Well, it’s probably a little later than I would have liked to have put this together but here we are in October and this is finally happening…As you all know, I usually do a “Top Ten Hondas” at the end of every year to spotlight some of what I feel are the best Honda builds. It started in 2008 and I followed it up the following year with the Top Ten Hondas of 2009 and then again in 2010. During the middle of each year, I did an update on all of those builds and gave you guys some insight as to what they are doing and where the cars are at. It’s always interesting to see what happens to the Hondas on the list because you either see them continue on with their builds, or sell them and start on something else. Today we’re going to take a look at the bottom half of the list and in the days following I will give you guys an update on spots 1-5…
If you guys are new to the site, make sure to check out the original post on The Top Ten Hondas of 2010…
You might want to catch up on the reading before you start on today’s post, otherwise it won’t make much sense to you…
Here is the original follow-up post to the Top Ten Hondas of 2009, so you guys can get a good idea of what the format is like for today…nothing crazy, just a couple new photos compared to how the cars looked when they first made the list…
The Top Ten Hondas of 2009…A Retrospective…Part 1…
The Top Ten Hondas of 2010…A Retrospective…Part 2…
Alright, so now that we are all caught up, let’s get started on a retrospective look at the Top Ten Hondas from 2010…
10. Kane Chan’s Civic Coupe/Arn Reyes’ Acura Integra/Ejay Adriano’s DA via 3-Way Tie…
What he’s up to now: If there is anything that needs to be said about Kane Chan’s Civic, it’s that he and his car have been nothing but a model of consistency. He’s had this coupe since the 90’s so it’s highly unlikely that it would make any drastic changes. He participated in the first two Super Street FF Battles but took off the 2011 event to give the car a break and so that he could just sit back and enjoy the races. He also landed once again in the pages of Super Street magazine and I’m proud to say that I was able to shoot and write the story for it. It’s been a pleasure knowing Kane and it’s because of Super Street and the FF Battle series that I was able to meet him and now call him a friend…
Not much of a change aesthetically… In 2011, he re-installed his Spoon Sports front lip and put the car back on some classic Work RS-Betas…Everything going on under the hood is exactly the same as when it made its appearance on the 2010 Top Ten Hondas list…
What he’s up to now: Arn is another one of those old school cats that has had his Honda for a while and doesn’t have any plans to get rid of it any time soon. He had a baby and is a full-fledged family man but he still finds time to mess around with his Integra. The guy always has a collection of parts that he can always swap on and off but at the 2011 Nisei Showoff event, he brought his DC2 out on a brand new Hershey Brand front bumper, a piece that also debuted in 2011….
Many will argue that the Mugen front bumper is a timeless look that should never replaced but Arn Reyes has always been a guy that’s been willing to try something new and take some chances with his car. That’s why he always has different parts so that he can change up the outside appearance of his Integra at any time…Not much else is new for Arn and his car but don’t be surprised if he comes out in 2012 with some all new shit…
What he’s up to now: Ejay had quite a year in 2010…he brought his DA out to practically every event in California and even found himself with a feature in Honda Tuning magazine. It’s probably one of the most recognizable DA Integras nowadays but in 2011, he’s taken more of a laid back approach with his car…
He wasn’t too please with the power his H-swap was making so he went ahead and swapped back to a B-series motor. Ejay planned to make his car more streetable this year so that he could just simply enjoy the car so the motor just made more sense to have. While I think wholeheartedly that the SSR Super Mesh was the best possible look EVER for his DA, he also took those off and is now rolling on some Volk TE37s. He made the decision because he didn’t want to mess with the aggressive camber and rough ride anymore and chose to go with a more subtle wheel size…I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for taking the SSRs off but I’m glad that he can enjoy his DA to the fullest now…
9. Phil Robles Honda Civic...
What he’s up to now: Phil Robles’ Civic has been on hiatus in 2011. He did a couple track events with the car, then ran into some unfortunate events which have since been repaired, and now the car sits in his garage awaiting a new power plant. Phil is a great driver but what was holding him back was the limited power he was making compared to some other Hondas he was competing against. He has finally decided to go K and I’m anxious to see how the J’s Racing equipped Civic will look when he reappears in 2012…
Meanwhile, he’s been busy at track events with another Civic hatchback. He’s got big plans for his original one though and you can read a little bit more on it at the projectonethirty site, where I also grabbed this photo from. It’s a cool site with some good shots so peep it…
8. “DPK David” Andrade’s Honda Civic Coupe…
What he’s up to now: David has been on a mad quest to get his coupe ready for some track events next year. While it has served most of it’s existence as a street/show car, he’s finally taking the leap into the motorsports world. His decision comes from just his overall boredom with the car. David wanted to redo the entire car, but with a wedding coming up as well as eyes on some new projects, it just doesn’t make sense to tear it down to start over. It first appeared in Honda Tuning magazine back in 2006, and then after a makeover, appeared in Import Tuner magazine in 2010. There isn’t much more exposure it can get so DPK David is just going to take the car out and beat it up…
He’s recently re-done his exhaust set-up and installed a new Vibrant muffler as well as porting his intake manifold, changing up his fuel set-up and finally getting tuned on AEM EMS Series 2 by none other than Bisi Ezerioha. The tune actually just happened not too long ago and I have video and more information on it HERE….How good he will do on the track remains a mystery but I’ll be sure to keep you updated on his progress…
7. RC Chacon aka “Kingdingaling’s” Honda Civic hatchback…
What he’s up to now: RC’s hatchback is actually sitting in his garage motor-less and untouched. Why? Well, because he’s been busy working on some other Hondas for his clients as well as starting on a brand new project, which is a 4-door Mugen-equipped Civic. I’m not really sure what his plans are for his hatchback but he seems to have shifted all his focus onto his new project…
RC debuted the sedan at the 2011 Nisei Showoff event and the turbo K inside his EG9 turned a lot of heads. There is still quite a bit of miscellaneous things that he would like to finish up on it and I should have some updated photos of it when he brings it out to the Year.Three Chronicles Anniversary event. As for his white hatch that originally made the 2010 Top Ten list, who knows when or if we will ever see it again…
6. Edwin Pagan aka “Midorieking’s” EK…
What he’s up to now: I really couldn’t tell you…because I have no idea. After the Chronicles 2-year anniversary meet, he had big plans to tear down the car and rebuild it for 2011, but half way through it, he abandoned the project and parted the whole car out. He ultimately sold the shell too and now Edwin’s project from 2010 is non-existent. I haven’t really talked to him nor have I seen him active on the forums so all I can assume is that he’s gone M.I.A. He never really explained why he abandoned the project either so it remains a mystery as to why he seemingly fell off the face of the Earth…
When he debut the build in 2010, it was met with a lot of praise and had a pretty good overall reaction from the community, so it’s kind of a shame to see that he hasn’t taken that momentum and done anything else…
Well, that’s about all for today…back with the rest of the list tomorrow or the days following…
Thanks for looking….
wow can’t believe its already the end of 2011. can’t wait to see the top 10 this year homie!! miss you! all homo 😉
Nice update. Lol at the abandoned photo..
Good one Joey. Looking forward for the meet!
Nice retrospective, maybe there will be a 4-door in the top 10 this year. really like the look of RC Chacon’s EG9 so far, and there’s the other candidate…
Some things floating around about Edwin. He had a couple projects up his sleeve but I haven’t heard much about them in a while… I heard he was starting one project but then decided to stop midway for something even better. I don’t know all the details… just what’s been said through the grapevine. Whatever it is… I’m sure it’ll be really nice. We all expect a lot out of his builds. Hopefully he delivers.
Thanks Joey..It’s was an honor to be featured in The Chronicles!