Car Of The Day: January 3, 2012

Today's car of the day is Kyosho's 1974 Honda Civic.

Honda began selling the 1169 cc (70 in³) transversely mounted inline four-cylinder Civic for about US$2,200. The car produced roughly 50 hp (37 kW) and included power front disc brakes, vinyl seating, reclining bucket seats, and a woodgrain-accented dashboard. The hatchback version added a fold-down rear seat, an AM radio, and cloth upholstery. The car had front and rear independent suspension. A four-speed manual transmission was standard. Options for the Civic were kept to a minimum, consisting of air conditioning, an automatic transmission called the Hondamatic, radial tires, and a rear wiper for the hatchback. The car could achieve 40 mpg-US (5.9 L/100 km; 48 mpg-imp) on the highway, and with a small 86.6-inch (2,200 mm) wheelbase and 139.8-inch (3,550 mm) overall length, the vehicle weighed 1,500 pounds (680 kg).

The four-door sedan version of this bodystyle was not available in the USA, and the sedan was not a hatchback until 1978, just before the introduction of the second generation. In the USA, the advertising campaign used to introduce the Civic was, "Honda, we make it simple."

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Honda Civic

This is the car that put Honda on the radar of most American car buyers.  Previous efforts were mostly ignored in the USA; but this model was the perfect car at the perfect time.

The Civic's features allowed it to outperform American competitors such as the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto. When the 1973 oil crisis struck, many Americans turned to economy cars. Reviews of American economy car quality were poor and getting worse due to spiraling costs for manufacturers. Japanese culture had a long-standing tradition of demanding high-quality economy cars, and the growing American desire in the 1970s for well-made cars that had good fuel mileage benefited the standing of the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Datsun B210 in the lucrative U.S. market.

For 1974, the Civic's engine size grew slightly, to 1237 cc and power went up to 52 hp (39 kW). In order to meet the new 5 mph (8 km/h) bumper impact standard, the Civic's bumpers grew 7.1 inches (18 cm), increasing overall length to 146.9 inches (373 cm). The CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) engine debuted in 1975 and was offered alongside the standard Civic engine. The optional 53 hp (40 kW) CVCC engine displaced 1488 cc and had a head design that promoted cleaner, more efficient combustion. The CVCC design eliminated the need for catalytic converters or unleaded fuel to meet changing emissions standards, unlike nearly every other U.S. market car. Due to California's stricter emissions standards, only the CVCC powered Civic was available in that state. This created a sales advantage in Honda's favor in that CVCC equipped Honda products afforded the buyer the ability to choose any type of fuel the buyer wanted, and due to emissions equipment not being damaged by using leaded fuel, the buyer could use any gasoline products available. This was also an advantage due to some regions of North America having to ration available gasoline supplies due to periodic shortages at the time. TV commercial for CVCC Civic. A five-speed manual transmission became available in 1974, as did a Civic station wagon (only with the CVCC engine), which had a wheelbase of 89.9 inches (228 cm) and an overall length of 160 inches (406 cm). Civic sales also increased and topped 100,000 units for this year.
1978 brought slight cosmetic changes: the grille was black; the rear-facing hood vents replaced the sideways vents; and turn indicators were mounted in the bumper instead of in the grille. The CVCC engine was now rated at 60 hp (45 kW).

The first generation Honda Civics were notorious for rusting in less than three years from purchase where salt was used in the winter. The U.S. importer, American Honda Motor Company, signed a final consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission that provided owners of 1975-1978 Civics with rusted fenders the right to receive replacements or cash reimbursements. In the end, almost 1 million Honda owners were notified that their fenders could be repaired or replaced by the automaker at no charge. About 10% of all Hondas sold were to be inspected by a dealer, and the automaker had 180 days to replace front fenders and supporting parts that showed rust within the first three years of use.

The Hondas were so vulnerable to corrosion that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also issued a safety recall . This was because the car's lateral suspension arms, front crossbeam, and strut coil spring lower supports could weaken with exposure to salt. A total of 936,774 vehicles built between 9-1-1972 and 8-1-1979 were subject to extensive repairs since Honda had to replace the suspension components, or the automaker bought back entire cars with serious body corrosion.

At the time, Honda's rust recall was the largest safety action among all the brands imported into the U.S. Civics became known for their "typical Honda rust" in the used car market.

What's wrong with the above picture?  Could it be the two subcompacts that are exactly the same length of the full-size models in their respective lineups?  Why yes!  Yes it can be.  Since these are generally designed as toys, the cars are designed to fit the blisterpack for a multitude of cost-saving reasons.  They don't require new, smaller wheels to be made specifically for this one casting.  They don't require a special blisterpack to compensate for their small size.  And supposedly they appeal to people looking for cars because they don't feel like they're getting ripped off on a tiny car when the rest of the models are twice the size.

Now if you know me, you know I'm a true scale enthusiast.  I like my big cars big and my tiny cars tiny.  Which leads us to these pictures.  These were all marketed as adult collectibles as opposed to toys.  So we get a giant SUV and a tiny subcompact.  Just the way it should be on the toy end but can't be for the reasons stated earlier.

Surprisingly, even though we've dealt with three different diecast manufacturers so far this year (GreenLight, Hot Wheels 100%, and today's Kyosho) and three very different types of car (classic muscle, gargantuan SUV, and subcompact) all three have one thing in common- they are true to scale with one another.

Yes, you can even pack up the Civic and take it along as a spare in case the Hummer breaks down....or more likely runs out of gas in the middle of nowhere.