You’ll never see them like that again
The heyday of sporty Hondas in the Netherlands was mainly in the late 1980s. Take that sympathetic CRX of the second generation, which appeared in 1988. Still that small, squat coupe, but a bit rounder than its predecessor. The second CRX became one of the first Honda passenger cars with VTEC. We are not going out with a 1.6 VTEC, but we are going with a 1.6i with 124 hp. Enough to make you very happy with Honda.
This is one in the category ‘you’ll never see them like this again’, because the Honda Civic and unfortunately also the CRX have fallen prey to the tuning guild, who are fully unleashing their wild craft on this Japanese cult car. Fun for those who like that, a nightmare for originality freaks. Not so with the Civic CRX that we are allowed to drive. It is in almost factory new condition down to the smallest detail. Some switches even still have the protective plastic on them, the center console has the original radio cassette player and it rolls on steel wheels with funny hubcaps. And it’s a Honda, so it’s always fun to drive. Not only because of the drivetrain, but also thanks to the excellent chassis, with double wishbones at the front and rear.
Real car enthusiasts are always catered for at Honda, the brand builds cars with passion. Close your eyes, turn the key and you hear that typical starting sound of the Hondas of that time. The engine immediately runs perfectly and with a short movement you can select first gear. Then all subsequent transfers. Brilliant. The engine character is also quite special. Yes, it can rev quite a lot, but it is a long-stroke engine that delivers a neat 124 hp from just under 1.6 liters. With a weight of 909 kg, this provides excellent performance. The word quick comes to mind, because that is the CRX. Playful and light-hearted, not nervous. Whether it was done deliberately or not, the intake sound is a little more audible during acceleration than in a normal car. And no tuners, that does not need to be amplified with an open air filter, keep it that way! What gives such a Japanese car an extra dimension is the excellent quality. Anyone who drives this properly and has maintenance carried out on time will never be stranded with a breakdown. In addition to the fact that the Civic CRX in its original condition is slowly but surely starting to conquer its place as a collector’s item.
For a nice CRX like we think, you pay more than €10,000. The copy we drove was for sale for €11,500. We have also seen prices around €15,000.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl