Eric Sebastian is the Super Street reader personified. Eric drives this '97 Civic hatchback. Like most of you, Eric lives and breathes his car. It's in a never-ending state of flux. Ask him, and he'll tell you that he's not done building it, and chances are, he never will be. "Constant improvement is my motto," he says. His love of the sport, the attention, and for racing has resulted in what he calls, "the ultimate show and go." Question him, and he'll happily show you the awards and titles to back up his statement. Ultimate reader and readers' ride? We think so.
History of Eric
Eric learned to drive in the Philippines at the age of 8. According to Eric, his dad was pretty cool about it and would allow him to drive quite often. His first car was a '68 VW Beetle that was beat-up and slow. In an effort to get it to go faster, Eric took the engine apart. After having exhausted the limits of the VW, it was sold to finance Eric's next ride, an '88 Conquest Tsi. It was fast, and it got Eric a lot of attention. He discovered he liked the attention and began showing and racing the car at Atco Raceway in New Jersey.
During his first year of college, he came to the realization that he couldn't afford to work, study, and continue to make the payments on the Conquest. He ended up with an '88 Suzuki Samurai that he quickly lowered and dressed up with a set of chromed 15s. Eric says the speaker box (four 12s) could knock down the eyeglasses display at the local mall. Family matters dictated that the Samurai go the way of the Conquest. A four-door Civic DX that Eric still has today came next.
Around the time he picked up the four-door, Eric also happened across the premier issue of Super Street. Armed with his Civic, his copy of Super Street, and his love for attention, Eric entered into what he calls the hard-core import world. Eric took his DX bracket racing at Atco, where he admits he got laughed at (a lot). He polished his bracket racing skills despite the fact that he was the only import there on Tuesday and Friday nights. His best time in his bone-stock DX was a 17.9. He was having fun but he wasn't getting the attention he wanted. So he set out to find a car that would get him into Super Street (his words, not ours). The idea of being just another guy in a Civic EX coupe didn't appeal to him, so he opted for the '97 DX hatchback that you see in front of you. He took the car to Atco where he ran a 16.7 with the car still in its stock trim. From that time until now, Eric has been building his hatchback. His never-ending efforts have netted him more than 47 trophies and awards for both showing and racing. The most memorable? "The Pan-American Nationals, where I eliminated David Shih in the first round and faced Vinny Ten in the finals."
The Car
Eric's car is a direct reflection of his car-building philosophies. "Show, not too flashy. Clean. Race, not too fast. Consistent." With the help of Team Flipspeed (Eric was one of the team's first five members), he began the process of making the car race- and show-ready. Since, as we stated earlier, the car is in a constant state of evolution, we can only tell you what Eric had on the car at the time of his photo shoot. True to form, right before we went to print, Eric faxed over an updated list of mods (see sidebar), which we're sure will be outdated by the time you're reading this.
The body kit is pure Erebuni, as in Mugen-style Erebuni with an SiR-style mid wing and Feels GT-style top wing (all from Erebuni, as well). First Choice out of Voorhees, New Jersey, covered everything, including the mirrors and trim pieces, with Granada Black Pearl pigment. PIAA Hyper Whites, Eurolite strobes, GTO headlight covers, police flashers and backers, and clear lenses all around make up the rest of the exterior mods; unless you count the subtle roll call graphics that were done by Signs By Tomorrow in Sommerdale, New Jersey. For show, Eric's Civic rolls on 17x7 O.Z. F1 Cups and Nitto 205/40ZR17 NT450s. For race, the fronts are pulled in favor of the stock 14-inch wheels and Nitto NT555 tires.
Team Flipspeed gets the credit for the suspension mods, which include Jamex coilovers front and rear, Tokico shocks at each corner, and Tenzo front and rear stabilizer bars and front and rear strut tower bars.
The Flipspeed name comes up again along with Team Evo and Team Alpha when Eric talks about the engine buildup. The 1.6L DX powerplant received Bullfrog cams, an Iceman/K&N intake, a Kamikaze header, an STR cam gear, a Crane Hi-6 ignition, Magnacor wires, and a GReddy exhaust. The Neuspeed short shifter and the Clutch Masters Stage 2 clutch allow Eric to get the power to the pavement. A NOS 50-shot system helps propel the Civic down the 1,320 (best quarter-mile time to date: 14.5 at 96 mph). The engine compartment is also dressed with Akimoto silicone hoses and STR caps. Remember, he shows the car, too.
Inside, Eric has created an interior that is at home at a show or on the strip. The '92 Civic Si seats are covered with yellow vinyl (B&L Upholstery in Atco). Style and function collide in the form of Auto Meter gauges, Grant steering wheel, Issota shift knob, Razo pedals, fire extinguisher, Civic EX armrest, and, of course, the hanging bananas. Electronic World in Glassboro, New Jersey, installed the Pioneer head unit, CD changer, and Eclipse amps and speakers. It's all joined together with Monster Cable.