Honda Civic concept takes SEMA show gong

Some would argue that this is what all Honda Civics should look like. The stove-hot coupe you see here was a star exhibit at this week's SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturer Association) exhibition in Las Vegas. In fact, it has been named the official vehicle of the show.

Dubbed simply ‘Civic Si Concept’, it’s based on the US-spec Civic coupe, but gains a host of body, suspension and engine mods.

Motive power is provided by a 147kW 1.8-litre engine that revs to 8000rpm, making it the most potent Civic offered in the US to date. The engine isn’t unfamiliar to us either -- we’ve sampled it locally in the defunct Integra Type R (replaced last year by the 154kW Type S).

Drive is transmitted to the front wheels by a six-speed manual transmission, which is complemented by a helical-type limited slip differential for improved launch traction and higher cornering capabilities.

Other performance enhancements of the Civic Si Concept include 18-inch cast alloy wheels, 225/40R18 high performance tyres and four-wheel disc brakes with large cross-drilled brake rotors and four-piston Brembo calipers.

External tweaks include a carbonfibre-look bonnet, rear decklid wing, aggressive front wing and centre-mounted tailpipe that sprouts from an integrated bumper diffuser.

The show car was conceived to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Civic Si in America, a market where it sells strongly. It was designed at Honda’s Los Angeles R&D Design Center and is the sixth generation Si for the American market.

Unfortunately, we won’t be receiving the suave coupe variant of the new-generation Civic -- we’re destined to receive a more sedate Thai-built sedan, and it lands here in ’06.