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TRACK BUILT EP3 CIVIC TYPE R: LAPPING IT UP

The more track action Matty Stevenson experienced with his track built EP3 Civic Type R, the more overwhelmingly addicted he became. And the end result is quite possibly the closest thing you’ll ever find to a touring car with number plates…

Feature taken from Banzai magazine. Words: Sam Preston. Photos: Adrian Venner @ Rimlust

Addiction: a word that’s almost always linked to negative connotations in our modern world. But what about if our human nature of becoming obsessed with certain things actually sometimes ended up with a positive outcome?

High-voltage electrical manager Matty here puts forward a remarkably good argument for this counter-case. But it isn’t drugs, booze or violence that gets this particular fella’s blood pumping…

“It quickly became a solid addiction for me with the only side-effects being no money for food and water; a small price to pay, I think you’ll agree!” he grins as he reveals to us exactly what it is that’s been on his mind almost constantly over the last few years. That is of course this formidable Honda Civic Type R, one that’s been comprehensively fettled over time to perform one task: excel on the track.

With the luxury of a company car at his disposal when he purchased this face-lift Cosmic Grey slice of VTEC goodness, Matty knew from day one that he’d never have to attempted treading the fine line between adding performance upgrades and retaining daily-driver comfort. It’s a street car for sure, but street cars normally come with compromises, and there aren’t too many to be found here.

“The plan was to spec it with a string of basic track mods to start with to bring that chassis alive,” he recalls. Sensibly keeping the bonnet firmly closed whilst he built up a taste for the circuit with the help of upgrades such as coilovers, plenty of chassis bracing and a big brake kit, Matty was soon reaping the benefits of this celebrated little hot hatch and its ability to be piloted around race tracks at a rate that many more expensive vehicles could often only dream of.

Lapping his local circuit, as well as countless other race tracks around the country, a distinct cycle began to emerge that involved Matty tearing it up on track each weekend, then being spurred on to take his Civic to the next level in time for his next outing immediately afterwards.

“The project got out of control and my initial visions to keep it fairly standard were soon consigned to the history books,” he admits. “The deeper I was drawn into the Honda and track driving, the more mods continued to make their way to my house in the mail.”

Obsessions reached an all-time high in 2015, when Matty was finally able to live out his fantasies by taking his trusty steed for a jaunt down to the mecca of motorsport: the Nürburgring Nordschleife – a moment that would change both car and driver for good. “I did four days there, and the car performed better than I could ever have imagined! This trip turned out to be serious ‘fuel for the fire’ for the next set of upgrades to begin.”

With the car finally reaching the seriously impressive ‘final state’ you see before you , and boasting one of the longest spec lists ever witnessed, we think it’s about time we put all of those inspired, intricate details that Matty’s performed over the years under the microscope to see just what makes this beast so much fun to pilot.

Let’s start with that chassis – already a winning part of the car from stock, but one that Matty was keen to completely transform to eek every last drop of capability out of when the going got tough. Some top-spec BC Racing coilovers with bespoke spring rates started things off nicely, complemented with the likes of JDM-spec anti-roll bars, a whole host of bracing components, a full polybush overhaul and a pro geo setup from FCM Motorsport to top it all off. Matty also has no less than three sets of wheels at his disposal, all shod with different rubber to suit all weather conditions. Tucked underneath are some huge Yellowspeed stoppers that were added in anticipation of extra power eventually making an appearance.

Talking of power, once Matty had successfully created perhaps the finest EP3 chassis known to man, he thought he could definitely justify looking into adding a little more grunt to that screaming K20 lump. Breathing goodies are unsurprisingly abundant to set things off, with a larger throttle body and Skunk2 inlet manifold some of the more notable touches. Then there’s a completely re-worked fuelling system featuring that anodised red Tegiwa rail and 450cc injectors that help to squeeze out the car’s headline power figure of 250.1bhp, achieved on TDI North’s rollers after some tinkering to the car’s Hondata K100 ECU.

But if the engine sounds like something you’re more likely to find in a race car, just wait until you see that cabin! Dominated by a comprehensive Safety Devices 6-point ‘cage and some hugging Cobra buckets, the flocked red/black interior is one hell of a functional place to spend time, cleverly retaining all of its class thanks to the perfect execution of each modification installed.

But what about those race-style decals that now adorn the car’s Cosmic Grey exterior flanks? “I was approached by Mike Chalk of MCR Specialist Cars and invited to various shows and track days with his company,” Matty recalls. “This is when I decided to give the exterior a little more zest and had a complement of go-faster decals made up” With a raft of splitters, canards and carbon fibre panels also making an appearance, the result is something you really wouldn’t want to see suddenly appearing in your rear-view mirror, that’s for sure!

Despite switching-up almost every component of his Type R at one point or another, Matty is pleased to report that race car ownership has been a remarkably plain-sailing affair. “Over the course of five years, the only thing that has failed was the radiator,” he tells us. “It gave up in spectacular fashion on Donington Park’s Starkey’s Straight.”

The secret to success then? It could be something to do with Matty’s obsessive nature of keeping his vehicles in only the finest of conditions at all times, meaning that this is an EP3 that doesn’t just dominate on the track, but has also won awards at shows, too. “I like to keep my car immaculately clean, I’ve actually overheard people at shows wondering whether it’s ever been on track at all!”

Sadly, though, all good things come to an end in the car world, including the relationship between this EP3 and its owner. “I had the urge to move forwards in the Honda scene and imported a Mugen-kitted FD2 Type R recently. I’ had to parted out the entirety of my Civic to fund it, but I think it’s it nice that these parts are being re-used to help the next generation of EP3 owners achieve their dreams.”

You’ve probably got quite a good grasp of what makes Matty tick after reading this feature, which means it will probably come as little surprise to hear that an all-new addiction has already begun. It’s only a matter of time until that one’s equally as epic too…

Tech Spec: Track Built EP3 Civic Type R

Engine:

2.0-litre K20 16v DOHC i-VTEC engine, Clockwise Motion baffled sump, Tegiwa M carbon fibre intake system, Gruppe M scuttle insert kit, Tegiwa M red modified inlet hose, Skunk2 Pro Series Black Edition inlet manifold (custom machined to accept 74mm throttle body, with port polishing, smoothed and bench-tested), Skunk2 Pro Series Black Edition 74mm throttle body, Tegiwa thermal inlet manifold and throttle body gaskets, wrinkle red inlet manifold and water pump housing, Tegiwa 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, DC Sports exhaust system, Solid Fabrications 3-inch titanium burnt exhaust tip, Tegiwa Competition aluminium radiator, Tegiwa anodised red fuel rail, Honda RC450cc re-jetted fuel injectors, Heavyset white silicone hoses, custom white Skunk2 rocker cover, carbon fibre spark plug cover, carbon fibre inlet manifold cover, carbon fibre battery cover, Tegiwa clutch and brake reservoir covers, Skunk2 Type B radiator cap, Skunk2 reservoir socks, Buddyclub oil cap, Skunk2 magnetic engine and gearbox oil plugs, anodised red engine bolts, Hondata K100 ECU (tuned by TDI North), six-speed manual gearbox, Exedy Stage 1 clutch, Fidanza lightened flywheel, Tegiwa short shifter, Neuspeed aluminium shifter bushes

Chassis:

17-inch Team Dynamic Pro Race 1.2 alloy wheels, Federal 595 RSR semi-slick tyres, Muteki Super Tuner wheel nuts, BC Racing BR coilovers with 8kg/10kg spring rates, Cusco front strut brace, ASR chassis brace, JDM-spec front and rear anti-roll bars, Superpro anti-roll bar bushes, Neuspeed aluminium shifter bushes, Energy polybush engine mounts, Superpro gearbox mount, DME anodised rear camber arms, DME anodised control arms, Superpro front lower control arm bushes, Hardrace adjustable drop links, full fast road/track geo setup by FCM Motorsport, Yellowspeed Ultra Grand front big brake kit with 4-pot calipers, 330mm floating discs and competition pads, Ferodo DS2500 pads, HEL Performance braided brake lines, RBF 600 Blue brake fluid, Tegiwa master cylinder stopper

Exterior:

Cosmic Grey body with custom livery, Seibon Mugen-style carbon fibre bonnet, rear diffuser fins, Stuke Designs aluminium aero splitter and skirts, Tegiwa front canards, de-wipered boot, Team HEKO wind deflectors, custom red-and-black Honda badges, matte black number plate infill, matte black lower bumper infill, Mugen adjustable rear spoiler, 6000k HID headlight kit, Fibreworx carbon fibre foglight inserts

Interior:

Cobra Suzuka Pro Fit Signature Series bucket seats, Buddyclub seat rails with Cobra side mounts, Luke GM 4-point harnesses, Safety Devices 6-point roll cage, chequerplate flooring, navigator foot plate, flocked red dash board and door cards, JDMGram custom white X-brace, Alcantara gear gaiter, anodised red fire extinguisher, Teishi Imports 5-panel wink mirror, Pioneer SPH-120 head unit, Nardi Personal 350mm steering wheel, HSK steering wheel boss, Fibreworx carbon fibre fuel tank cover

Source

November 18, 2020
HOONICORN FORD MUSTANG VS MCLAREN SENNA

Can Ken Block’s 1400bhp AWD Hoonicorn Ford Mustang beat the 800bhp McLaren Senna over a 1/4 mile? Time to find out…

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In what can only be described as a highly unusual drag race, Ken Block pitches his own 1400bhp, AWD Hoonicorn Ford Mustang against the 800bhp McLaren Senna. While neither car is built to go fast in a straight line (the Hoonicorn is used in Gymkhana events while the Senna boasts outrageous aerodynamics for cornering), both have staggering acceleration times.

From the off you might be thinking well Ken Block has almost double the power and AWD, so of course he’ll win. But don’t forget that the McLaren has clever traction control settings for its launch procedure and that 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 has dominated a number of drag racing events over the years, so don’t be so sure. In fact, the McLaren Senna here is the Merlin edition, which is finished in a special paint called Sorcerer’s Black.

This is part of a new series from the Hoonigan family, which sees Ken Block’s Hoonicorn Ford Mustang go up against cars from across the world and separate from Hoonigan’s This v That series.

Who do you think will win? Let us know.

Source

November 17, 2020
TUNED AUDI A1 TDI: BLACK GOLD

The oil-burning variants of the Audi A1 may not be everyone’s first choice for a project – but as Sean Davies’ tuned Audi A1 TDi daily-driven show car ably demonstrates, it’s a strong base for a gold-standard build…

Feature taken from Performance Audi. Words Dan Bevis Photos Lukasz Markowski

The time-freeze is a classic cinematic device. Remember the scene in The Matrix where Morpheus is introducing Neo to the central concept of the Matrix code? He gets distracted by the woman in the red dress, then Morpheus freezes the scene? Iconic stuff. Film nerds can trace this behaviour back to the French silent movie Paris Qui Dort of 1924 – or, of course, there’s the Adam Sandler movie Click. Although it’s probably best to pretend that last one never happened. The point is that, thanks to this cinematic and televisual trope, we have an ingrained sense that when something significant happens, our brains should be able to stop time entirely for a moment in order to allow us to process what we’re seeing.

This low-down A1 is the sort of car that lets your complex thought processes achieve this. It’s no ordinary mixture of steel, glass and plastics, but something otherworldly, surreal, outstanding. Sure, you’ve seen Audi A1s before, they’re parked up on every residential street throughout the land – but have you ever seen one where all of the stylistic elements coalesce as artfully as they do here? The familiar and ubiquitous form has been reimagined into something suddenly unfamiliar. You’ll be needing a moment or two to gather your thoughts, we imagine. Step outside of reality and take a deep breath, and let’s regroup down at the next paragraph.

Better? OK, so we should take a look at the story behind this impressive little supermini. Brainchild of serial modder Sean Davies, it fuses a number of key elements – show-winning finish, performance tuning, daily-driven credentials – to create an admirable all-rounder. And it’s basically all his grandad’s fault.

“I’ve always been into my cars, from being around my grandad who was a mechanic, so I was always messing about with cars since I was young,” he explains. “I started modifying when I owned a Renault Clio, but quickly changed direction and wanted to build something to get into shows. Before this Audi I owned a SEAT Ibiza – that was static, and I thought air-ride would be better this time around as I drive the car daily as well as showing it.”

You can’t argue with the logic of that, and the primary focus from the off was to create something that looked great. Having been pretty happy with the old Ibiza, Sean was keen to continue operating within the Ibiza-A1-Polo-Fabia sphere of the little VAGs, and the A1 represented an opportunity to level-up into something more premium and elegant. Great looks from the outside, and a really nice place to be inside. So the decision was made.

This particular A1 caused a Hollywood-esque freeze-frame to occur for Sean as he was driving along one day and spotted it for sale on the side of the road. It wasn’t perfect, but what he was really seeing was potential; two days later he had the keys in his hand and his name on the dotted line.

“I wouldn’t say it was in bad condition,” he recalls. “However, quite a lot of the car did need repainting, and it also needed all the paint correcting for it to really be up to show standard. The spec was good though – it came fully-loaded from Audi other than the panoramic roof, so it’s pleasant to be inside as well as looking good.”

As bought, the car was all factory-stock aside from a front honeycomb grille, although Sean was quick to replace this with a better item as it had cracked. Things then moved on apace as the whole front end was repainted to freshen it up, the plastics gloss black and the Audi rings finished in body-colour white. The first truly seismic change was to fit that air-ride system he’d been talking about, which was carried out at home with the help of a friend, Ben; Sean had never tackled such a thing before but he figured it was better to roll up his sleeves and have a go himself rather than shelling out thousands for someone to do for him. Barring a couple of issues with air-lines which he’s had to rectify, he’s largely been proved right – the home-installed setup is the perfect accompaniment to daily driving. The A1’s running Air Lift front struts and rear bags with V3 management, along with a bit of chassis notching to help it properly kiss the tarmac when it airs out, and the effect is truly impressive.

“The air-ride went on in 2018, along with a set of Ispiri wheels, and I pretty much kept it like that with a stock interior for a while,” says Sean. “But by the time the winter came, I’d started to get a few other bits of the car repainted, before having all of the paint corrected and ceramic-coated. Then I really wanted to get the interior up to the same level as the exterior, to turn the car into more of a complete build.”

With this in mind, the front seats were ousted in favour of a pair of Corbeau RRS Clubsports, while the rears were junked altogether. In the back you’ll now find a custom boot build with a raised air tank, featured air lines and subwoofer; there’s all sorts of carbon-effect work going on with the interior trim, and the most arresting feature is the steering wheel, which has been cleverly reshaped before being re-covered in carbon fibre and leather with custom stitching.

Now, you’ll probably have noticed that we haven’t mentioned power by this point. This is Performance Audi after all, performance is baked right into the title. And since this car’s rocking the 1.6-litre TDI lump, you’d be forgiven for not being particularly excited. All show and no go? Ah, don’t be too quick to judge… you see, Sean’s already increased that stock 105bhp output by over 50%, with plans for plenty more. It’s the classic formula of mighty oaks and little acorns. A Stage 1 remap was the starting point, followed by deleting the DPF and EGR, and the restrictive exhaust system has been totally reworked; it now boasts a 3” downpipe, flowing into a straight-through 2.5” stainless system, which helps the derv to find a voice. All of this furnishes Sean’s right foot with a handy 160bhp – and again, he’s far from done with it. Wait till he bolts a bigger turbo in there…

“Yes, the turbo’s definitely on the list,” he assures us. “There’ll be a dual-exit exhaust with a fresh diffuser too, I’m planning it all out. As much as possible, I do all of the work on the car myself, and this winter I’ll be looking to respray the car and smooth the engine bay – I have a couple of colours in mind! I love the wheel choice at the moment – they’re staggered Mille Miglia 3000 3-piece splits, and I can only find one other set in the world – but I’ll be swapping something new on next year to freshen it up. It’s still very much my daily driver though, I do between 1,000-2,000 miles a month in it, and it does turn a lot of heads wherever it goes…” And that, of course, is the fun of daily-driving a show-stopper. Whereas some garage queens only get to enjoy the comedy double-takes of the cinematic time-freeze a few times a year, this A1 is able to shock and inspire awe on a daily basis. Take a look, rub your eyes, then look again. It’s the familiar A1 shape, but at the same time it really is something else.

TECH SPEC AUDI A1 TDI

Engine & transmission:
1.6-litre TDI (105), Stage 1 remap, DPF & EGR delete, 3” downpipe, Narco Tuning 2.5” stainless straight-through exhaust system, stock manual trans.

Chassis:
8.5×17” (front) and 9.5×17” (rear) Mille Miglia 3000 3-piece split-rims, 195/40 tyres, Air Lift Performance front struts, Air Lift rear bags, 3P management, chassis notch, S1 front calipers, Tarox Sport Japan 312mm front discs and Tarox Corsa pads, Tarox Sport Japan rear discs and Corsa pads.

Exterior:
Xenonz UK honeycomb grille with Audi badge painted to match body, front end resprayed with all plastics painted gloss black, rear bumper repainted and boot wrapped in satin black, Maxton Design splitter, TRC sideskirt extensions, TRC rear bumper spats, gloss black diffuser to match exhaust tip, fully paint corrected and ceramic coated, boot debadged.

Interior:
Corbeau RRS Clubsport seats, rear seat delete, custom boot build with raised air tank, LEDs, subwoofer and air lines, steering wheel reshaped and retrimmed – half-carbon fibre, half-perforated leather with red stitching, carbon skinned interior trim, ambient lighting.

POWER: 160bhp
TORQUE: 262lb ft

Source

November 17, 2020