The True Meaning of Passion - Charles' AS53 CRX

Passion is, in my opinion, the strongest drive a human being can have, as it transcends efforts, time, money, well, just about anything that can hinder or motivate people. Some passion are spontaneous and others are induced through other people who we love or admire.

Charles is a mix of both. As spontaneous as his passion for motorbikes and cars is, his love for the Honda CRX was born from his childhood: he lived part of his young days on the backseats of his mom's 1.5L AF53.

Now 26, Charles is driving an 1986 1.6L AS53, powered by the famous 125hp ZC engine.

He bought this CRX about six months ago in a good rolling state. Any ordinary person would have kept the car as-is, but Charles is no ordinary driver, and the grease monkey in him demanded more from the little red Honda.

Thus, the surgery began.

First up was the chassis. The technology behind the chassis being 26 years old, Charles had to face challenges that few of us encounter during this build, and he started by reinforcing the frame with top and lower strut bars at the front and rear.

The question is: where can you find aftermarket support for such an old car?

After searching offline and online, the only solution he found to get these bars was to fabricate them himself. As of today, he just needs to finish the lower suspension arms bar to complete his custom-made, body strengthening set of bars.

The rear axle itself was another challenge since the CRX is equipped with a single rear wheel axle, supported by a Panhard Bar.

A panhard bar is perpendicular to the car and is attached to the rear left undercarriage, and links to the right of the wheel axle. The bar makes the axle move up and down on a circular motion. For example, when driving over a hump, the axle is not moving down and up, but sideways from down to up. To strengthen this bar, Charles had to reinforce the main attach of the panhard bar, under the chassis.

After the chassis came the suspension system as, stock, the chassis has a clearance of about 70cm, and handles quite awfully.

Upgrading the front suspension wasn't a smooth ride as the car sits on very soft torsion bars. The struts are resting on independent mounts, and guide the whole suspension system and the wheel mount. This system was quite often used in the 80's and only a very limited number of brands offer suspension systems for this car. Charles called Upgrade Motoring, in California and upgraded the torsion bars from the OEM 18.5mm thickness to 24mm, which is firm enough for street use.

Upgrading the rear suspension was, once again, not an easy feat as the ancient tech sees the struts and springs resting on separate mounts. This resulted in the inability to use more recent and common suspension systems such as bolt-on coilovers.

There are currently only few brands that still offer a coilover system that can fit the AS53 and allow lowering of the ride height. Charles contacted Ground Control to get his suspension system, their services giving the opportunity to choose the desired spring rate.

A common misconception is that harder is better, and Charles personally experienced that this saying doesn't always apply. Running on a 6.3kg/mm spring rate for a car that weights 350kgs on the rear axle made the car's rear bunny hop on every gravel on the road.

Listening to reason, Charles toned down the spring rate to the current 4.2kg/mm - 4.4kg/mm setup, giving a firm but comfortable ride that allows for a better handling while avoiding a back-breaking ride.

The shocks are Koni fully adjustable shocks, set to the smoothest at the front and middle stiffness at the rear. These shocks feature a linear adjustment, as opposed to the now more popular "clicks" adjustments systems, giving a much more precise but harder to dial setting.

Following this, Charles overhauled the brake system with aviation brake lines and fed them with Dot 5.1 brake fluid. The front rotors are OEM size (242mm) mated with TRW brake pads.

Engine wise, Charles preferred to keep everything stock. The internals are 24 years old and running smoothly, and the only element that was overhauled are the fuel and vacuum system hoses. He did try to get more power out of the ZC by swapping its heavy, 15kg stock header with an '86 integra OBX-R header, which has a much wider end diameter, (60mm compared to the OEM 43mm). He coupled it with a fully upgraded exhaust system, and amazingly the CRX lost power.

Unhappy to let some horses run free, Charles found the optimum setup by keeping the OBX-R header and using the OEM intermediate pipe. He also installed a Mugen ECU, rebuilt all the joints of the air intake system, and dropped a Green, full cotton high flow filter in the OEM box.

After spending many hours dialling in the engine timings, Charles met the best power/torque ratio with the OBX-R header and a gutted intermediate silencer, the combination pumping out between 135hp and 140hp, for a car that weights 840kgs

The AS53 is equipped with BBS RZ 15" rims with Toyo T1R 195/50/15 tyres, and Charles considers this project complete.

But his passion for the CRX is far from being over, and he has just recently acquired another AS53 CRX, with a ZC engine, codenamed "CRX Too (Much)". He bought it for a mere €300 and plans to put it on a severe diet, gut the interior, remove the soundproofing, and bring it to the racetrack.

This current CRX will still be influenced by the CRX Too (Much), but will get its rear seats back and will only keep its BBS rims and the upgraded chassis

Hopefully the CRX Too (Much) will grace the pages of this blog in a few months...

Sneak peek of CRX Too (Much)'s current state, courtesy of Charles...

BMW 1 Series M Coupé's Second Unveiling

Welcome to the first BMW M dealership on Earth. 

On Friday 21st January, I was in for a treat as I was part of the few invitees to the World’s second unveiling of the most recent M monster: the 1 Series M Coupé.

About one week after its first unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show, the little coupé transited by Singapore before heading back to Germany. I have to admit, I’ve never been a big fan of the 1 Series, with its stubby nose and the curved lines where the doors meet the side skirts giving it a goofy “boat-like” look. When I was told “1 Series M Coupé”, I expected an okay car with a performance package. 

Boy was I wrong!

As the car was unveiled, I couldn’t find any of the design cues that I didn’t like on the normal model.

And I’m not saying this because I want to be good friends with BMW. The car was even featured in Orange Metallic, and I can’t stand orange, but this model is just magnificent. With a strong, muscular look, wide fenders, quad tip exhaust, wide air intakes, the 1 Series Coupé has been turned into a real looker. But the “M” stuck at the back isn’t all just about looks, and as with any other M models, this one has a pedigree that will make rival sports car tremble in fear: built on a high-strength steel unibody, the 1 Series M Coupé rests on aluminium suspensions originally conceived for the current M3 that have been specifically tuned for this model. At its heart, the all aluminium, twin turbocharged, 3.0 Litre inline-6 engine breathes fire, developing a whopping 335Hp at 5,900 rpm and 450Nm of torque, available slightly above idle, at 1,500 RPM. To complement this is a close ratio, 6 speed manual transmission which helps propel the Coupé from 0 to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds and up to a top speed of 250 Kph (electronically limited).

The 1 Series M Coupé has already visited the Nurburgring to determine its official ‘Ring time (the reference for BMW cars) and clocked an impressive 8:12, which is about 10 seconds faster than the E46 M3, and even posted faster times than the E60 M5, Mercedes Benz C63 AMG and the Porsche Cayman S (these last two being its direct competitors).

The interior of the 1 Series M Coupé is very sports oriented, dressed in black Alcantara with orange stitching. The short-throw 6-speed shifter rests naturally in the driver’s hand and the M gauge cluster with grey dials, M red pointers and white backlight is very pleasing to the eyes. Situated just above the stick shift, the magic M drive button entices the driver to activate the razor-sharp throttle response program to experience what the car has truly been built for: racing.

Only 20 units of the 1 Series M Coupé will make their way to Singapore, and will offer no other alternative than the 6-speed manual transmission. The message is clear: this monster is made for the ones who really know how to drive.

Enjoy the gallery, this car is really worth the look!

Special thanks to Mercy G., Angelika F. and all the team at BMW for this exclusive experience, and to Kugan V. for his support to the medias.

Mini Countryman Launch

One common thing about car brands is that as much as they have an identity, none of them has really pushed it to the point where it becomes a culture. Except for Mini. Think Mini and there are high chances that you’ll picture a little, fun car, driven by youngsters, probably heading out for some fun at the beach. That’s why Mini works: it’s not just about a car; it’s a whole lifestyle you’re getting into when sitting in a Mini.

But as time passes, Mini owners are facing a crisis: they have grown up, founded a family and they now need room for the kids in the back of the car, but they don’t want to give up their beloved car, nor do they want to give up the fun of driving. Hopefully, Mini answered this call.

On Wednesday 19^th January, Mini launched its latest model: the Countryman. As the name clearly states, this Mini is made for getaways. On that particular evening, this idea was made clear by the farmer and his cows (yes, real cows) greeting the guests at the John Erdos Gallery, at Dempsey.

The evening wasn’t just all about the cows, the whole place was made to feel like a country getaway, and everything was made to make you understand that this wasn’t your average car launch. After enjoying the yummy tidbits and sweet drinks, the black and green ushers directed the crowd to the back room where a big screen greeted the guests and warmed up the audience, teaching dance moves in good humour. Everybody was enjoying the atmosphere until the countdown started, and everyone’s anticipation rose. By the time it reached zero, everybody was breaking their necks to find out where the car was going to appear from. A curtain in the back of the room opened, everybody cleared the way and... A drummer and his set of drums rolled in. For a minute, you could taste the confusion in the air, but the rhythmic music took over and the party continued, until the screen was lifted and a gorgeous whit Countryman Cooper S smoothly rolled in, cheered by the crowd.

I have to say, the car is magnificent. The Countryman is not only 30cm longer; it’s also 10cm higher and 10cm wider. These extra measurements are very well used: space in the rear is very accommodating, and even with a tall person in the front seat, the leg room won’t feel restrictive. The driver’s seating position is higher, giving a better view of the road, which is enjoyable not only for normal cruising, but will also be very much appreciated when driving out in the country. Last but not least, its wider stance and muscular fenders gives it the looks of a brawler. Although it still looks like a Mini that’s been stretched, the front end gives out a different feel from the regular model: the headlights’ new shape and the front grill design (that reminds me of a Charger SRT) turns the cute little car into a mean predator ready to pounce.

This feeling continues inside the car, with the tachometer staring at the driver in the face from behind the steering wheel and the speedometer sitting on top of the center console. This configuration that has been followed in all Minis dates back from the time where the first Minis were rallying: the speedometer was moved to the center so that the co-pilot could give better information to the driver by easily monitoring the speed. The Countryman also introduces the Mini Visual Boost, an on-board computer that fits inside the Center Speedo and features a 6.5 inch high-resolution display screen.

This Mini isn’t only for show, and the Countryman is the very first Mini to be optionally equipped with the ALL4, a permanent all-wheel drive system. Based on an electromagnetic centre differential, the power from the engine gets, in normal situations, equally distributed between the front and rear axles, but can be fully delivered to either axle when needed, giving a better handling and control in critical situations, or just plainly helping the driver to get the most fun out of his drive when whacking the Countryman, whether it’s on asphalt, gravel or snow.

At the end of this amazing party-launch, the cows had gone home and a cow-spotted Countryman had replaced them in the pen, gently sitting there. Feeling at home. Teasing me.

 

More to come in the test drive, coming soon!

Special thanks to Angelika Frank, Daniel Chan and all the team at Mini and BMW for this great evening!

Photos by Zach Lau

Wangan - December 2010

Dardilly, France. 10 pm. Outside temperature: 2°C. A number of cars discreetly make their way to the underground carpark of a supermarket. Slowly but surely, a small crowd gathers. Their common point: they are all driving Japanese cars. 

Undeterred by the cold and the snow, these enthusiasts gather about every two month to talk about cars and show off their prized possession. This December’s meetup had a turn up of about 30 cars, a mere number compared to the 150 attendees of October. Nevertheless, some beautiful cars were present, including a couple of EDM DC2 Integras, a score of Civics from all generations, a certain CRX that will be covered in more details very soon, a Lexus IS200, an Mx-5, and an old Rx-7 FC that had recently been reborn from the grave, and is planned to be given a second youth, from a smoky, rusty car to an Initial D-style beauty.

 

All of these rides are very clean and well kept and sport all levels of mods, from stock to totally illegal modifications by Singaporean (and probably also French standards).

This ground scraping Civic had to have its fenders hand rolled to make room for the rubber, as you can see by the slightly chipped paint along the wheel arch.

One notable thing about French modding is the fact that most of the work is home-made by the drivers, who seek for help and advice from friends or forums, and all of these rides are built with a goal in mind. Few cars are modified just to look good, and while some have fun elements added to give a stronger identity to the car, like the Raving Rabbits DC2, that sports a blue LED-eyed Raving Rabbit hanging under the rear bumper to “scare” followers, and that will soon be equipped with a Raving Rabbit horn tune, most of these Japanese cars are made to tackle small curvy roads and mountain passes and getting the most fun out of it.

Probably every single one of these guys can sit with you for an hour and talk about the modifications they’ve done to their cars, why and how they’ve done it. Likewise, most if not all of these drivers can tell you about all-out driving experiences they’ve lived at the wheel of their beloved cars.

That doesn’t mean of course that all these cars are rat rods; you can see some cars with well maintained looks and bodies, such as the “Christmas wrapped” silver civic or the gorgeous red 200SX.

All in all, it was nice to see how different the car culture has grown in another country, and just shows a different interpretation of the word “modifying”.

A big thanks to Charles Gaillard, Adrien Tomasini, and all the guys from the Wangan Import and Japancar forums for the warm welcome and all your awesome rides!

Here are more pics for you all to enjoy!(click on them to see them full size)