Take your average Honda Civic, lop a couple of doors off and put a harder slanting back on the thing. Add in a see-through rear boot/wing section so you can still see out the back ok and put a 1.6L 94kW engine in it.
Doesn’t exactly sound like a recipe for anything fantastic, does it?
But the CRX, Honda’s original Hot Hatch, had a couple of party pieces that made it a little bit special. Number one of which was the razor-sharp chassis flung underneath the thing.
As Honda had decided to target Europe’s famous front drivers – things like the Peugeot 205 Gti and Mini Cooper S, they really needed to nail it in the handling department. They did.
The little car cornered very well. There was tons of grip, with a touch of power-understeer on initial corner-entry, followed, in typical hot-hatch style, by mass amounts of lift-off-oversteer. Fly into a corner, back off the throttle and feel the car tuck back into the centre line again before nailing the throttle once more.
It was fantastic fun.
Fun that was added to by the CRX’s second special factor, the B16A VTEC engine. The B16′s variable valve timing transformed the car and ensured it had the revs and power to match it’s quality chassis.
The little 3 door flew, and seemed to rev to eternity.
The CRX became something of a giant killer, with many a more vaunted ride being embarrassed on both road and track by the diminutive 3 door Honda.
In the aftermarket, the CRX is still a much respected little car, with various available aftermarket power adders, lighter-weight wheels, beefier springs and turbocharger kits available. The 22H 2.2L Prelude engine has also become a common swap.
The 2nd generation CRX from 1987 is an absolute beauty!
Michael Adams for Infinite-Garage
Article Originally Written for www.worldcarreview.com