Story by Keith Tanner
Why an original CRX? Because if you’d asked me what car I wanted for my 16th birthday, it probably would have been a new CRX.
The first car I drove stick on–ignoring an escapade in the Australian outback with an FJ45—was an ’87 CRX Si. The twin-…
I built two different 1st gen CRX's for Improved Touring earlier in my life. The first one I drove as a street car for a year before converting it to a race car. These cars will always reside at or near the top of my favorite car list. Light, nimble and aesthetically perfect. If I were building a fun car based on one of these I would drop a 1st gen Integra 1.6L DOHC motor in it.
If this reads as a bit of a conversation between myself and David Wallens, well, that's basically what it is :) The photo shoot was done about 5 years ago, which is why there's reference to louvers that aren't exactly visible.
Such a cool little vehicle. Too bad we'll never see its like again.
I test drove an HF variant of the 1st gen and even the fuel miser version was fun.
I owned two 2nd gens and they are still one of my all-time favorites.
When the Fast and Furious ricer phase was big around here, it seemed like CRX were always some of the worst offenders. Crazy loud exhausts, revving at everything getting cruises and shows shut down. Years later most of my friends still dont much care for the cars of the time. Lots of hate for stuff like 90s civics, integras and RSXs, but the early CRX is still pretty much unanimously loved. This is largely a group of domestic guys who will tell you 400whp in a 3200 pound car is slow, and dont understand th virtues of the miata, but every time we see a CRX its always followed by 15 minutes of "man did you see that CRX? You never see clean ones anymore", "I wish I could find one", "Ive always wanted one of those" and "those things are so cool." That always said alot about these cars to me.
Unfortunately like someone else said I dont think we will see the likes of these again. Id love a mechanically simple, small, lightweight,, pretty, fuel miser that has a little performance bent.
In reply to Opti :
Wasn't it mostly the second-gen that got the F&F treatment? That was the chassis that got all the love from the tooners. The first gen was forgotten by a lot of people as soon as the jellybean showed up.
I can confirm that "you never see clean ones any more, COOL" is very much the common reaction.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Yes around here it was mostly 2nd generations causing all the havoc. The first and second generations are loved though.
Keith Tanner said:
I love this thread so much
Best friend had a non Si with the 1.5 carb'd engine in high school. This was late 90s. We loved it. Such a blast even without the hot engine. We used to fit four people in it by having them squish in, lying flat in the back. Until he ran out of luck and crashed it into a curb. No ABS and 17 year old driver is a BAD combo.
Before he could earn the money to get it fixed, a guy crashed into it when it was parked outside our high school. He took the insurance money and bought a 240sx.
Glad you're enjoying one of the last ones left!
Here's the full ownership build diary for those who don't know it already.
Thanks for the build link! Brings back many memories.
The cracking plastic body parts was such a pain, even back in the early 90's when they weren't that old. Another weakness, though unlikely to be discovered on a street car was the panhard rod body mount would crack or break completely.
My second CRX. Technically third - the second was a parts car. As were the fourth and fifth. 
msterbeau said:Thanks for the build link! Brings back many memories.
The cracking plastic body parts was such a pain, even back in the early 90's when they weren't that old. Another weakness, though unlikely to be discovered on a street car was the panhard rod body mount would crack or break completely.
My second CRX. Technically third - the second was a parts car. As were the fourth and fifth.
A certain CRX that I knew had the rear axle permanently offset after it had broken off and was reattached to the side, where there was more metal.
It also had an Integra DOHC engine (ZC? You readin' this thread Bill?) and was an absolute hoot to drive.
In reply to msterbeau :
I had an '87 Si ITA car:
Bought it for $200 with a seized cam and broken timing belt with about 120k miles on it (previous owner let it run low on oil). Had the top end replaced, street drove it for a year, then turned it into an ITA car, with 120k on the bottom end.
Discovered the Panhard bar mount issue during qualifying one day when the car would make some unscheduled directional changes under braking and acceleration. Found a guy with a welder at the track to get me through the weekend, then reinforced the crap out of the mount with a bunch of angle iron when I got home. One of the few cars I regret selling. Easy on tires, and I could get a season on a set of brake pads.
In reply to nlevine :
I broke the mount one weekend during the third season in my first car. Welder at the track fixed it up. The second car I built I learned my lesson and replaced the body mount with a fabricated adjustable mount. We also broke one in a friend's car running the 24 hours of Nelson Ledges.
Adjustable mount:
Pete. (l33t FS) said:msterbeau said:Thanks for the build link! Brings back many memories.
The cracking plastic body parts was such a pain, even back in the early 90's when they weren't that old. Another weakness, though unlikely to be discovered on a street car was the panhard rod body mount would crack or break completely.
A certain CRX that I knew had the rear axle permanently offset after it had broken off and was reattached to the side, where there was more metal.
It also had an Integra DOHC engine (ZC? You readin' this thread Bill?) and was an absolute hoot to drive.
Thankfully my welding and fabrication skills have improved considerably since then. I miss Smoke and Mirrors, and I really miss that CRX. And yup, it had a D16A1 out of a 1987 Integra. Swapped the front and rear discs over, too, as the brakes were pretty much done for when I got the car.
A 1st Gen CRX may be one of the few cars I'd buy specifically to take to cruise ins and car shows, to sit in a lawn chair next to it.
The Fast n Furious crowd probably didn't take the the 1G due to lack of aftermarket parts. Got a chuckle when Pimp My Ride worked on one of these a while back
I absolutely love these. There is one literally across the alley from me I wish i could save but its rotten and missing panels.
My sister has a red SI stored in her garage. I told her it was an excellent choice as an investment car. It does need a windshield, which she probably should replace while she can.
I'm just gonna leave this here because it makes me happy.
Your car has an ugly cousin in Maryland. Pretty sure it is stalking me (I find it waiting outside of my home EVERY morning).
I tried to convince my mom to buy one, instead of the 85 Civic sedan she purchased when she bought her new car. She later admited she made a mistake and should have bought the CRX.
RotaryFP46 said:Your car has an ugly cousin in Maryland. Pretty sure it is stalking me (I find it waiting outside of my home EVERY morning).
There's a company in France making reproduction fenders and header panels out of fiberglass. I have a set stashed away in my garage in case this comes to pass...
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