The “Akebono USDM” name has become quite popular over the past year or so. They started out as a small Japanese enthusiasts group much like many of you and had a devoted liking for all things USDM. Whether it was music, clothing, or their particular style of modding their Hondas, it was strictly inspired by the American Honda enthusiasts community. They are still a pretty small group but their signature windshield banners have started popping up here in America, where EF lovers from this side of the world have taken a liking to their style and are now representing them stateside. Much like the whole USDM scene in general in Japan, styles have come full circle. We were inspired first by them, and then they turned around and found inspiration from what we have done, but in the case of Akebono USDM, many Honda guys have found inspiration from the Japanese who are originally inspired by Americans. Confusing yes, but once you see their cars, you’ll understand exactly what is going on. One of the more recognizable Akebono Civics in that group is a cream-colored EF that looked like a virtual doppelganger (albeit a cleaner example) of Woody’s cream RHD EF from Norcal. Woody’s EF is long gone now and has since been chopped to pieces but the memory of that car lives on in Japan…
It’s a bit weird how small the world really is and how we are all interconnected; The guys from Akebono USDM are close friends with Takeshi Kobayashi, who is a good friend of mine from Japan, and the guy who they were once inspired by, Woody, was once roommates with Ryan from Rywire. At one point in time, Takeshi and the Akebono guys even stayed over at Ryan’s house before I had even knew Takeshi really, and I wasn’t even that close to Ryan then. Crazy how things have changed over time and how we’ve all become friends. Another interesting tidbit is that the man that shot these photos, Shota Mori, is also good friends with Akebono USDM and Takeshi. When Shota approached me with these photos, I checked them out and was more than willing to toss them up here on the site. He always come through with good content for me and I think many of you will enjoy what you see here in the next two days. These are from a small meet that the Akebono USDM guys put on recently and it features a lot of Hondas that you may not have seen before, paired with some familiar Hondas from Akebono. I wish I had all the details on these cars but I don’t. As always, I’ll try to give you guys some details on them but it is a little difficult with so many cars and language barrier that exists. Enjoy and make sure to come back for more…
Photos by Shota Mori, Processed by StickyDilJoe….
A quick snap of the small group that got together early that morning for the Akebono USDM meet. It was still early so there were more cars yet to arrive…
A clean 94-97 Honda Integra SI-VTEC model on old school Volk CV-Pros. USDM-inspired rear windshield visor and Benen Industries rear two hook…
Parked next to it was this Honda CR-X del Sol on a set of Barramundi Design wheels….
A USDM EM1 Civic coupe parked next to an EK hatchback on Panasport G7 C8R…
Acura TSX imported from the U.S. on Work Gnosis wheels parked alongside an EF9 SiR hatchback on Mugen MR-5s…
Always loved how these have the red stripe through the side moldings…
Rear window louvers with an assortment of other accessories on this Civic Wagon…
Civic coupe that was parked off to the side…
This EF hatchback had a set of old Prime wheels on. Can’t recall the last time I saw a set of Prime wheels on any car. This is USDM in a bad way, haha…
Really liked how this EF looked on OZ Racing wheels. Also dig how clean the body and paint are on this thing. Looks like it’s brand new almost…
A shot of the interior that has been gutted and re-sprayed in a battleship grey tone…
The EF hatch that you saw towards the end of my USDM Jam 2013 coverage pulling up to the meet…
Along with this Civic Wagon…
Very clean Prelude with purple Volk CE28s and First Molding front lip…
Not very familiar with this particular wheel on this Civic. If anyone wants to chime in, feel free to in the comments section…
GAB Sport wheels on this white EF hatch….No they are not Rota GT3s, haha…
If you’re a true Honda enthusiast, you know and appreciate the feeling you get when you see a couple of cleaned, slammed EFs cruise by. It’s just one of those things that we will appreciate that much more as these cars get older…
Nice color choice and paint on this Civic…
Seeing this car makes me wonder if those Acura hub caps are the same beat-up set that DPK David gave to Takeshi last year. If they are they cleaned up really well and look pretty decent on this EF…
A couple of Akebono guys hanging out together as more cars came rolling in to the meet…
A Prelude isn’t a typical car you’d see with the Akebono guys but it is certainly one of the cleaner examples of the 92-95 chassis in Japan…
A more circuit-oriented EF with Spoon SW388 wheels and Chargespeed aero…
EK Civic sedan on some polished Stark wheels with a Mugen front grille…
You guys have seen this Mugen CR-X Pro.2 numerous times here on The Chronicles. Love the addition of the yellow pinstripe on the car…
A DB2 Integra GS-R inspired DA…
The crowd gradually got bigger as the morning went on…
Another shot of the EF with the yet-to-be-named wheels. Almost look like polished versions of some older OZ Racing wheels or something…A lot of wheels looked similar to this, like old Racing Hart 7G7s or something but the centers look very different than anything I’ve seen…
I like the overall theme of this build with the white/black and all the lenses being clear with the only contrast coming from the red on the GAB Sport wheels. Really helps to make the wheels pop…
The cream EF that I mentioned at the beginning of this post which is a virtual living twin of Woody’s old EF hatchback…
One of my favorites at this event was definitely this EF. Love the parts selection and the full interior…
More participants from the Akebono USDM meeting…
Another unexpected surprise from this meet was this turbocharged Mazda MX-5 Miata…
The two DA Integras reppin “Slappyz, Slammed Magic”….
The group growing bigger and bigger as more vehicles arrived…
Mugen M7s and Prova wheels with incredibly long valve stems…
A matte light blue EK9 hatch back with carbon hood and lip…
Once most of the cars arrived, the EFs began lining up in formation for a photo-op…
One more of Mokkun’s EF…
Cutting it off here for today with a preview of the EF line-up at the Akebono meet. Much more to come tomorrow, so stay tuned!!…