Many people talk about the EK Honda Civic as being one of the best front-wheel-drive cars, but not many people seem to care for what came before: the EG. Alas, it never had a Type R version but that’s not say it was a “bad” car by any means, and if you look at it compared to an EK, you will see a lot of similarities. However this EG Civic is something a little bit different from the norm, and I’ve been wanting to do a proper feature on it for quite a while. The colour and the simple yet tasteful modifications stand out to me like few Civics can.
Chathura (or Chat for short) originally bought this Civic without any modifications, stating that he just “needed a car” – nothing fancy, just a small and reliable car to get around town without breaking the bank. I totally understand the reason for this, especially with the price of petrol these days. A sensible car with a 1.5 litre, 4 cylinder engine that produces around 70HP is all you need for personal transport. These are all valid reasons for owning an economy car, but Chat simply couldn’t sit down and leave it as just another boring Civic.
Whilst the engine has been left as standard, Chat has added several performance enhancements and a custom-made body kit to make it more engaging on a race track. It’s not a crazy kit which I applaud because it shows a level of restraint and careful consideration on Chat’s part. The car has upgraded suspension that’s both stiffer and lower to provide better handling, along with a set of gripper tyres more akin to a semi-slick than a road tyre for all weather conditions. Chat also removed the sound deadening to reduce the weight of an already light car to 790KG. This car isn’t built for daily driving on the street, hence why it’s rarely taken out.
The most striking thing about this Civic though is the colour. The dark purple is unusual but to me, it only adds to the appeal of this little nugget. Chat simply says that he likes purple, so that’s the colour he ended up choosing and I think it’s great. The wheels are a five-spoke design, with black rims and a dark copper barrel that Chat says cost a total of $7,000. This colour combination works well because it isn’t overpowering and compliments the overall look of the car, unlike some wheel and colour combinations that only prove to spoil the stance of a small car like this one. The wheels are 15 inches, so the tyres have a decent amount of thickness to them. Well played indeed.
The reason why I was drawn to this Civic in the first place was just how clean it looked to compared to other modified Civics. When I saw it for the first time, I stopped in my tracks because EG Civics are rare sights at the best of times; let alone one with such a distinct colour. However, colour is only part of the story, because I’ve seen some cars with a fun paint job that’s let down by some questionable body modifications. Chat’s Civic doesn’t have this problem and I admire the package as a result.
This car isn’t the most expensive and it definitely isn’t the fastest, but that hasn’t stopped Chat from creating a characterful and honest car which is far from boring. He may not talk it up much but I think he’s underselling the work that he’s done to it.
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