Temptation. A first glance. A blank stare of wonderment of want. There are smooth lines stretching from front to back while a champagne-metallic tincture covers every inch of its body. It beckons you closer; the gleam of a chrome emblem possesses you with a hypnotic calling: Come closer, I know you want to look at me.
The temptation I'm talking about is this little thing we call "fixing up your ride." Youknowutimsayin'? Of course you do. We want to take all our hard-earned money and put our own sweat and tears into creating the ultimate g-ride. We all want people to turn their heads when we cruise by them, and the only way to achieve this is to travel to the other side. The kind of place where we all want to go and get lost. You know, the darkside.
Now meet Todd Reuser and his '98 Honda Accord EX. With a daytime profession as a sheriff's deputy for Los Angeles County, he finds peace of mind in indulging in his temptation. Even the good guys have to be bad sometimes. And so the decision was made by Todd to go with the potent V-6 model Accord for its luxurious features and the high-tech Honda components. He turned to Orly Alcalde to bring up the stock horsepower figure to 220 with the additions of a Tenzo intake pipe and air filter combo, along with a dual Tenzo high-flow venturi exhaust system. Besides the B&M oil cooler, the engine may look more trick than it actually is, but Todd confesses that it's probably due to his match-painting the valve cover.
Lowering the Accord was made possible with a set of height-adjustable coilovers from Ground Control, and a front strut brace from Tenzo keeps the H-car tight during the turns. Keeping close ties with MHT netted Todd the first set of 18x7 Niche Pultec wheels on the West Coast.
Kaminari was called upon to provide one of its body kits along with a rear deck spoiler, all color-matched to give a clean, sporty look. Vinyl graphics were slapped on by Darkside Motoring to show off a list of supporters for this street cruiser. Perhaps the hardest part about upgrading the exterior was the trouble it took to bring over the original Japanese OEM Stanley headlights from Japan. In order to secure yourself in the dark realm, you'll have to make those extra sacrifices in order to obtain the best.
Deep inside the cabin, you'll find that the front stock seats were yanked out and replaced with a set of strap-you-in-tight MOMO T-frame race seats with Darkside Motoring's race harnesses, both custom-wrapped to match the leather interior.
But this H-car really stands out in the audio department. A Nakamichi CD head unit, PPI amplifier, Polk Audio speakers, 12-inch MTX subwoofer, and Scosche stereo wiring provide an ear-piercing 850 watts of pure power for your listening pleasures. And just in case you even thought about taking this for a joyride, you'll have to get past the Code Alarm Elite 4800 series auto-security system. It handles not only the typical security features, but also rolls the windows up and down during arming/disarming, opens and closes the sunroof, and acts as a trunk release.
Yes, you can see it all now. A dope ride, the fingerprints left behind at a 13,000-plus crowd Showoff, the hordes of people jocking your pride and joy, and the prestigious award given to you by that fine Alley "Miss Import Showoff" Baggett. This is what the darkside has to offer us. This is what it's all about. How can you resist this temptation?