Return of the Stancey Boi

Stance aficionados rejoice! A wildly slammed and cambered Civic EF Hatch is here...

I'm here to take you on a journey. A venture through the ages all the way back to 1987 (yes, millennials, the same time as the band adorning your Guns N Roses T-Shirts were producing records). As Patrick Swayze was wooing the women of the world in Dirty Dancing, designers at Honda were creating something - unbeknown known to them - of a timeless automotive relic.

The 4th Generation Civic was released to continue its predecessors legacy; to be an economical, small yet practical everyday car. Spec & trim levels were varied, starting from a 1.3l SOHC up to the 1.6l DOHC VTEC SiR model released in 1989 packing 158bhp from the B-Series power plant. It's lightweight and formidable suspension setup meant that the Mk4 became popular for motorsport enthusiasts and tuners alike, sparking a rage for engine swapping.

As summed up by Tom, these hatches are now uber popular for those looking for a fun, compact tuner icon they can tap into and make their own. Tom took this ethos and ran with it overhauling almost everything he could get his hands on. For performance, a Skunk2 header and full SRS Exhaust system have been added to help belt out the sounds of early nineties Osaka highways under the midnight sky.

On the exterior, the front end has been transformed with a Chargespeed front lip and custom angry hood with bonnet raisers, whereas the sides have been extended with Alt Racing side skirts. In a surprising turn of events, this EF also features some VAG influence in the form of a rear lip taken from a MK3 Golf VR6 - a different but inspired approach when aftermarket support is rife.

Ultimately, it's the suspension that has seen the most work. Whilst the 4th Generation Civic was heralded for it's setup, being the first Civic to come with double wishbones at the front and an independent suspension at the rear, by modern standards it's pretty archaic. However, taken a proven recipe and ripping it to pieces is still no easy feat:

"The suspension was definitely the most challenging. It took a lot of research but in the end I went for the attitude of just do it! If it was going to go wrong I could always start over."

This can-do attitude has been paramount in Tom achieving the finish he has so far. It appears that in creating this stanced, minty cambered hatch, Tom has racked up quite a following, notably presenting his EF at the Essen Motor Show in 2024.

It's easy to understand why. The retro late-eighties styling paired with a 21st century tuner twist allow this EF to shine. The clear rear lights and super shiny dished 16" Whistler's KR7 alloys with spiked wheel nuts all being a product of modern trends.

"A lot of my inspiration for the Civic came from Instagram, Youtube & friends."

As you can well imagine, Tom's 5-year project has since derailed the Civic away from it's frugal, practical roots. Rear seats have made way for scaffolding, the soft smooth ride has been replaced by something far more firmed-up, and rear visibility... well it's limited by decals. All of this however, adds to the allure of this hatch. It's crazy and raises an eyebrow, but isn't that what a show car is supposed to do?

Looking ahead and Tom doesn't have any further plans for his current Honda - and I say current because another "old Honda" is on the cards. Whether that be another Civic remains undetermined but one thing that can be guaranteed is that it will definitely be different and slammed.

For me, Tom's EF epitomises everything about the stance element of the show scene. It's low, wild, cambered, shiny and damn right different. So much creativity is on display here and that's what pulls in the crowds! Well done, Tom.

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