Words by Youssef Rahal
Photography by Gary Tajudin (@lost_king_media)
In a world of cookie-cutter builds, filled with “intake, downpipe, tune, and front lips,” the aspect of true customization has been pushed off to the side. Building a car that you find perfect, regardless of boundaries, is a true art, and Harry Nguyen’s 1993 Honda Civic is a prime example of that. A JDM Integra front end fused with a Toyota Altezza rear, while somehow looking completely OEM, is no feature to scoff at. Harry’s Civic is a genuinely timeless build that proves original vision still has a place in 2025.
Named OG1, this isn’t a trendy rehash or a quick build that can be reverted to stock in a weekend. This car carries the soul of the late ’90s and early 2000s import scene, back when magazine features were the goal, not viral reels. Harry daily drove this Civic in its early life, but between 1999 and 2009, it transformed into a full show car. It hit the East Coast scene hard, collecting trophies at legendary stops like Hot Import Nights, Battle of the Imports, NOPI, and Carlisle. Then, just as quickly as it rose, it vanished. The culture shifted. The term “rice” started getting thrown around too loosely, and a build like OG1, despite its quality, got caught in the crossfire. So Harry did what most car builders eventually do when life gets in the way: he parked it, hooked up a battery tender, threw a cover on, and walked away.
For fifteen years, OG1 sat. Then came 2024, and with it, an unexpected reason to bring the Civic back to life. After the sudden passing of close friend Daniel Nguyen, Harry was asked to bring his car out of retirement to sit alongside Daniel’s completed build at HDAY. That moment flipped the switch. The Civic was towed out, cleaned up, and reborn with a set of gold Volk Racing GT7s, and updated just enough to be show-ready but never over-restored. Its OG aesthetic remained intact.
From its B18C1 GSR swap with full Skunk2 internals to the Nitrous Express system and custom-fabbed STR pieces, OG1 is a masterclass in early 2000s tuning. The suspension has been dialed in with Tein Flex coilovers spec’d for a DC2, Function 7 arms, and bracing from Cusco, J’s Racing, and Hondasport. Every detail was considered, from the shaved moldings and Buddy Club skirts to the candy red paint and carbon hood with a custom gradient fade. Even the fuel door is Sparco. This is not a parts-bin build — it’s curated. An art that’s missing in today’s day and age.
Inside, it’s a full JDM theater. The tan interior was stripped in favor of black with red carbon accents, a JDM gauge cluster and climate setup, a Skunk2 short shifter, red Recaro SRD Millenniums, and an Alpine audio system featuring fifteen Polk speakers, four JL amps, and a Sega Dreamcast mounted in the trunk. It’s unapologetically period correct. If you weren’t around in 2003, that setup might seem wild. But for those who lived it, it’s perfect.
This Civic is more than just clean. It’s a time machine. A blueprint of what the scene once was, and a reminder that the foundation of car culture was always built on passion, detail, and personal vision. OG1 bridges generations. It tells new builders that history matters. That quality and character never go out of style.
ESSENTIALS
1993 Honda Civic
Location: Aldie, VA
Horsepower: 200 whp
Club: Team Emotion
SOCIAL
IG: @harry_newin
ENGINE
B18C1 engine swap
Skunk2 (stage 2 cams, valve spring and retainers, intake manifold)
Top Fuel (intake, oil cap)
Hasport motor mounts
AEM fuel pressure regulator
STR (fuel rail, engine accessories, cam gears)
GReddy oil catch can
Nitrous Express kit w/ purge valve
Fluidyne radiator
FAL slim fan
Weapon R reservoirs
DressUpBolts titanium hardware
Billet power steering brackets
Custom carbon fiber spark plug cover
Clear red distributor cap cover
EXHAUST
5 Zigen Fireball exhaust
DC Sports header
DRIVETRAIN
Manual transmission swap
WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES
Volk Racing GT-7 wheels - 17-inch
Falken RT660 tires - 205/40/17
Wilwood front BBK
Civic Si rear disc brake conversion
Brembo rear rotors
Goodridge braided brake lines
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION
Tein Flex Integra coilovers
Function 7 lower control arms
Skunk2 rear lower tie bar
Cusco Type CB carbon strut bar
J’s Racing C pillar bar
HondaSport rear (trunk) strut bar
EXTERIOR
Custom Candy Red paint job
JDM (ITR front end conversion, Altezza taillight conversion)
Shaved roof and door moldings
Buddy Club (molded side skirts, rear bumper w/ integrated STR diffuser)
M-style (front bumper, rear lip wing)
Carbon fiber hood w/ custom red gradient
M3-style mirrors
Sparco gas door
Pulled rear quarters
Quick release hood hinges
INTERIOR
Full tan interior swap
Red and black carbon weave (headliner, dash overlay)
Momo Tuner steering wheel w/ red Ti bolt
NSX horn button
Works Bell quick-release hub w/ gold DressUpBolts hardware
Skunk2 (short shifter, shift knob)
JDM (Type R shift boot, gauge cluster, amber clock, coin pocket)
STR cigarette lighter
Ignited Performance (toggle switches, engine start button)
Custom glove box housing gauges for car audio monitoring status
Apex-i VAFC
Do Luck inner chassis bar
Razo pedals
Red and black rear seat
Red interior pillars
Red wrapped sun visors
Nitrous Express (bottle opener controller, switch panel)
Tekniq Auto red floor mats
AutoMeter instrumentation
AUDIO / MOBILE ELECTRONICS
Polk Audio 15-speaker system
Alpine (CVA 1005, DVA 5200, ERA G320, 6-disc changer)
Sega Dreamcast w/ monitor
JL Audio amplifiers (4)
Monitor pod built under trunk lid
Q Logic kick panels
Lightning Audio 1-farad capacitors (2)
Custom amplifier rack
SPONSORS
Falken
Brother Garage
DressUpBolts
Hasport
VinylDesignz
Absolute Electronix
Vaccaro Services
