Daily Driven: 1975 Honda Civic CVCC

It's rare that we see well-preserved 70s Japanese imports on the street these days. After all, this '75 Civic (or is it a '76?) is thirty-three years old today.


Many of these cars weren't treated so nicely to begin with, and after 30 years of parking on the street or enduring Midwest winters (along with rolling over their odometers 3 or 4 times), they are looking pretty beat. Most have sadly met their maker already or are continuing to rust away in a junkyard near you.


We do still see some good examples of '70s era Toyotas and Datsuns, but early Civics in good condition are almost unheard of. I did see a gorgeous first-year '74 Civic at the JCCS show a few years back, and that one stands out because it's just about the only really pristine one I can picture. Most of them are looking pretty rough around the edges, like this '76 CVCC featured by Jalopnik in their "Down On The Street" series.


I was sort of tempted to leave a note on this car's windsheild, and now I'm almost regretting I didn't. This model looks almost exactly like the car in the original CVCC advertisement above! If any of you live out in the avenues of San Francisco, track this one down, talk the owner into selling it to you, and show up with it for Motoring J Style on May 24th. This one would turn a lot of heads.

Nissan to Abandon All North American Racing Programs?

I didn't believe it when I read speculation Tuesday on Jalopnik.com that Nissan would halt all North American factory-backed racing programs for fiscal year 2008. It certainly sounded like far-fetched rumor. If nothing else, it's inconsistent with the launch of their flagship GT-R, considering Nissan's position in the enthusiast marketplace.

But thenJalopnik again posted confirming the rumored pullout as fact, citing an interview with Scott Vazin, Director of Product Communications for Nissan Motor Company.

What does this decision mean for Nissan, and for U.S. racing? Frankly, I'm unclear if this is really major news or just a bump in the road that will be forgotten in a year's time. Nissan reps I contacted either hadn't heard about the matter or weren't reachable for comment.

The biggest single racing program that will be axed are the factory-sponsored Nissan trucks that compete in the CORR off-road series. Beyond that, we're talking about some scattered sports car racing programs, drifting, and presumably some SCCA contingency programs. Nobody has been able to confirm how big of a total package North American motorsports are dollars-wise for the company.

The real question is this: does this decision mean Nissan is no longer interested in motorsport? Of course not. Nissan has been a supporter of racing for decades, and if I had to put my money on a bet, I'm sure they'll be back in some form, sooner rather than later. Speculation abounds that they're planning to come out big with a stateside GT-R racing program, details TBA, and that would seem to fit with their corporate strategy.

So, enthusiasts, don't poo-poo them yet. I think they've got something up their corporate sleeve, and we'll just have to wait and see what that may be.

'71 Honda 1300 Coupe 9 S on eBay: 2 days left, no bids at $6,600!

If you're predisposed to sitting around wasting your workday looking for new project cars on eBay or craigslist, you've probably seen or heard about the 1971 Honda 1300 Coupe 9 S on eBay. It caused a minor sensation in the online world when the car was listed on ebay last week.

Everyone's favorite tabloid auto-gossip site Jalopnik was all over this like flies on shit automotive journalists at a free buffet. Their writeup of the car can be found here. For some background on what the Coupe 9 is and why it's significant, you might also check out Jalopnik's article nominating the Coupe 9 S to their "Fantasy Garage".

Full disclosure here: We (Motoring J Style) are the sellers of the Coupe 9 S. However, I'm frankly stunned that there are no bids with two days to go. Is everyone holding out until the last minute, or won't the market sustain this relatively modest price?

Time will tell, but I'll be the first to say that if this car gets no bids, I'll gladly put it away until I have time to restore it properly in the future!