.07 steering wheel

  ENGINE BAY

K20a2 engine

6-speed LSD transmission

Skunk2 alpha header

Innovative k-swap mounts

Custom driver side mount

Stage6 custom center-feed intake manifold

ID850 injectors

Wilson 74mm throttle body

Wire-word milspec engine harness

Rywire conversion harness

BDL industries fuel rail

Ktuned fuel pressure regulator

Ktuned a/c and p/s delete

Ktuned cable stay bracket

Ktuned shift cable bushings

Hush Performance cable-to-hydro conversion

Kacepts shifter box mount plate

Skunk2 alpha half size radiator

Custom 4″ intake with velocity stack

3″ mandrel bent stainless exhaust

Vibrant Performance 3″ ultra quiet resonator

Hondata kpro

All-In Fab brake booster delete

Wilwood brake master cylinder

Text by Wooley   Photos by Jesuel Rivera