‘Give a man a body kit, and he’ll look cool for a day. Give him a sheet of raw carbon fibre, and he’ll look cool for a lifetime.’
Masato Nitta lives by this philosophy, and he’s built a one-piece carbon front cowl for his EK9 Honda Civic Type R to prove it. Of course, while this ancient Japanese proverb uses man in the context of humanity; everyone can live by this philosophy.
On my most recent trip south to the Kansai region of Japan, I planned to go and check out the local Civic scene in Nara, specifically a tuning shop called Real Company. Unfortunately, the day before the shoot, a crew of road workers descended on the street outside the shop, limiting access, so we’ll have to try again another time.
Not wanting to return home with just one feature, I began messaging my local contacts, asking if anyone knew of a interesting car that I could shoot right away. My good friend Park-san came to the rescue. He works at Tommykaira, owns two Civics, and knows just about every modified Honda in the Kansai region worth knowing.
After a few “Sorry, I can’t make it” messages from various owners, Masato-san contacted me to say he would brave the blizzard and drive across the mountains from Nara to Mie prefecture and my location near Suzuka Circuit. I was already frozen by this time, and the long drive home was not looking fun at all, so I warmed up in my rental car with the heater on full and waited for Masato-san to arrive.
I’ve shot a few Civics over the years, from Pandem-kitted cars to hatch-converted sedans, but nothing beats a Kanjo Racer-spec EF, EG or EK sporting a good livery.
Real Company didn’t build Masato-san’s Civic, but they are good friends. Nara is just a stone’s throw from Osaka and the legendary Kanjo Loop, where for decades Civics have raced fiercely on the highway, outgunning and outsmarting the police along the way. But we’ll get into the rich history of that subculture another time – for now, let’s check out Masato-san’s build…
The livery is, of course, inspired by Scuderia AlphaTauri F1, who switched to using Honda engines in 2018 (as Toro Rosso) despite being an Italian team. Honda, as an engine supplier, is synonymous with F1, so having an F1-themed exterior is very cool.
The party piece, however, is the genius carbon fibre front end. Rather than replace the fenders, bonnet and bumper with off-the-shelf parts, Masato-san went down the DIY route and made a one-piece carbon front cowl in his home garage.
First, Masato-san prepped the surface, sealing up the panel gaps before laying down fibreglass to make a mould. That mould was then used to create the single carbon fibre piece. It doesn’t need to hinge; it’s light enough for Masato-san to just lift off and place next to the car. I’m sure that would drive any normal person mad, but when a ‘race car is life,’ it probably never gets old.
Under the carbon cowl is the EK9’s original 1.6L DOHC VTEC B16B, now sitting on stiffer Cusco engine mounts and benefiting from a J’s Racing Tsuchinoko Chamber intake and a ROM-tuned ECU.
The interior is pure Civic street fighter spec, a six-point roll cage acting as chassis reinforcer and every ounce of unnecessary weight removed. That means no air conditioning, no cup holders, and definitely no audio system.
The back end has been reinforced with a tube frame below the floor pan, all welded up by Masato-san. A tow rope hangs proudly on display, not as an admission of an inevitable breakdown but as a show of readiness to clear the highway in case of any mishaps. It says, ‘If anything ever happens, I’m prepared to escape the police even if my motor is blown.’ Live by the code, break down by the code.
BuddyClub P1 Racing wheels feature at all four corners, wrapped in Dunlop Direzza V01 ZIII 190/600R15 semi-slicks specifically manufactured for Japan’s Zeta kit car one-make race series.
Improved stopping power comes from a set of NSX front brake callipers. Honda parts are even more LEGO-like than Subaru parts, it seems.
I wish I had more time with Masato-san and his Civic, but I had to leave him at 10:00pm with a four-hour drive home ahead of me. Maybe one day I will get to drive a rad little Honda like this around a circuit or the Kanjo Loop itself, but I was pretty glad to be driving home in a toasty rental car on this ice-cold occasion.
Toby Thyer
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