Dite-Sized

becol

onda Civic
es world-class car

Series’ fifth generation improves on proven winner

NO ONE took the tiny
Honda Civic seriously when
it reached our shores from

the land of the rising sun
back in 1973.

The cute, bite-sized Civic was
powered by a 1.2-litre engine that
produced a mere 52 horses, pull-
ing the 750-kilogram body
through the front wheels.

North American manufacturers,
who were still producing thou-
sands of dinosaur-class cars,
didn’t feel a hint of threat from
this fuel-efficient econocar. ‘The
automakers simply brushed off
the mini-Honda as nothing more
than a toy car for those who
couldn't afford to buy a real car.

How things have changed.

_ Today, every Honda and Acura
product is considered to be a real
threat to most manufacturers in
the world, including upscale
makers tike BMW — and even
Porsche —- who had no reason to
pay attention to Honda cars two
decades ago.

-This is the history of the little:
Civic which has grown up suc-
cessfully to become a world-class
car. .

‘There was not much to brag
about the 1.2-Htre four-cylinder

“No-nonsense Nissan Lease

NEW 1993 CLASSICS.
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that was under the first Civic, but
the 1.5-litre CVCC engine that
arrived later became the hallmark

' of all first-generation Civics.

Utilizing a stratified-charge con-
cept, the CVCC engines emitted
low emissions and top fuel
economy when compared to com-
petitors’ vehicles.

High quality, great fuel
economy, and front-wheel-drive

_ layouts were the three most highly

praised features of the 1973 to

ety 695”

TP. 13,098.24

1977 Civic models. Even with the
seemingly stow 0 to 100 kph (62
mph) acceleration of about 18 se-
conds, the Civics were considered

“reasonable performer.*’ Don’t
forget, we're talking about cars
produced 20 years ago.

Rust problems haunted the
owners of the first-generation
Civics, but most owners were still
quite happy with the car —
especially when they passed by the
gas stations.

Honda revamped the entire
Civic line for the 1980 model year,
upsizing it in every dimension.
Length, width, height, and
wheelbase of the three-door
model were increased by 28, 74,
18, and 51 mm respectively, while
the body picked up an additional
100 kg (220 Ibs.) of weight.

The cheapest model, the Civic
1300, was priced at just $4,845,
while the most expensive model,
the IS00GL, took $5,945 out of
your wallet. This model, equipped
with the 1.5-ltre engine, was the
most fun to drive, though al! 67
horses under the hood had to
work hard to squeeze out max-
imum power.

The suspension, which was cal-
ibrated on the firm side, worked

See Fifth generation page 32

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iat

RCMP issues wallet warning

THE NORTH Vancouver
RCMP have issued a warning
to the public about a recent
rash of wallet thefts from local
shopping areas.

The police advise people to:

*secure all valuables while
shopping;

* carry wallets close to their
person;

eavoid leaving purses in shop-

ping carts.

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