Boy, did we ask for it. First, we included a Honda, fer crying out loud, in the March ish of Hot Rod Magazine as an excellent example of a modern and fuel-efficient sub-12-second musclecar. We expected to get royally flamed, but instead we were swamped with love letters from the sport compact crowd. We didn’t realize they even knew we existed (they probably found a copy under the Playboy stack in the back of dad’s closet). But we weren’t about to turn away cars that look slow and go fast, no matter who builds ‘em.

So if you can’t stand anything made outside the US of A (except maybe Camaros), then click on past--we have plenty of Bowtie, Mopar and Blue Oval info to pass around. But if the concept of a Japanese stealth fighter intrigues you, read on. This Civic was built in the finest tradition of sleepers and Q-ships, made famous by low-profile supercars like the Yenko Chevy IIs and the Thunderbolt 427 Galaxies of the 1960s. The idea was to shove a stump-pulling engine into a boring, innocuous car and surprise the hell out of the all-show-and-no-go crowd.

The person responsible for this tiny terror is veteran drag racer and NASCAR engine builder Larry Widmer. He has more time inside Boss 429 Mustangs than just about anybody, and that includes serious dragsters and a truly wicked street Boss with an ex-Can-Am aluminum-block monster motor sporting four 58-mm Webers, dry sump and stainless-steel 180-degree headers. That’s the kind of car you could expect a guy who made cylinder heads for Roger Penske to sport around in. But after two bouts with cancer and concentrating his business (Endyn Energy Dynamics) on government propulsion programs and NASCAR manifold development, the killer ‘Stang had to go. But he missed having a seriously fast street car, and by 1989 he was looking for something fun to take its place.

Ironically, Widmer was working on a program for Toyota when he asked one of its engineers what car he recommended as the basis for a hot street machine. Much to Widmer’s surprise, the engineer immediately responded, "Honda Civic Si." So in 1989 Widmer became the proud owner of an icebox-white Civic Si, which combines the intimidation factor of a rusty Yugo with the styling flair of a rubber doorstop. It’s invisible to the men in blue and completely devoid of the lurid decals so beloved of the import cruiser crowd. Widmer has even removed the Si emblem and delights in the faded paintwork and liberal application of bird droppings that add to the Q-ship appeal. The only things that hint at its true character are the slightly lowered stance and black Kasei Racing 15" X 7" rims sporting shaved 195-50 Bridgestones. But under the hood lurks pure evil!

So just how evil? How about 487 hp @ 7,300 rpm on the dyno, and enough torque to require a Quaife torque-sensing limited-slip unit to control the front end! Such numbers are not impressive in themselves--any full-race Honda dragster can meet or beat these figures, but what sets this car apart is its amazing streetability. Able to pass a tough Texas smog test and still turn in a thrifty 29.3 mpg (combined). Dependable? The rear seat is not left out purely to save weight – it also provides space for packing in rows of engines and heads to fulfill the Civic’s daily role as the Endyn parts chaser.

For those wannabe Honda hot rodders, however, getting this level of performance is not a bolt-on job. One of the weak points in the Honda D series design is the rod length to stroke ratio, which, at 1.52:1 is too short. A short rod has too much angularity as it goes through its cycle, which results in high loading on the sides of the cylinders. This leads to bore distortion and cracked blocks. In order to get a better ratio, Widmer started with a de-stroked Moldex billet crank and an overbore that brings displacement down from 1.6 to 1.54 liters but results in an improved 1.70:1 ratio. This makes room for half-inch longer Eagle rods swinging very special Endyn RollerWave pistons forged by Wiseco and incorporating the "Soft-Head" technology Endyn has pioneered since the 1970s (see Widmer’s web site, www.theoldone.com for more info). This technology allows the use of high-compression ratios without detonation, as in 11.2:1 static compression on pump gas...and did we mention the supercharger?

Oh, yeah, Endyn takes an Eaton M-62 supercharger, rips out the guts and replaces and reworks everything with an eye to increasing flow and reducing the temperature of the intake charge. Carbon fiber rotors (80 percent lighter than the stock pieces) are installed with zero clearance between the rotor and case. The exit side is smoothed and aluminum half-rounds are welded in place to increase the flow. The mods result in an increase from the stock 12 psi to an incredible 27 psi!

To mount the blower, Endyn starts with a Honda intake manifold, slices off the runners and fabricates an aluminum plenum box. The blower mounts on the front and sits higher (for a more direct shot) than most aftermarket superchargers. On the intake side, a fabricated variable-diameter tubular manifold mounts a Russ Collins 61mm throttle body. A large K&N filter is mounted where the battery used to be, while it is moved down and behind the front bumper. A thin wall separates the intake area from underhood engine heat. A B&M fuel-pressure regulator kit fits onto the stock unit, and combined with a Vortech regulator, provides critical control monitored by a fuel-pressure gauge prominently displayed on the dash.

The head is a development unit that has been welded up and reshaped, but Widmer says he has since changed the piston design to eliminate the welding (which removes the heat treating and causes seats to loosen). It is extensively ported and extra texture is added to critical areas to promote turbulence. Widmer advises against polishing intake ports as gasoline will suck onto smooth surfaces and then release in droplets as they grow in size, resulting in poor fuel atomization. The titanium valves are increased to 30mm intake and 28mm exhaust. The cam is a stock Honda unit that has been welded up and reground to Endyn specs with short duration and big lift. Valvesprings are stock and work fine with the lighter valve train. The rockers are lightened as well. Kamikaze headers are built to Endyn specs using a simple four-into-one (naturally aspirated engines use a different configuration) with 1 3/4-inch primaries, a 2 1/2-inch collector and a 3-inch system from there back to a cat and a Thermal Research muffler. Underneath a Moroso high-capacity pan holds Mobil 10-30 synthetic oil.

To keep this potent powerhouse in one piece, Widmer relies on some high-tech solutions. Strain gauges pass through the block and rest against the cylinders. If the cylinders start to flex, the engine management system decreases timing (up to 20 degrees) and adds fuel to the appropriate holes. He also uses a GM knock sensor, which he learned about while he was in the stock car biz. "I got busted for running them in NASCAR...that and traction control," he recalls with a grin.

Putting the power to the ground is very important in a front-wheel driver. Due to the strong torque curve of the supercharged mill, the Civic doesn’t need close-ratio gears any more than a big-block ‘Vette would, so Widmer relies on a stock 5-speed Honda box with the aforementioned Quaife LSD and an aluminum Clutchmasters flywheel and dual-Kevlar disc clutch that reduces shock loads on the engine and drive train. Widmer says it lasts forever. Although the fuel tank is stock, a modified fuel pump lives within and a .5-inch line goes from the tank to the fuel rail and the return is 375 inches.

The interior of this sizzlin’ Civic is strikingly unimpressive with frayed carpet and worn stock seats, but the telltale chromemoly rollcage gives betrays the car’s potential if you look closely. You probably won’t notice that the power moonroof has been replaced with a lighter (by 35 pounds) carbon fiber plug and that the rear hatch glass and the quarter windows are now Marguard Lexan that has been formed over the original glass and attached with the stock trim. The fiberglass hood is from Pit Crew. A shift light (set for 7,000 rpm), boost gauge and fuel pressure gauge are attached to a black aluminum plate affixed to the dash by black Velcro.

Despite his drag and circle-track background, Widmer also likes to go around tight turns so the suspension has been beefed up with special harder urethane bushings (cast by Endyn) and double-adjustable Koni shocks. Eibach Pro springs drop the car 1.5 inches from stock and Suspension Techniques sway bars are used front and rear. And the frame has had braces welded in where they would not be visible.

So how does it run? How about a best of 11.04 seconds at 134 mph? Enough to put the hurt on most so-called musclecars and the fun back in Widmer’s daily driving. "It’s my favorite car of all time," he says after a hair-raising drive across Fort Worth to our photo shoot. On the way the Civic idled like, well, a Honda and exhibited no temperamental behavior. But when Widmer mashed the loud pedal the econobox came alive and howled from gear to gear as the Quaife controlled wheelspin and put the power down smoothly.

On the way back we stopped off at an import parts store/machine shop and loaded the back down with blocks and cylinder heads for the trip home. As we were leaving a boy racer’s tuner Civic with the usual decals and chrome wheels was just pulling in, so Widmer treated him to a display of screaming exhaust, spinning tires and raw acceleration. The boy racer’s bulging eyes and dropped jaw told the story and probably lead to a healthy sale for the shop! So what’s the price tag for all this fun? Widmer estimates around $6,000 would cover a similar engine, but the yawner body, bland paint job and bird doo are up to you.