It’s cool to hear that the majority of the regulars on this site appreciate the Top Ten picks of 2010. It was a pretty difficult decision to make but I think it was the right choices. As with last year, I usually do an honorable mentions list though, just to give you guys an indication of who was in competition to be on the list. These cars are equally as great in terms of build, but probably just lacked something here and there compared to the guys that eventually made it on the list. Usually what’s lacking is that they’re either not in any final stage of completion or they just don’t, plain and simple. So if you guys were looking over at the Top Ten choices and were like..”hmm, why wasn’t ____________ on the list?” Well, the previously stated reasons were probably it, and I’ll give you guys other reasons if there were other contributing factors.

The Honorable Mentions list is still filled with great builds and they all deserve credit. I’ve listed just 11 cars, 1 more than I originally planned but I’m sure there were plenty more great builds in 2010 that I probably missed. With that said, let’s get started….

Presenting the 2010 Honors List…

Alex “Sheepey” Soto’s Honda Civic…

Why it made the list: This is probably one of the most important builds of 2010. If I had like a Top 15 list or something to that degree, than Sheepey’s would definitely be on the list. It was important because it was basically a crossover build. Within the scope of Hondas and other sport compact cars, there’s always been a divide between show car guys and guys who race their cars. I don’t call them “drag racers” or “race car guys” because many people out there like to think that they’re racers just because they don’t like show cars, and that’s fucking stupid. There is just a bit of segregration when it comes with guys who enjoy the way their cars look and build with style and mind, and guys who don’t care or know anything about aesthetics and just want to go fast. Alex merged both groups and built a drag car with attention to detail, cleanliness, and appearance in mind. The build itself came out incredible. Everything about the car was great to look at while still maintaining it’s purpose as a race car. The Civic was on hiatus for a couple years after it’s Honda Tuning cover and Alex tore it down, started over, built himself a pretty respectable drag car, and once again, landed on the cover of Honda Tuning magazine. It’s a great build and in some people’s minds, would probably have topped the Top Ten of 2010. Through my eyes though, I saw differently simply because Sheepey set a goal for himself, and I honestly think he came up short. I’ve never been one to not be upfront with Alex since I’ve been there for him whenever he needed advice for as long as I’ve known him, but I don’t think this build set out to do what he wanted. To call it a dissapointment would be grossly overstated because that’s not the case, but I think there could have been so much more for this car. Sheepey was able to take the car out a couple times to get some seat time and to see how the car responded on the track, but he ran into some hiccups along the way in 2010 that put the car down the majority of the year. I think the problems discouraged him and he shut it down to rebuild for 2011. When it comes to racing and putting a car through that kind of stress, it’s bound to run into issues and that was the case for Alex. 2011 is another year, hopefully Alex gets back on his feet and gets this car going again…

Jay “S2KJay” Thammavong’s Honda S2000…

Why it made the list: If there was one car that I regret not putting in the Top Ten of 2010 list, it would have to be Jay’s S2000. This dude has been everywhere this year, even willing to transport his car out here to the west coast to attend the Eibach 2010 event. He made the Top Ten in 2009 list and that’s the primary reason why I ended up not including him on this year’s list. He completely redid the car so that would have been enough for me to put him in again, but I still think he had some minor touches and misc. things he wanted to do before he’s finally finished with the build. I love this S2000 though and it’s definitely one of my favorite S2000s around. He definitely deserves mention because he’s been such a good representative of the east coast Honda community and it’s always a pleasure to have him out here when he visits. He doesn’t let himself get involved with all that east/west bullshit and is a true enthusiast through and through. Whenever he’s out here he enjoys himself and embraces the community out here and the feeling is mutual from the guys out here. ..

Gil “Guillotine” Salazar’s Circuit Hero Integra…

Why it made the list: Because it’s one of the best looking Integra builds in the last couple years. Gil’s Integra finally came together in 2010 and the finished product was amazing. Everything about it screamed aggression and it looked like it was ready to tear up the track. The K made great power over at Raceline as well and everything looked promising for the build. Unfortunately though, he once again ran into issues which caused the car not to run for a majority of the year. It participated in the 2010 Super Street FF Battle and looked like one of the favorites to take it all but problems arose and it didn’t finish. If everything had gone as planned and Gil was able to bring it out to events, then there’s no doubt that it would have been very high on the list, if not in the top 1-3 spots. It was a lot like Ryan Der’s build in terms of having that traditional look in addition to many, many custom touches but it had a K and made significantly more power. The only difference between the two in 2010 was that Ryan Der was able to bring his car out everywhere, while Gil was more concentrated on getting everything working correctly. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that 2011 is his year because it will be exciting to see what this car can accomplish now that it’s running at it’s full potential.

Mike G.’s Honda Civic aka “Tank”…

Why it made the list: By all accounts, Mike G’s car very well should have been on the Top Ten list. It had taken a 6 year hiatus and nobody even knew he had the car anymore, and then he brought it back with al whole new look. Other than the color, he completely changed the car inside and out and everyone was excited to see it again. The man’s car has legendary status online and I heard many people mention that it should have been on the list. It doesn’t make this list and a majority of the people should know why. Much like Gil’s build, he ran into issues with the motor and it just didn’t run. Mike isn’t one to trailer his car everywhere so he really wanted it up and running, but the timeframe in 2010 just didn’t allow it. The times you did see the car out and about was when he brought it out just to please his sponsors or to fulfill commitments. He still landed another magazine cover, making it like, his 5, 6, or maybe even 7th magazine feature, something that is unheard of no matter what automotive community you’re apart of. Everyone started to hear that Mike was bringing the “Tank” back and when he debuted the new look at Eibach, people went apeshits over it. I just wish it was in running condition so that Mike could have brought it out to more events and driven it wherever he wanted. Like Sheepey’s build, it wasn’t a disappointed by any stretch of the imagination, reality just happen to strike and he wasn’t able to have the car in perfect operating condition like he had anticipated…

Sam Ip’s Honda Civic…

Why it made the list: *Sigh*…Umm, if there was any car on this list that I was at least a little disappointed by, it would have to be Sam’s Civic. The car just had so much promise. It had everything laid out in front of it, including a possible mag feature lined-up. It was starting to circulate within the community and people were starting to follow it closely, just waiting to see what Sam had planned for it in the future. I liked the build so much that I even had it in my Chronicles’ “Top Ten Hondas” featured-booth at Nisei Showoff, and the car was in a fender bender the night or so before the event. I’m a huge fan of this body style/generation Civic and I was really hyped on Sam’s build…but alas, it’s no more…Sam got into a couple of random fender benders throughout the year and maybe the car was just bad luck because he ended up totalling the whole car and now it’s long gone. I don’t know what he’s got planned next and I think he even bought another car of the same chassis. Let’s hope he has better luck with that one and he can start fresh…

Chef Andre’s Honda Civic…

Why it made the list: Chef Andre’s build was another one of the builds from the east that I followed closely. It’s a great build and very well put together. It’s very well rounded and there are a couple things about it, like the white Status seats, that really make it stand out. I just wasn’t exposed enough to it or saw it around enough to really be able to put it ahead of the other cars on the Top Ten list…

Abraham Ceja’s Honda Civic…

Why it made the list: Abe’s Civic made a strong showing in 2010. It caught my eye when I first saw it at Wek’Fest at the beginning of 2010 and it continued to change throughout the year. It’s another one of those well-rounded builds that has all the style elements that were very popular in 2010. It’s actually got a lot of cool touches to it, including a custom airbrushed hood and I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of it in 2011…

Tim Schultz’s Honda Civic…

Why it made the list: Tim’s Civic makes the list because it’s more of an upcoming build but everyone came to know of it in 2010. It’s got a bright future in 2010 and judging by his build thread, he has great taste in parts and his car is coming together nicely…

Jackie Law’s Honda S2000…

Why it made the list: Jackie Law had a pretty big year. His S2000 was featured in Honda Tuning magazine and was probably one of the more “known” or “seen” S2000 (on the net) in the entire Honda community.He changed things up after his feature came out and his S2000 looked even better as the year progressed. It was a little short of making the list just because there were so many great S2000 builds this year. Between Jay’s and Angel’s, I simply had to go with Angel’s because his build was brand new and no one had heard about it until 2010…

Mike Trevino’s Honda Civic sedan…

Why it made the list: Mike’s Civic is probably one of the “sleeper” hits of the year. I think the fact that the Civic was black kind of hindered it from being seen more. That and in comparison to the EG hatchbacks and EJ1 coupes, the 4-doors just aren’t as popular. I personally liked this car more when it was on it’s black wheels because it gave it more of an aggressive, menacing look. It’s a really well-done build that more people should appreciate. 4-door EG Civics are starting to become more and more rare everyday just because their aren’t that many people building them up anymore, Mike’s Civic is a perfect example of why people shouldn’t look past these cars…

Christian “Hondarazor23” Ramos’s Honda Accord Coupe…

Why it made the list: Because it’s probably one of the best looking Accords of 2010. Simple as that. So many Accord guys have this weird like, angst about themselves and they always want to be the victims and claim that nobody cares about their cars. I was an Accord owner once, it’s very hard to be apart of that segmented portion of the community because so many of those guys are so fucking negative. Instead of giving other enthusiasts the credit that they deserve, they are quick to discredit the accomplishments of others just because they feel like they don’t have aftermarket support. Since the community has shifted more towards the custom fabrication-side of modifications, now would be the perfect time for Accord guys who think they don’t have support, to build something relevant. Guys like Hondarazor23 have great looking Accords and make appearances at events to represent, and are all over the internet. They don’t worry so much about petty things and just concentrate on building their own cars. I hear some guys complain about how every Civic/Integra looks the same or whatever. Well guess who made the top of the list this year? A Prelude chassis that is probably equally as “unpopular” as the Accord chassis. You just have to build it right. A bunch of enthusiasts think that all Accords look the same too, and that’s why it’s refreshing to see an Accord like this one. It doesn’t really matter what chassis you build, if you have enough ingenuity and creativity, you can make any chassis a respectable, top-notch build. Getting recognition is really up to you. Nobody can force you to come out and make yourself seen. It’s easy to sit and complain about how nobody cares about you and how you think every car that isn’t your chassis is more popular. Who gives a shit? If you’re a real enthusiast than you care not for what car it is, but how the car is put together.

That concludes the honorable mentions list of 2010. Everyone have a great year, I’m looking forward to seeing how the community/scene/whatever you want to call it progresses in 2011. Thanks for looking.