The last week of the year means that it’s time to officially release the list for the top 10 Hondas of 2009. I must say, this year’s was definitely a tough. I actually discussed this with Mikeyyyy in depth to see what his opinion was on the subject and he and I both came to the agreement on the list. It wasn’t so much the cars that were gonna make the list so much as it was exactly in what order they would be placed. Any of these Hondas could have been number 1 but I took into consideration a lot of different factors and I can honestly say that I’m satisfied with the result. Many of you may not agree on the list but hey, that’s just the way it goes sometimes. We all have differing opinions and at the end of the day, these are all great cars and there are probably many more in your mind that should have been on the list that aren’t. After the 10 have been announced, I will also release an honorable mentions list and explain to you guys why it wasn’t on the 10. Congratulations to the final group who are on the list for what I believe are the best Hondas of 09. Today will be #10 – 6, like last year, and then #5-2 and then the number one Honda of the year. Let’s get it started…

*drumroll*…

10. HBK Jon’s Honda Civic hatchback and Mr. Coupe’s Honda Civic coupe…(Tie)

This one was just too hard to call. Out of the ten Hondas we looked at, we were stuck with 11 and it wasn’t fair to just leave one off the list because both are very deserving…

Why it made the list: Simply because he pulled it off. A purple Civic with a teal bay? On paper, that doesn’t even sound like it would be a good idea but he pulled it off, and in stunning fashion. This car exemplifies 2009’s trends of being ridiculously low with a shaved, two-toned bay. It was a dramatic change from the clean and simple red exterior and battleship grey bay from the years before. Jon’s hatch was the complete package. Wheels, stance, tucked bay, interior, everything. It’s a great all-around build that screams West Coast flavor. I remember the first time I saw it at a meet and I was shocked because I had no idea he had repainted it. As the year went on, it got more and more exposure and was seen all over the net, in fact, it was seen all over the world. I had clicks from sites in Denmark, Russia, etc. The pics even ended up being the most clicked on pics of the year on this site.  This hatch caught so much heat that it was even eventually shot for Import Tuner. It makes the list for 2009 because it was one of the trendsetters for the year…

Why it made the list: Mike Zusin aka Mr. Coupe had what was arguably the most followed east coast build of 2009. The anticipation for this Civic’s debut was ridiculous. Mike had people on the edge of their seats wondering if he would make it out in time for Import Alliance. It would make the list just because it’s a beautiful car. Simple looks-wise with all the details you could ask for in a build. Mike also built this thing entirely inside his garage, which is also quite an accomplishment. In a day and age when so many cars are built by shops and businesses, Mike took the DIY route and put this car together by himself and a group of dedicated friends. One of the reasons why it’s not higher on the list is because it was mostly unfinished for most of the year. After IA, Mike was still busy putting the final touches on the car and it didn’t hit the streets until the later part of the year. Another reason why I didn’t put it higher is because he was so quick to disassemble it and part it out. The build was so great and the final product came out so beautifully that it was a shame to see him take it apart before everyone could soak it in. It almost takes away from the final product because it wasn’t around long enough. He put it together, rolled it into Import Alliance, it was shot for a magazine, and now it’s no more. Almost as if it was a “hit it and quit it” type of build. We’ve all heard of moving on to bigger and better things but in terms of Hondas, it almost doesn’t get any better than this…

9. Dagreenek aka Steve Kwan’s Honda Civic hatchback…

Why it made the list: All eyes were on the Northwest when this EK hit the cover of Honda Tuning magazine. The Northwest is often overlooked when it comes to top builds and Steve’s EK is proof that we need to pay attention. I’m almost sad when I realize that I will never be able to see this car in person. It’s timeless. K-swap, Mugen goodies, OEM CTR pieces, it’s perfect. I had the pleasure of meeting Steve earlier this year at Nisei Showoff and he’s a super nice guy as well. Traveling all the way down to Socal just to hang out and check out a car show shows his true dedication to the Honda community. It’s a shame that there aren’t any shows up there and events for Steve to show off his work. Ten years from now we’ll look back at this build and it will still be one of the best of our generation…

8. Phil Anastacio’s J32-powered Civic…

Why it made the list: Canada does it again. The rest of the country may hate me up there but this Civic makes the list because it’s wild. Rando kit, Seeker wing, and did I forget to mention that it’s a 6-cylinder Civic? The J-series swap became quite the popular item this year and Phil’s hatch would definitely be the spokesmodel for the J-swap community. It also is a good example of another popular mod for the year; the reintroduction to the big rear wings. A lot of people will contend that Reynard’s CR-X should have been the Canadian representative on this year’s list but in my opinion, I must say that Phil’s hatch made a bigger impact on the Honda crowd nationwide. Didn’t this guy drive like 18 hours or something to attend Import Alliance as well? That’s awesome. First J-swap featured in Honda Tuning as well as the first J-swap to get cover,…definitely deserving of a spot on the Top 10 of 2009…

7. S2kjay’s Honda S2000…

Why it made the list: Because my heart skips a beat everytime I see this thing. Oh my… It may be number 7 on the list but it’s definitely the S2000 of the year. Jay’s S2k came out of nowhere and it had everybody’s jaws on the floor when it popped up on the net with the rear flares, hardtop, and aggressive wheel set-up. Often times, cars look so much better on the internet and are all beat up in person. Not this one, it’s every bit as picture perfect as it appears. The guy actually drove it out to California from Georgia exactly how you see it pictured above, boosted and everything, for the annual Eibach meet. That’s pretty fucking crazy if you ask me. The Premium Garage Krew guys brought the heat this year. What’s great about this build is that it continues to evolve and it gets better and better as time goes by. He’s already completely redone the car in Laguna Seca Blue with new goodies. I guess he’s keeping his spot warm for next year’s list…

6. Rywire’s Honda CR-X…

Why it made the list: The list just wouldn’t be complete without Ryan Basseri. Not only does the guy build phenomenal cars for himself, he’s also had his hand in so many great builds of 2009. His CR-X is probably one of the greatest builds of ALL TIME. Not one part of this CR-X was left untouched. There are so many details in this EF that you could look at it 10 times and you could find something new that you hadn’t seen before. From the K-swap, to the custom brakelines, to the tucked radiator, it’s attention to detail at it’s best. I’m happy to say that I had the pleasure to write his Super Street feature because I really learned so much more about his build that I probably would have never known just by looking at it. If Ryan’s CR-X somehow didn’t make the list, I would probably still put his picture up somewhere on here because many of the great Hondas this year were made possible because of this man…

Hope you enjoyed 10-6 so far, make sure to come back for the top 5 of 09…