Spotted for Sale: 1984 Honda Civic 1.6(M) - The 'Wonder' Civic

The car that has been Spotted for Sale here today is the third generation Honda Civic. It was produced by Honda from 1983 to 1987. This 1984 model the three-door hatchback version and is one of the more collectible 3rd Gen Civics aside from the CRX that is also derived from this chassis.. Other not so interesting 3rd Gen Civics were a four-door sedan (also known as the Honda Ballade) and the five-door "Shuttle" station wagon - imagine this as something BMW would now make with its 3 series and then call it the 3 series GT, i.e unclecar variant of the 3 series. Honda was so ahead of its time.

In fact, this Civic was actually quite ahead of its time. Its setup included independent front control arms with torsion bar springs and a semi-independent rear beam with coil springs. It was also totally radical looking back in 1984. If you compared this model with the one it replaced you'd be shocked in 1984. The previous Civic (which I actually drove when I started out in life) did not have flush headlights, moulded and integrated bumpers, flush doors and many other details you see in cars today. In those days, this Civic was actually quite cutting edge and a wonder. I remember reading a long while ago in the 1990s about the 'Wonder' Civic. This was called the Civic 'Mayat' or 'Coffin' here due to its chopped off tail but it was called the Honda Civic Wonder in Indonesia. I also read in one of my Japanese Option magazines from the 1990s that they called it the Wonder Civic too. Amazing eh? 

For performance models of this Civic, Honda first adopted the Si badge for the Japanese domestic market (JDM) third-generation Civic in November 1984. Mainly offered in hatchback form, the main aesthetic difference for the Si was a slight bulge in the hood, which accommodated the taller DOHC engine. The D16A1 1.6liter 4 cylinder twim cam engine put out 122 hp, enabling the Civic Si a max speed of 196 km/h and go from 0–100 kmh in about 8.9 seconds. In 1990 this was actually fast enough. I remember being in one those days and it was wheelspin in first, second and even a chirp in third (if the surface was dusty or wet) when my friend gunned one that belong to his cousin.

This one on sale must have started life as a 1.5liter version with about 100hp. It now seems to have a 1.6liter upgrade that is basically the same engine as the Civic Si. It is a very light car and this enables this Civic to actually be quite a darn good drive even for something designed in the early 1980s. So much better than the car it replaced and could actually keep up with more modern cars in the 1990s when we were busy playing with cars then.

The owner just wants RM7,000 (nego) for it. You also get aftermarket bucket recliners, a sports steering wheel, larger alloy wheels and a somewhat suitable looking bodykit too. It seems fair for something so old that there are replacement parts that aren't original any more. All in all, this is still a nice little Honda from the good old 1980s. 

Original Ad is here (while it lasts)...or you can see it down below:

"Salam 1 Malaysia.. Sy nk lepaskan jentera ksayangan sy. 

Model Sb3, enjin dh tukar hulfcut twin cam 1.6 model integra second genarate n dah endos,seat bucket.

Enjin n air cond tip top, body cantik cuma cat je clear dia rosak sbb ujan pnas.

Kereta boleh pegi jauh dari ipoh ke johor tnpa sbrg masalah.Kreta skang brulang buat pegi krja.Nk jual sbb xde parking.

Blh datang tengok kete untuk kepuasan.

Harga blh bincang lagi.
Read more at http://www.mudah.my/1984+Honda+Civic+1+6+M+-40178345.htm#mMyw2gRW06kRDAxT.99"

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Spotted for Sale: 1997 TVR Chimaera 4.0 - This used to be Made In Port Klang

The early to mid 1990s was a burgeoning time for the automotive sector. Everywhere around the world manufacturers were busy launching new innovative models and cars that actually made us Petrolheads want it so badly. It was a time where things happened in a big way even in Malaysia. Proton just launched the Wira to great acclaim (and a waiting list of over five months). Bufori decided to start producing cars in Malaysia and we had the great British sportscar manufacturer TVR deciding to build cars in Malaysia too.

TVR was founded in 1947 by Trevor Wilkinson  who gave his name to the make - TreVoR. I alway thought it stood for Travel Very Rapidly as their cars were indeed ballistic, and a tad bit psychotic to drive. Somehow, in the early 1990s, someone managed to convince Peter Wheeler, then CEO of TVR to manufacture TVRs here in Malaysia. In an attempt to search out new export markets in the Asia Pacific region, in 1997-1998 TVR opened a new factory in Port Klang. This factory produced only the TVR Chimaera. to support the booming mid-1990s Malaysian market but with more emphasis to exports which went to Australia, Japan and |south Africa. Some were even alleged to have been shipped back to UK to meet the growing demand in the European market.

I remember listening to some friends of mine who actually visited the factory in the late 1990s. It was a typical Malaysian factory. This meant cheap steel structure with zinc roofing, a dog or two in the yard, some dirt here and there and within the totally Malaysian surrounding, we had TVR moulds being used to make the fiberglass body and the smell of fiberglass resin everywhere in the air. But since TVRs were all made of glassfibre, this was a norm. I suppose the workers got high almost everyday. Of course, by the end of the 1990s, the Malaysian and Asian economics crashed. This actually meant that the markets in this region dried up. By the early 2000s TVR packed up and left Malaysia. By 2006, TVR closed its doors and to this day we have been hearing of its revival. I hope its soon.

Anyway, this here is one of those cars which could have been made in Port Klang. Imagine that, a real British roadster with its Rover 4.0liter V8 engine built right here in Malaysia. You could be the proud owner of a British designed sportscar that was Malaysian made if you had RM58,000. 

You must remember that TVRs of this era are actually quite psychotic. Firstly, they had no visible door release handles inside and outside. It has the door release button under the side mirrors on the outside and one knob in the center console on the inside. It was also made out of fiberglass, so if it was new, it would smell like you bought lots of glue and spilled it everywhere. If you drove it angrily, it would angrily bite you back and then try to kill you if you aren't prepared for that rear-wheel drive and traditional (meaning, typical oversteer at every prod of the throttle type macho handling) especially in the wet. Of course, this was a typical British sportscar with a big engine. They usually like to make its drivers pee in their pants occasionally. Or find themselves going boot first into an English hedge mid corner. 

The power of the Chimaera from that Rover 4.0 V8 is approximately 240 bhp and  about 366 N·m torque at 4000 rpm. This allowed a maximum speed of 245 km/h and a 0-100kmh time of 5.1secs with its standard 5 speed manual gearbox. It was actually a combination of the lightweight tubular framed chassis and fiberglass body that gave it a reasonable power to weight ratio. The 5.0liter variant was even more mad - 0-100kmh in 4.1seconds and a top speed of 282kmh. This was in the mid-1990s. And it was cheaper to buy than a Porsche 911 Turbo. 

But the main thing about any V8 TVR is the exhaust note. It is gloriously loud and heavenly from inside and out. The traditional Rover V8 is actually one of those engines that burble and rumble all the time. It has that sense of occasion that not many other cars have.   

So if you can afford its asking price and its RM6,405.00 annual roadtax, go ahead. This is truly a car to experience.

Seller Says

TVR Chimera
Metallic Midnight Blue
New Cream Leather Interior

Lovely V8 exhaust note
Buy and Drive

Read more at http://www.mudah.my/TVR+Chimera+4+0+M+-40895870.htm#7Owox8DOQVJlrcGH.99

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