Nick Bayliff has been obsessed with Hondas since he was 14. He’s owned something like 400 of them… let that sink in lol. Safe to say, he’s been around the block a time or two.
It all started around the year 2000…
When a guy in the neighborhood had a modified Honda CRX with a clear hood – imagine peak 2000 Import Tuner slickness. Young Nick was awe-struck by the car’s compact size & huge aura. Eventually, Nick worked-up the nerve to go over to the owner’s house, and the owner happily showed Nick around the car… even took him for a ride! The CRX had an LS VTEC swap under that clear hood. And once young Nick heard/felt the glory of VTEC for the first time, he was ADDICTED!!
VTEC is obviously one of the top-5 greatest inventions in automotive history. And honestly, it doesn’t even matter what the other 4 are. Maybe pop-up headlights, targa-tops, turbos… and those vent-windows that spin around & blow fresh air on your balls lol. But anyway – that first ‘VTEC crossover’ was Nick’s first domino flicked.
Today, Nick Bayliff has owned just about every golden-era Honda…
He’s done it all – from 380hp all-motor builds, to superchargers, to turbochargers. B-series swaps, K-series swaps, to ZCs & ZJs (if you have to ask, you can’t afford it). Back in the good-ol’-days of $500-$1,000 project cars, Nick would buy someone’s unfinished project… AND scavenge any parts in their garage they might be willing to sell with it. Nick became a revolving door of projects, visions, and spare parts. He was building cars from shell-to-street in 2-3 weeks. And during this time, for most of Nick’s professional career, he was also a Honda technician. You could say it was a lifestyle.
That is – until Nick looked around & realized…
The newer Hondas he was working on day-in and day-out, were no longer the Hondas he was in love with. What can I say – they lost their pizzaz. Sure the Type-R is a great platform… it’s an exceptional car. But it’s not Honda’s identity anymore. Rather, it’s one anomaly amongst a lineup of appliances. And somehow, despite the Type-R’s impressive specs & versatility, it’s still not the CRX next door. I can’t explain or defend that with numbers. But somewhere, modern Honda just lost their magic.
Or maybe – we all did…
Maybe we need to point that finger back towards ourselves a little bit. Because we as consumers play more of a role in this than we’d like to admit. They build what sells. And maybe we don’t like the landscape we’ve created. Maybe ‘enthusiasts’ got consumed with specs over true soul & connection. And/or maybe – we ALL made one compromise too many. Maybe we let the romance, spirit, and raw freedom of driving… lose too much ground to convenience, legislation, compliance, and appliance.
Here’s a question: What did you drive to work today? Was it raw & rowdy… or was it easy & convenient? Daily/individual choices play-out to become larger trends. You can’t choose easy/safe every time, and then wonder where all the STYLE went. We see it in everything around us. Even the burger & pizza joints (like McDonalds & Pizza Hut) have decayed into commie-looking box-buildings. I for one, think that over the last decade, car culture got way too focused on their own social media pages, and lost sight of the big picture. But that’s another topic for another day. The point is: Nick, a diehard Honda-head, left the Honda dealership. And he went to a more custom, bespoke side of the industry, where there’s still energy.
And that’s the part no one’s talking about yet…
Carmakers abandoned their fanbase – that much we know. But what happens in Chapter 2, when the fanbase finally abandons carmakers? When the gear-heads leave the dealerships? And when the enthusiasts lose their last drip-drops of interest in overpriced, uninspiring vehicles that monitor us, override us, and lock the aftermarket out? When the once admired pedigreed badges on the hood… turn into watered-down mockeries trying to capitalize off their predecessors’ authenticity? When the enthusiasts stop buying them, and gullible do? We’re already there. So which car brands will survive as appliances in the age of mobility & sameness… after the heart is gone? Because if we know one thing from Amazon, it’s that when there’s no heart behind it, people will buy the cheapest appliance with the best reviews.
The Silver Lining…
Barring any unconstitutional overreach, you just can’t kill these golden era Hondas! They made ’em too good! And for those of us that have been exposed, count your blessings! Be grateful you know how to turn a wrench… because that gives you options & makes you resourceful. And be grateful you know what a righteously radical car actually feels like! If younger people show an interest – show them the way! Because their own daddy probably doesn’t know what to do with 3 pedals. Build the culture; it needs an army!
This 1993 EG Honda Civic CX hatch…
Has a K20a2 engine swap (stock internals), with a Precision 6262 bb turbo. The Civic is tuned by Derf, and makes right under 600hp on 22-pounds of boost. Even more importantly – it actually drives nice! Don’t lose the plot chasing ‘a number’. This Civic still has good street manners, no hiccups, runs on pump gas, etc. Over his 400 Hondas, Nick has learned not to let the car own you. And if it’s not fun to cruise… it’s not fun.
Nick’s Civic is painted Toyota Lunar Rock…
All paint-work, power-coating, cerakote, & fabrication was done by Paint Pros in Jax, FL (where Nick works since he left Honda). The Civic sports a set of Password JDM headlight ducts. And the actual headlights have been relocated to the corner lenses. Nick adapted a high-output set of LEDs into the corner lenses, which puts out better light than stock, and looks killer coming at you at night with their wider stance.
The Civic sits on…
15-inch Regamaster Evo wheels, with Charge Speed fenders, and a Phantom Composites Spoon style lip. For stopping power – Nick’s using Integra Type-R calipers with Mini Cooper rotors. And suspension-wise… he’s on Function & Form Type-2 coilovers with PCI control arms, trailing arms, camber kits, etc. Let the good times roll!
Photos by @astesmedia
