Holy Ghost | Q&A with Dom Milio

Dom Milio is one of those down to earth guys who are always open minded about things so naturally when he snapped some excellent photos of his 2000 Civic EX, I felt compelled to share them on the blog. Given the opportunity, I also went ahead and got to know a little more about his build and background.

 SHG: So Dom, tell us, when did you first gain an interest in cars? Where did it all begin?

DM: With my father. He's always been a car enthusiast for as long as I could remember. He used to be big into Alfa Romeos.

 SHG: Ah that explains it. Now you've built yourself quite a looker, how did you learn your way around a wrench?

DM: Asking questions, making mistakes, breaking stuff. Making friends with the right people, people that push you to do better, and people that know more than you do.

SHG: What was your inspiration while building the coupe? Were there any cars in particular that you looked up to or build styles?

DM: I had a ton of inspiration. I appreciated the "thorough-ness" of all the SHG builds. It really takes a lot to go forward and make sure every nut and bolt gets turned. However most of my inspiration came from feature cars I used to read about in magazines. I used to love DPK D-Rails EM1. Definitely my favorite. I'm sure there's also a ton of cars I'm forgetting about because I don't know the names of the owners.

SHG: If you could go back in time and do something differently, what would it be if anything?

DM: I would have went K series. Strong yet balanced. Almost like, how would Spoon have done this swap? I would have also ran Volks. I love my Works, but I'm after Volk SE37Ks at the moment.

SHG: Dang, really?

DM: Yes definitely. K series is the way to go nowadays.

SHG: Are you being sarcastic? I can't tell!

DM: No, I'm completely honest. The Volk SE37K has always been my favorite Volk wheel. I'm glad I chose the Works but this is the classic "grass is greener on the other side" scenario.

SHG: Hindsight is 20/20 but in foresight what is next for you?

DM: Definitely getting married, starting a family, etc. I expect the car to remain in its current state to take care of bigger issues in my life. I eventually plan to redo the engine bay and do a K swap.

SHG: Any plans to track the car?

DM: Eventually. Even though its all about the fun, I don't believe my Civic is currently ready to participate.

SHG: These days it seems that people are moving away from Hondas and onto other makes. Why is this you think?

DM: Hondas are boring. No, seriously, people just want to experiment with other platforms.

SHG: If say you were to start a new build all together, what would it be?

DM: A DC5 with bolt ons, coilovers, wheels and a decent stereo. There's nothing better than Honda reliability, why try to tamper with it?

SHG: Very true. Any closing thoughts as we near the end of this interview?

DM: You're trying to get me into trouble *laughs*. Mod your car for yourself. Until they start paying for your stuff, they can't say anything. On the flip side, you don't have haters. Get passed your ego, accept criticism and remember why you started it in the first place. Fun.

SHG: Thanks for taking the time and of course sharing these beautiful snaps with us. I'll be looking forward to seeing it in person, its been a while!

DM: Thanks, you too. Keep up the good work with the car.