This eighth-generation Civic isn’t your average body-kit car.
A few vehicles are clearly something uniquely great, and afterward there are models that are significantly more on the off chance that you know, you know. Most would see this Honda sport-reduced vehicle as simply one more 15-year-old City with a body pack — but one in outstandingly pleasant shape. The cognoscenti, nonetheless, will perceive this specific eighth-gen Community with a body pack as the uncommon, one-year-just Metro Mugen Si. Furthermore, that makes this 2008 Metro, available to be purchased on Bring a Trailer — which, similar to Vehicle and Driver, is important for Hearst Cars — a critical find.
Mugen Motorsport was established in Japan in 1973 and is so near Honda as to be essential for the organization’s bloodline. That is in a real sense valid, as Mugen was helped to establish by Hirotoshi Honda, child of Soichiro. Mugen means “unbounded,” and the organization has done all that from supply Honda V-10s for Tyrrell’s F1 group to succeeding at the Isle of Man TT cruiser races. En route, it likewise delivered a progression of profoundly tuned street vehicles, the vast majority of them only for the Japan market.
The first taste of that deliciously altered Honda apple in North America came from the 1000-unit limited-edition Civic Mugen Si. But as it happened, it had almost exactly the same excellent flavor as the standard Civic Si. The Mugen model cost an astounding $8190 more than the basic Si and produced no more power.
After fifteen years, it begins to seem even more unique. It’s rare, to start. Every time you shift that precise six-speed manual, you shake hands with a unique Mugen aluminum shift knob. Those forged eighteen-inch wheels are pricey jewelry. And this Civic is more than just a show: The car’s suspension has been adjusted to drop it 0.6 inches, which sharpens the steering and improves turn-in. Additionally, the distinctive exhaust system gives the car a more distinctive sound.
Better yet, this is all the cherry on top of a fantastic car that is also quite useful. The performance numbers of this 2008 Civic are almost the same as those of its turbocharged descendent, but it does so in classic Honda manner, peaking at 197 horsepower at 7800 rpm, just shy of the 8000-rpm redline.
Thus, you must exert yourself to achieve your desired speed by turning the gears and spinning the needle all the way to the top of the tachometer. In contrast, the current Civic Si has more low-end power but only reaches a maximum rev of 6600.
This Civic Mugen Si is an excellent example of the type, having only 18,000 kilometers on its odometer and being nearly flawless on the inside. It’s totally functional as a daily vehicle, but it’s also unique enough to be collected.
November 21 is the last day of the auction.
