D1GP is this month!!!
Where have I been? Then again it's been a while since I've been to a D1 event. The first one was awesome in the sense it renewed some emotion I have about the import culture. Of course it was beaten to death with the JDM-tards and the Fast and Furious crowd...but still...watching cars slide across pavement is always fun...especially when you almost lose a hand to the rear end of Silvia while trying to take a picture of it. ;-P
Old School: Honda 1300 Coupe 9
So I was perusing Jalopnik's Fantasy Garage and came across this little gem from Honda. Not widely known to the international community, this JDM model (with a tiny amount exported to Australia) was a technological wonder that only Mr. Honda himself could pull off. Let's find some choice quotes:
Let's start with that engine. One hundred sixteen horsepower doesn't sound like much until you realize the grunt is coming from a 1.3-liter mill at 7200 rpm. That's 88 hp per liter...
...When the much lauded and undeniably sporty Acura Integra debuted in 1986, its 1.6-liter DOHC 16V VTEC produced 113 hp. That was only about 70 hp per liter. At this point we need to mention the Coupe 9 sported four carburetors, had hemispherical combustion chambers, and was both air cooled and dry sumped. Much like Dr. Piech and his Veyron, cars like the 1300 Coupe 9 are what happen when your CEO happens to hold a degree in engineering. An ego the size of an island doesn't hurt, either.
This on top of a car that was FF but handled more like a RWD and it looks beautiful? Hmmm, wonder why more of these weren't available - I guess that's what makes it a limited run, eh? This indeed would fall into my cult classic status...
Catch the article here: Jalopnik's Fantasy Garage