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101 Cars: Honda Civic
The car that made the motorcycle company a car company
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SPEED Staff  |  Posted August 01, 2008   Charlotte, North Carolina
Detroit didn't take the Honda Civic seriously, but the world's car buyers did. (Photo: WikiMedia.org)

Here's another one that earns the title "icon." Honda had futzed around with cars a lot during the 1960s, everything from motorcycle engine-powered sports cars to Formula One racers. But the company rightly recognized that the world was ready to accept well-engineered, quality cars from Japan, not just cheap ones. Honda also demonstrated its engineering prowess by coming up with emissions equipment systems in 1975 - called CVCC - that gave good performance and high fuel mileage without the use of catalytic converters. Detroit didn't take it seriously, but the world's car buyers did. That's why junk like the Pinto, Vega, Gremlin, Omni, and Horizon are history, and the Civic is now in its seventh iteration. The first one was small, and if the constant-velocity joints in the front axles went bad, they ground so loud you thought the car was eating itself. But the early cars paved the way for Honda, and the Civic, to become household automotive names.

Specifications
Engine: 1.5-liter SOHC inline four (CVCC, 1974)
Horsepower: 53
Price New: $2,500
Value Now: You should still be able to buy a decent runner for the same amount
Honda Civic Photos



Claim to Fame

CLAIM TO FAME: Put Honda on the map, or more accurately the globe, as a carmaker


Behind the Wheel

BEHIND THE WHEEL: Running originals are hard to find. Join a Honda web ring and ask around, because they shouldn't cost much.


Did You Know?

DID YOU KNOW: Honda sells more than 200,000 of them a year in the Unites States alone. How many Vegas does Chevy sell these days?


The Perfect Drive

THE PERFECT DRIVE: Right by all the gas stations that the 1974 Chryslers were parked in during the first gas crunch.



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