Donavon Kemppainen hails from the North Pole. Just kidding… it’s Saskatoon, Canada. And you know what’s not hugely popular in Saskatoon Canada? Wound-out, built-out, sport-compact Hondas! So here’s a (kinda) quick rundown on how Donavon fell into Honda culture for life. This Midori Green Acura Integra is just one car from his accumulated Honda collection over the years. Which ranges from a Motocompacto lol… all the way up to an NSX.

Donavon grew up in the 80s & early-90s racing BMX…

And back then, those kinda kids were buggin’! Meaning – they were often messing with air-cooled VW Bugs. So when Donavon got his license, he bought a ’59 Bug for 300-bucks… and drove that thing year-round in Canada slinging pizzas for Harry. Eventually, he got in a little trouble with the law (reckless driving not really though), and his parents made him sell the car as punishment. He was forced to drive his parent’s late-80s Toyota ‘football van’… which kind of backfired because it was actually pretty cool – since it had a stick-shift and all the dudes could pile in it and head to the lake. But later on, when Donavon proved he was in a good boy again, his parents let him buy an ’82 Jeep CJ. He still has that Jeep to this day. It’s a cool ride, but ultimately it was killing him on fuel, so younger Donovan started looking back at small/economical cars again… like that beetle.

By then, the emerging Honda scene was sparking with youth car culture…

I don’t wanna say Hondas replaced the Bug, but they kind of evolved out of the bug scene (and mini truck scene). Donavon ended up with an early-80s 2-door Accord hatch… silver with a red pin stripe. That car got smashed, but today he actually rebuilt another one to look just like it.

After that Accord got hit, Donavon landed an ’83 4-door Civic wagon… still runnin’ pizzas. And somewhere along the line with that car, the love for Hondas & the sport-compact scene domino’d.

The EF Movement…

Getting into the more mainstream Hondas, Donavon ended up with an ’89 EF Civic hatch – lowered on Riken turbo wheels. And that’s where things really took off! Because at the same time, he started working at a local speed shop. A customer who wanted out of his Hyundai Scoupe (remember those?) came in and made an offer on Donavon’s EF that he couldn’t refuse. So from there, Donavon moved over to an ’88 CRX with a Wings West bodykit. We’re getting pretty ‘peak era’ at this point.

Donavon found himself working on Hondas all the time – pulling engines from wrecked cars destined for the scrapyard. Donavon’s not sure how many engines he pulled, but it’s in the hundreds by now for sure. He was even pulling Ks out of crashed RSX’s… back when the RSX’s were still relatively new.

Then came the white EF Civic Si with a B16. That was a pivotal, high-profile car for Donavon. When he bought the Si, the owner unloaded everything Honda he had in his garage. The guy had purchased a BMW, and said something along the lines of, “I ain’t ever buying another Honda… so just take it all.” Donovan left with the Si, an extra engine, and a literal truckload full of aftermarket parts & JDM goodies.

2 or 3 years later… the previous owner tried to buy it back. Donovan wouldn’t/couldn’t sell though. And the White EF Civic Si ended up with various engines. At one point it had a ITR engine (painted white) with a polished transmission in a bay that’s painted Dark Violet Pearl from an Integra. And I believe now, it has an LS VTEC with ITBs.

That was the car that really kicked-off motor swaps for Donovan. Before that – he was pulling motors & dismantling scrap cars. But now he started doing swaps in his spare time. It’s important to note that around this same time…

Donavon was a mechanic/tech at Porsche…

So he was working on top-tier sports cars by day. But off-hours – he was ripping through Hondas like the Tasmanian Devil. And that begs the question: Why was somebody who was around 911s all the time… so amused & obsessed with old Honda hatchbacks? It seemed odd. But here’s the thing: When you’re working on newer Porsches all day… that’s exactly what makes you realize how great golden-era Hondas actually are! They deliver the same visceral thrill that the 911 owners are chasing, in a car that’s 1/20th of the price – without strings attached. AND furthermore, they can be built/maintained in your own garage with basic non-specialized tools. When the Porsche tech is ripping Hondas – that’s your clue.

So getting to this particular Midiori DC2 Integra (finally)…

There was a premiere speed shop in Calgary called Speedtech. And Speedtech franchised out to Saskatoon. These shops were nice! Nitrous bottles in glass cases… the big ones. You get the idea. So – the Saskatoon Speedtech built an Integra shop car – this Integra. But back then – it was copper/orange, with a K20A (DC5 Type-R) engine & trans. It was a local hero car. Eventually though, the shop owner sold it off. And weirdly, it kinda fell off the radar. No one really knew what happened to it. Then one day – Donavon saw it cruising 8th St. Honestly – it looked like it’d seen better days.

About a year later, Donavon ran across a K20A engine & transmission for sale on Marketplace. He recognized the J’s Racing valve cover, and went to check it out. Turns out – it was definitely the engine from the famed Speedtech Integra. And he knew that – because it was still in the Integra. Yep there it sat – the Speedtech copper Integra. Only it wasn’t copper anymore – it had been sanded down. The doors were off, and the entire front-end was gone.

Someone had backed into the Integra…

And that cascaded into the owner wanting to do a JDM front-end swap & respray the car white. But the owner had lost interest. He listed the engine & transmission for $4,200. Donovan was gonna try & haggle on it. But now, in light of the fact that this was the old Speedtech car, Donavon pivoted & asked if he’d be at-all interested in selling the whole car. The guy said – “Tell ya what, just give me the $4,200 asking price, and take it all.” And that – kids – is why you negotiate in person rather than lowball in the messages lol. Because you don’t know what you don’t know… until you know. You know?

While Donavon was rebuilding the Integra, he found himself in Ontario, California for training (at the Porsche Experience Center). It just happened to be the same week/weekend as the Eibach Meet. Donovan had never been, but that was about to change. Long story short – those fresh Hondas popped under the California sunshine like nothing Donovan had ever seen.

Up until that point, Donovan was settling on an ice/sky/powder blue for the Integra…

But then at the Eibach Meet, there were a half-dozen Midori Green Civics parked back-to-back. And although Donavon was a bonafide Honda-head, he’d never seen a single Midori Green Honda in person… they’re just not that common in Saskatoon lol. The color stole his heart.

Back home, Donavon went to a local painter. And as luck/fate would have it, the painter had an EM2 project. The painter put forth a bargain: He’d paint the Integra Midori Green… IF Donovan would put a k-swap in the EM2. Done! That was 8 years ago.

Donavon is not the type to flip cars on a whim…

And/or constantly be on the quest to trade up. He pounces on cars he likes when opportunities arise. And they become another ingredient in the stew that is Donavon’s Honda obsession. A lot of guys were into Hondas back in the day. But many of us (and when I say us, I mean y’all lol), sold them. Either ‘leveling up’ to other tuner platforms… or ‘growing up’ into more sensible vehicles. But in the last half-decade, we’ve seen a generational homecoming back to golden-age Hondas. Because honestly, as times & cars ‘progress’ (and I say that mostly sarcastic)… it just further vindicates & validates the golden-era Hondas. These are radical, raw, timeless driving experiences that cannot be replaced or replicated in the modern mobility age.

So now – Guys in their 40s & 50s who said they’d never own another Honda… are scrolling Marketplace… remembering the amped-up energy behind simpler times & simpler machines. It’s almost poetic. Society & consumerism push you to trade-up. But there comes a point where you may realize… that you’re trading-up to more cost & complication. To more power & performance… that’s somehow less thrilling, free, & fun.

Sidenote: I often wonder how it feels as a man…

To have to take your M-car or Porsche to the dealership for an oil change? To make an appointment & drop your car off to another man – for basic/routine service – because the car you bought is so over-complicated that you can’t work on it. Isn’t one of the golden rules of a race car to be easily & quickly serviceable?

Sometimes in our quest to climb the ranks, we climb right out of the sweet-spot.