1992 B-Series Honda Civic

When it debuted in late 1991, the fifth generation of the Honda Civic was outgrowing its predecessor while also being more aerodynamic. Don&...

When it debuted in late 1991, the fifth generation of the Honda Civic was outgrowing its predecessor while also being more aerodynamic. Don't judge it by modern standards, but being larger back in the day meant it sported a wheelbase that was just 101.3 inches (257 cm) long for the three-door hatchback.

That means there isn’t a lot of room to work around when embarking on a custom build project, although this 1992 Civic sporting the B-Series engine begs to differ - quite a lot, actually. That Racing Channel has a habit of showcasing neat JDM builds as we have previously seen a 1993 Mazda RX-7 win street races against a V10-powered supercar, among others.

This time around we’re thankful to see the racing action moved where it belongs – on this occasion, the drag strip. And this little Civic is clearly a great case of empowerment for all Japanese sports car fans looking to prove they can hold a candle (and more) against classics such as V8-powered Mustangs.

Unfortunately, the footage showcasing the Goliath Mustang battle against the David of Civics on the quarter-mile is a bit blurry – so we can’t judge on the Ford’s customizations or the racing times and trap speeds. We do see enough on two occasions (at the start of the video and again from the 4:12 mark) as the ‘Stang does a spectacular wheelie but ends up gapped by the little Civic.

The reason this happened is neatly explained by the Honda owner when sharing thoughts on why his group of friends chose to modify little Civics: “When we’re going up against these cars that are expected to have a lot more power than we have, I love going at them with my friends and giving people a hard time... Honda’s always fun.”

Of course, Julian – the video’s host on behalf of TRC – takes his time to chat with the proud 1992 Civic driver about all the modifications the small Honda incurred. There’s a lot to grasp, so we’ll let the owner better explain (from 1:32 and then again from 4:32 when the ride starts).

By the way, Julian is too big of a guy for a ride-along so he’s not in there strapped in the little Civic and its small racing seats to enjoy this nine-second car and its roughly 700 horsepower (9.98 time and dyno runs at the 3:50 mark).

Source: autoevolution, TRC (The Racing Channel)