Just bounce with me, bounce with me
Thats what youll hear coming out of the speakers on this little green car. The Honda del Sol may not the most popular car on the street, but we found one in San Diego. There was Eric Lamarcabouncin and bumpin to the sounds of Jay-Z, catching everyones attention. But the loud sounds arent the only things that make heads turn. OK, so we know its greenbut its green all over, inside and out. It caught the eye of Freddie Gordon at Speed Trans Racing (STR), who helped Eric get his car into the SEMA show in Vegas. Eric never dreamed that hed get his car into a show, let alone the biggest one of them all.
Before the del Sol, he had a 95 Integra RS, but he wanted a change. Having a four-seater wasnt always luxurious for him. Its nice to have a roomy car, he says, but sometimes it also means that it becomes transportation for all your buddies. I didnt want to do that all the time. So he made a drastic change, and a two-seated del Sol seemed to be the perfect choice. It was red when he first bought it, then it was white, and now (thanks to Fred Jocson at Jocsons Autobody) its lime green. Youre probably thinking, Why lime green? For attention, of course. We like getting attention, right?
Eric also wanted to learn how to fix up a car on his own, so thats exactly what he did to his 95 del Sol. And four long years later (with much patience and persistence), he got it powered up to what you see now. He chose a Techno R body kit from VIS; the company also made the hoodscoop. The front bumper from Mugen was a part of the body kit, but it was modified with an added lip. The GTR wing was meant for the 95 Integra, but Eric worked it until it fit on the del Sol. Side vents were cribbed from an MR2, and the antenna was shaved.
Lowering the car was no problem at all. Eric also installed VIS coilovers and Tokico shocks for both the front and rear. As for the engine, the del Sol is dressed up with a green silicone vacuum hose and steel braided hoses from Hose Techniques (props to Lucky and Diana Dodge), a green powdercoated valve cover, brackets, strut tower bar, and Vitek wires. A little push on the Räzo pedals creates a rumble from the Euroclassic exhaust. It also rolls on 17-inch RP05 Enkei wheels that complement the F24 tires from Toyo. And to top everything off, an Engine Start conversion kit from Ignited was added.
This car is compact, but youll be surprised to see all the goodies hes got stocked up inside. Open the door, and you see green everywherethe vinyl seats, dash, and door panelsthats the work of David Bazquez at Apollo Custom. And listen to this: Even the gauges from Injen are green, and its got that cool carbon fiber look. In addition, the guys at Audiobahn, Brad Fair and Rick Anderson, helped Eric get his hands on a sound system (which is kind of hard to get, given that Audiobahn has been on the market for only a few months). Eric called Ryan Takashima, Vice President of Injen Technology to install the stuff. Ryan brought along Ron Delgado (also from Injen), and they were more than happy to help. Two component sets (four midrange speakers, four tweeters, and two crossovers) were built in, along with two 10-inch subwoofers, making this little del Sol boom from the inside out. But thats not all. Pop the trunk, and youll find one of Audiobahns 430-watt amps sitting in a box that Eric put together himself. And just in case youre wondering, no, the amp isnt painted or powdercoated, its chromed, and it just looks green because of the green light in the trunk.
Sure, it sounds like everything went smoothly, but hed be lying if he told you it was a piece of cake, especially on the first try. The work wasnt always easy. Like everyone else, Eric faced some problems with the buildup, such as wiring up the VTEC controller.
Eric started off this project with one thing in mind: doing things his way. He did the research tracking down and hookin up with all of the great people who sponsored him (who were a ton of help). He had fun learning along the way, and sticking to it even when it got tough. Now hes got plans to add more stuff so he can display it at more import shows, like the Hawaii Import Showoff coming up in August. And if youre going to this years SEMA show, plan on seeing it sittin pretty at the Injen booth.