Darnell’s Civic is an interesting one… The first time I actually got to see it in person was last year during my first visit to Seattle. I was up in the Pacific Northwest shooting some cars for Super Street and decided to meet up with the guys from Trik Speed just to hang out. I ended up shooting some of their cars for fun and during that time, Darnell was with the guys in his white Civic. I was introduced to Darnell by Steve Kwan, who also happened to be borrowing Darnell’s Spoon wheels that day for his shoot. Darnell was a quiet guy and didn’t say much, but he’s just reserved like that. The other guys were doing most of the talking and mentioned multiple times how it is rare for even them to see Darnell’s car because he never brings it out. I got a good look at it and I liked it. It was a little rough around the edges but that was what was cool about it. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to see incredibly clean builds in magazines but sometimes, it is also good to showcase some Hondas that show that they have some good ol’ wear and tear, you know what I mean? It is true that you rarely get to catch a glimpse of Darnell’s Civic out and about but when he does bring it out, the car gets used on both the streets and at local circuits. He runs the car whenever he can and it also has a built B18C with A-Sport individual throttle bodies. You’d probably look at the car and think to yourself, “what is he even talking about? That car is really clean”. Well, photos mask a lot of the wear but believe me, I put a lot of effort into “cleaning it up” for print. The car being white also really helps for photos too because it automatically looks cleaner because of the base tone…

I thought this build was a good pick for a magazine feature, especially the annual Honda Issue, because it is a car that not too many people have seen before and it speaks to guys who are into both function and style. It has a little bit of everything and doesn’t really feature anything that anyone would considered “unattainable”. His build is proof that with the right parts selection, good execution, and a whole lot of functionality, you can build a magazine-worthy car. I also like to give the quiet, humble guys some spotlight every now and then because they deserve it. Darnell didn’t ask for this and was honestly a little surprised when he found out that his car was going to be featured in print. He doesn’t walk around with demands or asks to be on the cover of any magazine. He was just happy to be there and enjoyed the opportunity. That’s how it should be…

So in a nutshell, we got a build that people have rarely been exposed to, that looks good, is track-tested, and owned by a humble, respectful individual. Are there any other ingredients that you really need to make this a better feature? I think not..

Below are photos from his Super Street magazine feature. Most were used in the print feature, but the shots that weren’t published are also included below. I was really happy with how these photos came out and out of all the work that I did for the entire 2014 Honda Issue, this was probably my favorite shoot….

Additionally, here is the digital version of the original story from that issue of Super Street…

TRIK SPEED HONDA CIVIC – HIDDEN GEM

Enjoy and if you plan to share these photos, please do not alter them in any way. Thanks for looking…

That’s a wrap for today. Thanks again for looking through it….