SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW
Facebook-f Instagram

Cruise Mode: Justin Pillay’s B18C-powered EG Civic

22 December, 2016

 

NZPC: Hi, Justin. That’s a pretty rad Civic you’ve built — what made you choose a Honda chassis?
Justin: It was originally my daily-driver, and I got a new job that required me to buy something newer, but I’ve always owned Hondas. So, I bought a 2008 Civic for the new daily and started what was supposed to be a weekend swap on the EG. Once I decided there was no time limit for swapping it, I began to look at rebuilding the motor instead.

It’s an exceptionally clean example —were you going for a ‘sleeper’ vibe with the build?
I’ve always been a fan of Honda OEM styling. It was not exactly a sleeper to start with, but I did want the car to look like a tidy Civic to the regular eye, and only someone who knew their stuff about Hondas would be aware there is a bit more to it.

Do you like to carry out most of the work yourself or get the experts in to sort it out?
The things that I’m confident about, like suspension and interior pieces, I’ll do myself, but, for the engine and drivetrain bits, there were a few Honda builders I had always wanted to work with on a car of mine, the likes of Lynn Rogers and close friend Duane Rawlinson, so they helped put my set-up together.

Yeah, sometimes it’s best to leave it to the guys who know what they’re doing. Have you had the chance since to test it at any track days?
I’ve taken it to a round of Nightspeed Drag Wars and ran a 14.1-second pass without launching it. I also took it to the NZHondas North Island Mega Meet, which was hosted at Hampton Downs raceway; that was a good chance to test it out and see what the complete package could do. I was pretty impressed with how it went.

Awesome. The power-to-weight must be crazy. After testing it, would you have done anything differently?
[Laughs] It would have been nice to have finished it quicker so I could have enjoyed it more with fewer time constraints, but it has been a pretty enjoyable build over the years.

Cheers for chatting with us, Justin.

Name: Justin Pillay
Location: Auckland
Occupation: Account manager

Make/Model: 1993 Honda Civic GTi
Engine: Honda B18C 1797cc four-cylinder, B18C2 crank, Type-R rods, Type-R pistons, ARP main studs, baffled sump, ported and polished head, Type-R valves, springs, and retainers, Type-R camshafts, Pro Wholesale adjustable cam gears, ARP head studs, Skunk2 intake manifold, three-inch alloy intake pipe, Blox Velocity air-intake kit, Mugen four-into-one headers, Fujitsubo Legalis R 2.5-inch exhaust system, Type-R injectors, Walbro 500hp fuel pump, iridium platinum plugs, 8mm Eagle ignition leads, three-core alloy radiator
Drivetrain: Factory five-speed, Buddy Club short shifter, Exedy HK04HA Single Sports Series clutch, Type-R flywheel, Type-R LSD
Interior: Recaro black SR3 front seats, Civic Type-R rear seat, ’96 Type-R steering wheel,
EG6 manual cluster
Exterior: Full respray in Taffeta White, Spoon Style front lip, Spoon Style carbon-fibre spoiler, Spoon Style wing mirrors, Slipstream fibreglass bonnet, EK Civic side skirts, NZ Glass headlights, OEM fog lights, USDM red/clear tail lights
Wheels/tyres: 15×7-inch (+35) RAYS TE37, Toyo T1R 205/50R15
Suspension: Daiyama coilovers

Bronze treasure unearthed

20 August, 2026

The car was put away in favour of something more practical, and when his father was unable to drive any more, Matt’s friend asked him to come and take a look at his dad’s old Holden. It turned out this was one of those phone calls that leads to that feeling of pure joy in the classic car world — the ‘barn find’ that turns out to be even better than expected. The HT Monaro had been put to bed some years before and had not seen the light of day since. Layers of dust and boxes of junk littered her undercarriage and bodywork and access points all around.

NZ Classic Car magazine, September/October 2026 issue 407, on sale now

16 August, 2026

We love bugs!
A bit of TLC that became a major restoration
The 1302S, or ‘Super Beetle’ as it became known, was built for two years before it, too, was replaced by a further-enhanced Beetle, the 1303, continuing an amazing 65-year lineage for one of the World’s best-known shapes.
The world’s best-selling single-model vehicle, the VW Beetle, possibly established another record for the amount of controversy it has created since the inception of the Type 1.
In a meeting with Hitler in June 1934, Ferdinand Porsche was contracted to build a ‘People’s Car’ that could accommodate two adults and three children, was air-cooled and simple to maintain, and could cruise economically at moderate speed along Germany’s proposed new Autobahns.
Our feature car, a 1972 1302S ‘Super Beetle’, was found by Dave and Michelle Dickie in Mosgiel a few years back. It was a runner, but like most VWs of this age, it needed a little TLC. They were looking for a daily driver for Michelle when they first came upon the VW being sold locally on behalf of its owner.
“The owner offered it to his grandchildren, and they didn’t want it, so he got the guy out at Mosgiel in the Mobil petrol station to sell it for him, and he put it on Trade Me for them. We never met the owner, and we were always dealing with the guy at the petrol station. We put a bid on it, and we were the only people that bid on it.”
Their bid was eventually successful, eight years ago. Not knowing much of the history, in situations like that, it’s always a risk buying a car, but they were in for a bit of a surprise.