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

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

28 May, 2026

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.

Chrysler’s classy cruiser

22 May, 2026

I first saw our feature car, a 1970 V8-powered Regal 770 hardtop, towing a trailer carrying the tidy Ford Anglia classic racing saloon in Broadspeed racing colours that has featured in these pages. The coupe is comparatively rare here, which means anyone contemplating purchasing one of these big two-doors is sure to see prices continue to climb. The latter Charger has claimed much of the Aussie Chrysler limelight, but the simpler and classier lines of this car, which appeared dated soon after its introduction, now have a more timeless appeal.
Former owner, Balclutha motor engineer, Mike Verdoner, remembers the car well. He believes it came from Dunedin originally.
“I’m not sure about the car’s history, but I bought it off its owner at Kaitangata. Unusually, it was advertised in the local newspaper, the Clutha Leader, which was a surprise as these usually go for a lot more money on the internet. I had it for quite a few years. It needed a little bit of work to tidy it up, so I had to decide whether to spend the money on it to do it up, which could have been twenty grand. Its value at the time was not like it is now, so I sold it to Ewan. It’s probably now worth three or four times what I sold it for.”