On January 3, 2003, there was a loud thump at the Auto Club of America. A noise, much like an elderly man dropping to the floor, echoed throughout the building. It was the President. A faxed industry press release lay in his limp hand, reporting the unveiling of Alpine's '03 Honda Civic Si, a car so littered with electronics it could only be described as unprecedented. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ad campaign money to keep citizens from using their cell phones, inhaling chipotle chicken sandwiches, smoking cigarettes, and driving stick all at the same time flashed before his eyes. It was all for naught. Alpine created his nightmare, and fleshed it out in a deep-blue hue. His monster lived. The ultimate distracted driving machine was unchained.
We received the same fax that day. However, we crumpled to the carpet for an entirely different reason: The sticker price. All in all, Alpine spent over a quarter of a million dollars on this Civic. That includes all the R&D, labor, parts, and the stock vehicle price itself. That's $250,000 for those of you who are counting. On top of that, the company received a whole hell of a lot of free gear from sponsors, which doesn't factor in to the expense equation. Even for a successful audio company, that's a lot of cash. But why is the company so spendy? One simple reason: Alpine wanted to prove its skills. And when you have mad skills to prove, you build a car that everyone is going to notice, like it or not.
The ShellAnd you have to admit it you noticed. The first thing that probably caught your eye was the exterior, how it's airbrushed like The Little Mermaid: College Years. Sure, it's over the top. In fact, it's rocketing into the ozone, leaving the planet behind. But Alpine knows that. So does Wings West. Together, both companies agreed that they needed to take the Civic to the next level, and there's no denying that they did. If you don't recognize the shape of the Si, that's because the Wings West G-55 body kit completely revolutionizes its makeup with one effortless curve after the other. Extreme fender flares jut out like Yosemite Sam pistols, ready for a showdown at high noon. The upper roof spoiler, lower front grille, side markers, smoked taillights: all Wings West creations, and all seamlessly applied. The cold-blue coat extends over everything too. Even the 19-inch I-Forged Swift wheels felt the brush, although the AEM big brakes posing behind them were left alone.
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Here's what the Venus flytrap gauge claws look like before you get inside. |
And this is about when claustrophobia sets in. | |
Belly of the BeastThe real treat is undeniably the interior. That's where Alpine's R&D super duo, Chris Yato and Steve Brown, worked their now infamous magic. Having already completed a competition-level '95 BMW M3 and a show-stopping '02 Acura RSX (another Wings West collaboration), Alpine required no coaxing whatsoever to get them started on the Si. The company knew these two could do something remarkable, and they certainly did. Take a good look in there and you may wonder if anything is left stock. Well, Chris? "Maybe the headliner," he says. "Wait, no, even that's an ultra-suede black fabric now. I guess just the factory rearview mirror."