James Baird Park is THE spot when it comes to the SHG meets. Year after year we continue to come back, wearing shorts and a tee or jeans and a hoodie. It's an ordinary park with not much more than a BBQ area and a parking lot but it has all the key ingredients for a good time. The recipe is simple, set a time/date/location, spread the word, wash the whip and stop by the supermarket for beer+food on the way. Now did I miss anything?
Ah right, the EG. Well, it's still out of commission having spun a bearing at a recent track day but Elyson being the great friend that he is, picked me up out of the way to not miss the event.
Before making the voyage, we made a quick stop at ScrubaDub to wash the HFP kitted EP3.
The entire front end was resprayed a fresh coat of Nighthawk Black Pearl over the summer and looks every bit new as it once was, aside from the OEM Type R headlights.
Clean as a whistle and dry as a bone, we stopped by the house to pick up the family and set off.
Personally, I enjoy taking I-84 West but with the eastbound lane being closed off for repairs, we decided to avoid the possible traffic thus I-90 was the route of choice.
This also meant traveling through the "Iconic Taconic", a historic bendy stretch of smooth highway surrounded by vibrant autumn foliage. You can thank President Roosevelt for that one.
Once arriving there, I checked in with the usual suspects. First up, Red Sox fanatic Jim who these days drives a Mariner Blue Miata with 949 wheels on Toyo R888 rubber...
Dom too, whom I've had a brief interview with recently.
In all meets, there is usually at least one imported RHD and to think that they were once at the motherland and now are here is a dreamy thought. Especially when it's a real deal SSM EK9 like Will's.
OG SHG Will came by as well in his new BMW 335i.
After spending the past couple of years restoring the Midori EK, SHG_Riley finished putting the final touches on it over the summer. The build still continues of course, but is now a complete as a car and can be driven issue free.
Phil from allthingsproper. being the dapper guy that he is, came through rocking the Oktobeard.
Beard season was in full effect at Oktoberfest! Connor was going for the scruffy look this time around.
Joel also made his way in with his USDM ITR and was busy trading his SRD Recaros for stock LS seats, an interesting sight to see at a meet. Some new bucket seats are on the way and will be better suited for track days this upcoming year.
Tight on time and eager to put some food on the grill, I had a quick chat with Hector from iStayclean. His Civic coupe just received a full respray and it looks better than ever with the Sportcar Motion front bumper and Buddy Club P1 wheels. If you have a spare minute, be sure to check his coverage of the meet here.
The front end of Dom's coupe is something that I just can't get enough of. The Fit front lip "fits" like it was designed for that bumper and looks exceptional. Of course it isn't all show, there is an LS/VTEC setup under the hood and ITR sized 11.1'' brakes hiding behind the Work Meister S1s.
Many don't realize that SSM was a factory color for the EK9 but it indeed was and fits the 99-00 spec body quite well.
Factory B16B with Spoon Sports president Tatsuru Ichishima's autograph on the kevlar carbon fiber spark plug cover and intake.
Spoon clappers, Azenis RT615K and Regamaster Evos are one of the better looking setups one can do these days. The ride height brings it all together yet it still has adequate overall clearance.
Yes, it's real.
Ichi also did the dash at Honda Day E-Town 2013. SHG_Dan who couldn't attend the meet, also got the same treatment.
Honda's last Civic hatchback model for the US, the 02-05 Civic EP3 Si was well represented at this year's meet.
Andrew's JDM front end EP3 was one of my favorites. It reminded me of the Type R version and such an unusual sight is always welcome, especially because it is OEM.
The valve cover made it just like an authentic CTR and I hope that it gets a full Champ White paint job to go with it. The bastard child K20A3 is still there while a K20A is on the works, but it can still hang with Skunk2 Tuner 1 cams, Megapower header, Type S mid pipe and a PJDM kevlar intake.
The Type R theme continued inside the cabin, with comfortable Civic Type R Recaros and floor mats to boot.
S P O O N
If that doesn't tickle your fancy however, Giuseppe's EP3 just might. It has a K24A2 mated to a Si Z3 transmission and pushes a conservative 307whp and 227 ft-lbs of torque with the help from CT Engineering's Stage 2 supercharger. Let's just say this thing can scoot!
I wasn't the only one plagued with car woes though, SHG_Token (Dre) was also sans EP3. His 2nd gear ate itself while sitting at a traffic light but is already back on the road with a rebuilt short geared transmission and paired with the recession build K24A1.
After drinking a couple of brews walking around, the hot dogs were done so I took moment to put it down as it was already mid afternoon at this point.
Zach had a chance to test fit some BBS wheels and busted out the nifty OEM jack to do the change. Pretty cool design that I hadn't seen before. notbad.jpg
Feeling good and enjoying the warm 59* F weather, I decided it was time to get on with the main attraction. Riley's Midori Green EK.
In my eyes, every different Honda chassis, has a special part made for it that when equipped gives it that extra oomph. For the EK, I am referring to the Civic Type R headlights. The black chrome housing with clear reflectors gives the car a whole new look.
Before you go rushing to get yourself a pair however, the truth is that one part doesn't make or break a car. What does that is the overall build quality and attention to detail.
Details that many times can't even be noticed even by the all knowing enthusiast. For example, Riley went through the painstaking process of coating the entire underchassis in POR15 to protect it from rust and dirt. Something that required a massive effort by laying on the cold ground with a few inches of workspace yet will hardly ever be seen by anyone.
Nonetheless the uncanny detail can still be noticed in other areas of the car, particularly on the engine compartment. Look elsewhere for a tuck and shave, this bay has none of that noise. What can be found here are brand new OEM components to give the B16A2 a fresh breath of life.
The exterior body panels fit like a glove with smaller gaps than from the factory. Non power Civic Type R mirrors replace the funky USDM mirrors for an updated look that goes great with the CTR rear spoiler.
16x7 +35 Regamaster Evos powdercoated a matte black wrapped on fresh 205/50/16 Direzza ZII rubber ensures the car stays planted at all times. Owning the same set of tires, I can only imagine what this car feels like on the road in its restored state.
All Things Proper is right!
The attraction of the EK is its simplistic non extravagant styling. It would only be expected that the interior was the same way therefore not much needed changing. Other than CTR red tweed inserts, what you see is what you get; Spoon steering wheel, Buddy Club Type A shift knob and a Civic Type R cluster.
And of course, the best part about it all. Recaro Pole Position buckets on Buddy Club rails, his and hers.
There you have it ladies and gentlemen, an in depth look at one of SHG's finest builds.
Paper bags are a thing from the 90's, these days incognito drinking is done from coffee cups–genius!
Lauren once again making faces but she also makes some awesome food. If you are into healthy eating, head on over to her blog SHG in the Kitchen.
Nick's AP1 now looks super on point with 17x9''/17x9.5'' TE37s and a front splitter.
Jim wasn't having those center caps though, maybe after all that bothering Nick might change it.
Then again, Nick is the type of person to not care. If he did, he probably wouldn't be wearing neon green shades, amirite?
Zach is also about that beard life and as always making it to every event for years now.
Rolling in the 740 IL like a boss. #GovernorsClub
Crifo's GTI looking great for a stanced VW and is aging rather well, the body is in pristine condition.
As the sun began to come down I had a few last words with Connor and went to take a few last photos before packing up.
Andrew and his buddies were also on their way out so while the cars warmed up I took a few snaps.
All with different tuning styles, the EP3 guys showed that there are more ways than one to bake a cake.
From NA CTR style...
...to boosted USDM flavor.
No matter the budget, color or chassis. Honda love has no boundaries.
If Toto could speak, he would agree.
That wraps up the coverage of the 6th Annual Oktoberfest meet. There were some cars that I missed but all in all that is the meat and bones. Just a group of friends getting together for a couple times a year to catch up and see some new changes and progress. You can see all the extra shots here and for those who couldn't make it, there is always a next meet.
Thanks for reading and if you attended, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
