Why anyone would dare venture to visit our editorial purgatory is beyond our imagination, but this is what Deron Tippins did just a few months ago with his perfect specimen of Honda's late-'80s iconic sports car, the CRX. 
It wasn't a proposed meeting. Rather, Deron simply looked up our office on Mapquest and decided to show up. We may not have ever known he'd shown up because our building security almost had him escorted out, but two of our ad sales staff spotted the car and called us down to take a look for ourselves. Chance (and a little bit of luck), it seems, was on Deron's side.
We automatically figured that if some schmoe actually had the balls to visit our offices that their car was a real piece of junk, or in this case, just a real treat. Clean CRXs are typically a thing of the past, but this Japanese-converted street car is a perfect reminder of that old-school era--only updated with the latest technology. Most would figure this to be just a well-maintained US chassis, but Deron added all the JDM body pieces, which includes the front bumper, the hood with a raised cowl, windows, and the very rare bronze glass roof, which comes from the Cyber version CRX Si-R EF8 in Japan. Afterward, the exterior was sprayed with a fresh coat of NSX Formula Red paint.
Building Hondas isn't just a creepy fascination for Deron. As a service tech at 161822 Honda and Acura Specialists, a popular shop in the Los Angeles area, it's his daily routine. Though the US-version CRXs originally came equipped with a fairly decent single cam engine, Deron pulled it for a B16A that's been stroked to 1.8 liters using a bottom end with Wiseco pistons, rings, Integra GS-R connecting rods, as well as a lightened and balanced GS-R crankshaft. The cylinder head, which serves as the basis for the Integra Type R platform, was given a great deal of modification, using a 3-angle valve, port, and polish job from Portflow along with JUN Stage 3 camshafts, adjustable cam gears, valvesprings, and retainers. The factory intake manifold was replaced with a 52mm individual throttle body system from TWM, which relies also on a TWM fuel rail, fuel regulator, and RC Engineering fuel injector combination to maintain the proper air/fuel ratio. On the exhaust side, a factory Civic Type R header leads out to a modified HKS Hiper exhaust, originally intended for an EK coupe. The custom Candy Apple Green painted valve cover lends a nice contrast to the overabundance of redness, but that's as far as Deron goes when it comes to dressing up the engine bay. For the drivetrain, the B16A was matched to a shorter geared JDM YS1 transmission, comparable to those found on the '92-'93 Integra GS-Rs. A Toda flywheel has been added to provide quicker acceleration, and a C's Short Shift kit and factory Type R clutch maintain the power to the front wheels.
Slamming the CRX with a Southern California standard is done with the combination of Skunk2 coilover sleeves and JDM Tokico shocks, dropping a total of 4 inches from stock height. For improved stability, the front and rear factory sway bars from the XSi Integra are used along with front and rear Spoon Sports strut braces. In the interior, a five-point rollcage from Cusco adds a race feel. Those who appreciate the old school will love the wheel selection, a rare set of 15x7 Work Equips with Falken Azenis tires. And although an expensive brake upgrade wasn't selected, the front and rear disc brakes from the second-generation Integra were bolted on with a set of stainless brake lines from Earl's.
Complementing the exterior is a cleanly executed JDM interior, which sees the likes of a pair of suede Recaro SRD seats found in the Japanese Integra or Civic Type R models. Then Deron added the rest of the OEM JDM pieces, such as the armrest, Si-R gauge cluster, rear seats, and power windows. The steering wheel is from Black Racing and the shift knob is from Spoon Sports. For audio enhancement, a small but effective system comes in the form of a Pioneer DEH-9200 head unit, MTX 3000 amplifiers, and Polk Audio speakers. Although this was the first time we actually had someone show up randomly to our offices in search of a photo shoot, we don't recommend this as a sure-fire option. Unless it screams perfection like Deron's, please do it the old-fashioned way and attach a bribe to a formally written letter with photographs.
Fast Facts? We keep getting emails from readers asking for them. Tough luck. Pick up the April 2005 issue of Super Street Magazine. Yeah, it's the one with the lime green Scion TC on the cover. Oh yeah, turn to page 197 for a free poster of this car.