I sincerely apologize for the week-long absence. I posted on various social media outlets that I was going to be away but forgot the most important thing which was posting up on this site. My absence was due to me leaving the country last week to fly to Japan. The Tokyo Auto Salon event was an event that I always wanted to participate in and so I saved up throughout the year so that I could go. The next few weeks I will be providing coverage in full of my entire trip to Japan from start to finish so please check back daily for updates. I’m really happy with how the photos came out and am very excited to show you guys our adventures in Japan. We got to visit a variety of places and I documented quite a bit of car and non-car stuff and it all ties together nicely. I’m still going through a bulk of the photos so today, as promised, here is the 2012 Honors List…

The Chronicles 2012 Honors list is essentially the runner-up list for the Top Ten Hondas of 2012. If the Top Ten was a process that involved nominations, then I guess you can consider the Honors list the “nominees” that didn’t win and who came up just short of making the Top Ten. Even though they didn’t make it, these builds are still worthy of a mention and that’s why we will take a look at 30 of the most notable Honda builds of 2012…

If you missed the Top Ten of 2012, then you’ve been gone longer than I have. The entire list was posted up over a week ago but here are the links in case you did miss it…

The Chronicles Top Ten Hondas of 2012…10-6…
The Chronicles Top Ten Hondas of 2012…5-2…
The Chronicles Top Ten Hondas of 2012…#1…

…and now, here are the honorable mentions of 2012…

Teddy Timoteo | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

Teddy’s EK was definitely the most improved Honda build of 2012. He’s had the car for awhile now but it is good to see that he’s continued the evolution of his Civic. He’s constantly collecting parts and looking for ways to give his EK a new look and I think 2012 was the best that it has ever looked. The reason why he fell just short of the list is because I think there is still room for improvement with this build and 2013 might be an even better year for Teddy. The engine bay still needs some attention as well and I’m looking forward to what he has to offer in the new year…

Galen Wan | Location: Canada

Why It Made The List:

Galen Wan’s Fit is probably one of the best Fit builds to ever be assembled. There has been great attention devoted to every section of the car and it is about as well-rounded as any top tier Honda build is gonna be. Wan aka “GAWA” is also a very positive member of the Canadian import automotive community as he helps bring attention to their scene with his photography work. The key reason for him following short of the Top Ten list is because we just didn’t see enough of his Fit to truly appreciate it. Even still, Wan’s Fit is evidence that the Canadian Honda scene is strong and that there are plenty of high caliber builds coming from our neighbors in the north…

Jeremy Duarte | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

By all accounts, Jeremy should have made the list in 2012 just as he did in 2011. He met all the requirements to qualify, as he completely redid the exterior of his build and his DB8 looked like an entirely car. He didn’t make the cut because his fellow Bandits member Mike Trevino deserved the nod more. Both have been around just as long and Trevino’s build has been worthy of the Top Ten for a couple of year’s now. I also personally feel that Jeremy’s Integra made a bigger impact with its previous set-up and has taken on a more subtle approach with the new color-change. It is still a very cool, well-rounded build and that is why he deserves an honorable mention…

Kazuhiro Furakawa | Location: Japan

Why It Made The List:

Car Craft Boon! owner Kazuhiro Furakawa’s EK9 parallels the Banzai Attack EF in many ways. Both are actually friends and they’ve spent some time together going to various events as well as participating in occasional late night spirited driving on the Kanjo loop in Japan. Furakawa is a huge fan of the American Honda community and has made a number of trips out to the U.S. in 2012 to be a part of our scene. He has always had a very unique style that only Osaka JDM can create and their fleet of Hondas are instantly recognizable. If the Top Ten Hondas list consisted only of enthusiasts and not their cars, than Kazuhiro would certainly make the list. The reason he doesn’t make the Top Ten is because he devoted his time to a couple of different builds and didn’t focus on just one Honda to qualify. His EK9 is worth a mention as well as his E-AT Civic. The EK9 probably made the most noise in 2012 but 2013 might mark an even better year for the car as he’s recently made some more changes to it…

Jay Powers | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

Jay’s EK deserves an honorable mention in 2012 because he has built himself one of the cleanest Hondas in the country. As we saw with his CR-X, which made the Top Ten list in 2011, the guy knows how to build Hondas. Jay always manages to find the rarest of parts and his Hondas always have a very timeless quality to them. Jay misses the Top Ten list in 2012 because his CR-X set a very high bar for what we expect from him and his Civic, while very well put together, isn’t an improvement over his previous build…

Sam Ip-Nguyen | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

Sam’s Civic was a very noteworthy Honda in 2012 because it came into the year with an entirely new look over its previous incarnation in 2011. He added the JDM FD2 front end conversion, new wheels, CT supercharger, J’s Racing aero, and FEEL’s fender flares. It was a drastic change from 2011 when he had just started modifying it after his other FA5 Civic was totalled. Sam had a big year and won awards at various shows and he really put forth an effort to be at every event he possibly could attend while maintaining a family-owned restaurant. In terms of 8th generation Civics, there probably isn’t another that is as well-rounded as Sam’s. He is still very young and is learning as he builds his Honda so it is interesting to see the natural progression of his car. He falls just a hair short of the Top Ten list because I feel that he still has more to do to his car and 2013 will be the year for him…

Chris Parker | Location: Virginia

Why It Made The List:

Chris Parker’s EK9 Type R was one of the more “seen” Hondas from the East in 2012. The guy was everywhere. He appeared at a ton of events and his Civic is a good indicator of what the other coast has to offer. It’s a build that isn’t comprised only of current popular trends and the car itself would be relevant in any part of the country. Why it doesn’t make the Top Ten list in 2012 is due largely in part to the over abundance of white EKs in a Honda community that is becoming very over-saturated. While it is very clean, it just doesn’t stand out. There are so many Civics that are very similar to this one and I think he would benefit from new look…

Harvey Flores | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

Harvey’s DB8 Integra is perfect the way it is. While that is a very admirable quality, it is also both a blessing and a curse. His Integra is one of those Honda builds that tends to get looked over because people already know the build very well and understand that there isn’t anything he should change about it. It’s one of those builds that I think we all tend to take for granted because its a sedan model and not geared to tailor to the more “race car” theme that has taken over the Honda community in the last couple of years. It would be nice to see his Integra take on a completely new look but it almost isn’t worth the risk because it is fine just the way it is…

Steve Youhana | Location: —

Why It Made The List:

Steve’s turbo EK was one of the most talked about Hondas outside of the West Coast in 2012, and for good reason. The turbo set-up was pretty wild for a street car and it really stood out wherever it went. It captured the attention of a lot of people and was even featured on the cover of S3 magazine. He had a very good 2012 campaign but the reason why he doesn’t make the Top Ten of 2012 is because I personally don’t feel like his build flows very well. Just in terms of color selection and parts, there just isn’t anything consistent about it and build quality was a very big factor when I considered cars for the list. It is a notable build but would be better suited with a central theme instead of all the random colored accents throughout….

Jackie Law | Location: Canada

Why It Made The List:

Jackie has one of my favorite S2000s of all time. I loved the car before the big change and was very happy to see that he went with an entirely new look in 2012. There is a sense of style that this guy has that really shows in his S2000. He is knocking on the door of the Top Ten every year but hasn’t been able to get over the hump because his engine bay has always lacked serious modification. If you look at the Honda builds on the Top Ten, you’ll notice that pretty much all of them have custom engine bays in one form or another. With Jackie’s S2K, it is still basically stock with the exception of a full catalog of J’s Racing products. Like many Canadian builds, the engine bay has been kept very simple and that’s why you see guys like Reggie Mah with the more intricate, tucked bays on the Top Ten….

Loi-Spec Garage | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

The Loi-Spec Garage guys took the Honda community by storm in 2012 when they jumped onto the scene with a very solid group of Integras. They are track-dedicated enthusiasts but also took the time to make an appearance at a car show every now and then. What made them so instantly recognized was their affinity for function while still selecting/creating parts that were aesthetically-pleasing to the eyes. They fell just short of the Top Ten list because there isn’t just one that really stands out in their group. Loi Hua is the guy that seems to do a bulk of the work on all of their cars and the 4-door sedan that they had, owned by Loi’s brother, was the most unique of the group before it was given up in a trade for another Integra. Great group of Hondas…they just happen to all kind of blend in with one another. To be a Top Ten Honda on the list, you kind of have to show that you can stand out, especially in a crew where you all have basically the same cars…

Tai Akigami | Location: Washington

Why It Made The List:

Of all the cars on the Honors list, Tai’s would benefit the most just by getting some exposure. He has one of the best EK builds that no one outside of the Northwest has ever seen! There just aren’t enough events up in the Northwest for them to get noticed. It is incredibly well-built, with a ton of great parts, all executed in a nice package. Other Northwest Honda guys, Steve Kwan and Toto Deleon, have both made it on the list in previous years because their builds have garnered national attention. Akigami aka “Merkone” has a Civic build that deserves just as much critical acclaim. People need to appreciate this build.

Luis Jaimes | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

Like Teddy Timoteo, Luis has one of the most improved Hondas of 2012. I appreciate the fact that he’s made steady improvements to his car and though it has gone through a variety of changes, the changes have always helped the car. Sometimes guys will go a little overboard and do too much to their builds. Luis has captured some positive momentum and rolled with it, creating a very clean K20 EG using a exterior color that isn’t the most popular within the Honda crowd. This Civic has a bright future and that is why it is worth mentioning in our 2012 Honors list…

Ken Suen | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

Ken’s Mugen RR replica is one of the few Hondas on this list that is an actual race car. He does appear at the occasional show and meet but we didn’t see a whole lot of it in 2012. It is very raw and unique but one of the key reasons why his car misses out on the Top Ten list is because the car is always down. Ken drives the living shit out of it and so the motor is constantly out of the car for repairs or improvements. The interior, because of its race bred intentions, is just gutted and thrown together and I don’t see very many aesthetic changes for it in the near future. Anything else you will see done to it in 2013 will only be done so that the car performs better on the track, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It just loses points in refinement because overall build-quality is sacrificed for the sake of speed…

Jorge Sandoval | Location: California

Why It Made The List:

Jorge’s Civic is possibly the most overlooked Honda build of 2012. I don’t think there are enough people out there that recognize this build because Jorge doesn’t have a real online/internet personality. He tends to keep to himself but has made a very good effort in trying to represent his car crew all over California. His Civic is K-swapped with a nice clean bay, the exterior has every mod a Honda guy could want, and he’s also spent time addressing the interior. Suspension and wheels are also covered so what you have here is the total package. It isn’t on the Top Ten because there really isn’t anything “different” about it that really sets it apart from any other well-rounded Honda build. Jorge has done a great job so far but there just seems to be something missing that escalates it to the next level…

That’s all for today. I’m still recovering from my trip back from Japan, otherwise I’d go through the entire list in one sitting. I’m pretty sick and my back hurts so I really need to get some rest. Check back tomorrow for the second half of the list and again, sorry for going missing for a week… Stay tuned for much more. In-depth coverage from my trip to Japan coming next week as well!!