Of course it's a fifth generation Honda Prelude, but owner Mark Romero left no aspect unaltered when he set out to build it, and now only the trunkline and taillights give it away. The front end is really what screws me up, but it's work like this that draws people's attention. Incidentally, the bodywork represents handiwork from Auto Explosion in Gardena, Calif., a shop we at Import Tuner have heard before. They grafted the Type R front headlight conversion into a new front fascia that consists of an R34-style front bumper, imported by VIS, custom louvers cut into the quarters, and a custom vented fiberglass hood. '
A.E. also grafted a custom scoop looking thing into the roof at the top of the windshield, smoothed the hatchback roof wing into the back of the roof, and attached the GT2 wing, also sourced from VIS. Some of the most impressive bodywork is present on the sides of the car, where A.E. smoothed a Ferrari-esque widebody kit into the doors and rear quarters. The heavy lateral striations are complimented by a set of custom rocker panels, which in turn were smoothed in with the quarters. The Skyline rear bumper was also smoothed into the quarters for the clean, one-piece look. Of course, all exterior distractions like badges and shit have been removed, and the gas filler door was whisked away to an undisclosed location. The heavy suspension drop is the product of V-Spec coil-over lowering springs and Tokico shocks, which tuck the 19-in. Racing Hart C5s and "Nitto" rubber nice and snug beneath the fat fenders. Behind the C5s, KRP slotted rotors replace the stock binding equipment.
Inside the car, Romero's cockpit has been totally reskinned by Kreative Interior in Rosemead, Calif., to match the blinding yellow paint on the exterior. The dash and door panels were restitched with yellow tweed. This treatment was also extended to the center console, back seat, footwells and shift boot. The front seats have been replaced with a pair of Sparco racing buckets, skinned in dark blue tweed. Greddy three-point harnesses strap the car's occupants down during high-speed highway runs. A comprehensive interface of AutoMeter instruments allows Romero to keep track of what goes on beneath his one-off hood. The system meters include a Monster tach to the left of the factory instrument cluster (which has been improved with an Indiglo gauge face kit), air-fuel ratio and boost gauges on the A-pillar, and oil and water temperature gauges in the console behind the new carbon-fiber e-brake handle. An A'PEX VTEC Air Flow Converter sits at the top center of the dash, allowing fine tuning adjustment over the H22's fuel curve and VTEC engagement point. A pair of dash-mounted Kenwood units play either tapes or CDs, then link to Planet Audio amps for a burst of power before playing back through Polk Audio components and dual 12-in. Crystal subs mounted in the trunk.
So, what's under the hood? Romero handed his H22 plant over to a close friend who does custom engine fabrication for a shot of force-fed cold air. First, his buddy bent a custom exhaust manifold (which he manufactures under the Kiwi name) and mated it with a hybrid T3/T4 Garrett turbocharger. A Blitz blow-off valve was incorporated to keep boost at modest levels. A custom intercooler system, using a front-mount core that can been admired through the front bumper, Skyline GTR style, has also been incorporated into the system. After driving the turbine wheel, exhaust gases are fired out back through a Sheep Dog piping system. An NOS fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator keep the fuel supply rich. Appearance-enhancing pieces include a chromed strut tower brace, polished valve cover, and various blue silicone and braided stainless lines.