The "different" mantra continues throughout. Who has turned their interior into a rolling paean to the now-extinct Naugabird of the Great White Plains? (Where do you think Naugahyde comes from, anyway?) Who's got a Sega Dreamcast and a DVD player tucked away in various interior compartments and crevices? Who else has chromed Weapon*R shocks? No one that we're aware of. His advice for people building cars? "Take your time and decide what you want it to look like before you start. Pick the products wisely, and don't bite off another car; if you see something you like, do something similar but don't get the same parts...make it your own style. It takes time, imagination, knowledge of your car from engine to trunk, and it also takes plenty of money and love."
Fast Facts
Owner: Vince Pellegrino
Home Town: Vacaville, CA
Ride: 1997 Honda Civic EX coupe
Under The Hood: 1997 Honda Civic EX 1.6L VTEC engine (9.6;1 compression); Weapon*R V-2 intake, billet coolant overflow, and power steering tank; Jackson Racing polished supercharger ( 6 lbs boost), fuel pump, and regulator; B&M oil cooler; AEM cam gears; DC Sports 4-2-1 ceramic header; GReddy Power Extreme 2.5-inch exhaust; NGK plugs; Vitek wires; Hose Techniques hose dress-up kit; stock '97 EX-spec Honda four-speed automatic (2.722 First)
Stiff Stuff: chromed Weapon*R coilovers and Tokico HP shocks on all corners (3 inches lower), Nakayama front strut brace, Energy Suspension bushings
Rollers: 17 x 7.5 inch Volk TE37 rims, 205/40-17 Toyo FZ4 rubber
Stoppers: Painted front calipers and rear drums
Outside: Tsunami/Xenon T2000 front bumper, side skirts, and rear lip; Wings West touring-style wing; Streetglow Gold-series undercar lighting, painted headlight housing and door handles; anodized blue graphics
Inside: White vinyl everywhere, Corbeau A4 chairs, custom-handmade gauge cluster from Hitek Motorsports, Autometer Phantom boost and air/fuel gauges, MOMO Thunder wheel, OBX automatic shift knob and pedals
ICE: Alpine CVA1005 head unit with 12-CD changer, Precision Power Powerclass chrome amps (600 watts total), JL Audio VR-series speakers (eight total), Sharp DVD in glove box, Sega Dreamcast in center console, controller ports in armrest, Stinger wiring
Props: My family, my girlfriend Michelle, Leo at Weapon*R, Shawn and Mike at Jackson Racing, Lucky and Diana at Hose Techniques, Spenser at Corbeau, Gene at Tsunami, Shawn and Tri at TDSA Sports, everyone at Sacramento Motoring Accessories, Brent, Ed and Renee at Acme Tops and Tunes, Jay Canter, Mike at Pro Trans Autobody, Speedoptions.com, Doug at Hitek, Jay Wright for my Web site (showcivic.cjb.net), Ryan at streetracing.org, Kyle, Dan and all my friends for their support