Otto Lau
Aurora, Colorado
1989 Honda Civic
Otto has owned his Honda since '92 and will likely be modifying it beyond '02. In 1996, he had just installed a nitrous oxide system and got revved on at a stoplight by some punks. He did not want to race because the bottle wasn't on. The other car did a burn out and drifted toward Otto. The light changed and Otto darted across the intersection.
He left the other car then heard a popping sound coming from the rear of his Honda. Looking back, he saw a punk kid with a gun shooting at his gas tank. He slammed on the brakes, let them pass and followed them to get a plate number but after running three lights, Otto decided chasing a car full of guns had its downside. He drove his Civic for six months with three bullet holes in it-two in the rear bumper and one in the side. The side shot went through the rear seat belt (through some junk in the trunk bounced off his nitrous bottle and wedged in the rear panel where the taillights are wired, causing a defect). After getting swiped by a tow truck, the car was delivered to Stacey's Paint Trix where it received a trick Mugen body kit and a eye-catching yellow hue.
The old-school Civic is powered by a DOHC ZC 1.6-liter engine swapped in by Paragon Tuning and turbocharged with a GReddy TD04 turbo tweaked to T28 specs by Turbo Engineering Corporation in nearby Golden, Colo. Additional turbo system components consist of a Blitz blow-off valve, Blitz boost controller and a Blitz turbo timer, a GReddy front-mount intercooler and custom ducting. A set of 310cc injectors and high-flow NOS pump the fuel into the fire while a Havana Machine-ported cylinder head expedites the flow of boost into the engine. The car rides on Tokico shocks, Neuspeed springs, PIAA Racing wheels and 50-series rubber. Stopping power has been enhanced with Stillen rotors and pads.
Inside, an AutoPower roll bar set-up is on call and Auto Meter Phantom gauges relay engine vitals. The car was originally a stereo wagon with an award-winning audio system. The system sports a Sony ES head unit and changer with DSP processor, ADS component speakers, Zapco amps, Cliff Design speakers and all the high-tech accessories to make it work.
Otto's Civic has aged well and proven its ability to withstand battle damage. This is one bulletproof Honda we expect will be boosting for years.
Editor's Note: We have gotten some interesting responses for Extreme Exposure, so keep those entries coming. To refresh your memory Extreme Exposure is the lead-off hitter of "Rides." It features bigger photos, more pages and more exposure than our conventional Rides entry. To attain this high-level of exposure one must have a worthy car, clean photos (preferably slides) of the inside and outside details of the car and enough info to make it all happen. We are trying to increase the quality of Rides and this section could easily see a vehicle graduate to full feature status. The most determining factory for such an upgrade is photography. Please don't use disposable cameras. The number and quality of the entries will determine how often Extreme Exposure will appear.