How to Stand Out Without Being Noticed
Ezequiel’s car is a bundle of contradictions.
It’s a heavily modified 2000 Honda Civic that was bought for its rarity in custom car culture, yet has been modified to not stand out at all. Seems backwards right?
Well it gets more interesting. See the reason that the 2000 Honda Civic is uncommon in car culture is because of its younger brother, the 5th generation Honda Civic.
In the late 90s, Honda was the car maker to beat. It had a massive autosports following, modifiers wanted their cars, and they produced the Acura NSX – the Ferrari Killer.
But a huge part of its reputation came from the 5th generation Civic. For a variety of reasons (detailed well here), that car changed the perspective on which cars can be modified. Due to their cheap cost and modification potential these vehicles became embedded in car culture.
Which is why it’s curious that Ezequiel turned down a 5th generation Civic to buy his 6th generation one.
This is coupled with the fact that the 6th generation Civic is approaching the nadir of its popularity, with the oldest ones approaching 20 years old.
It takes about 30 years before an old car becomes interesting again. But in the years preceding its graduation into classic car status, the car reaches the lowest point in its reputation. Neither old enough to be cool nor new enough to be exciting, these middle aged cars are just boring. Unless the car has ingrained itself in the culture - like the 5th generation civic.
It turns out that Ezequiel wanted to have a car that was boring, because, “having a car that is neither new nor old, will stand out and attract much more attention”.
So you’d think that if he wanted to turn heads, his car would look like something out of Fast and Furious. But as the pictures show, it doesn’t.
That’s the amazing part. This build is a no nonsense, focused on the essentials build. With an K&M intake, a VTEC head grafted onto the originally non VTEC motor and computer retune, Ezequiel has focused on the performance of the car, and only added tasteful visual modifications to hint at what’s underneath.
Once you understand that, the rest of his car falls into place. See, this isn’t a car to attract everyone’s attention. He only wants the truly dedicated car enthusiasts to know what is going on with his car.
And that also explains why he avoided the 5th gen Civic. That Civic is so iconic in JDM culture that it’s like owning a Ford Mustang. Any JDM schmuck knows the 5th gen Civic, and as a result owning that Civic is like throwing a massive wing, garish wrap job and chrome rims on any other car. Nearly everyone knows that you work on cars if you have that one.
In contrast though, Ezequiel’s 6th gen flies under the radar. The exterior looks like a normal everyday car enthusiast Civic, but those with discriminating eyes will look closer and notice the quality of the modifications. Brand name parts are extremely expensive in Brazil, so the Volk Racing Wheels and the K&N intake are a testament to the money he spent on the car.
And that’s the point. The fact that not all car enthusiasts will notice this car makes it even more noticeable to those that do. And that’s the beauty of Ezequiel’s car.