500hp Turbo K20 Honda Civic

With the external modifications done to this car, it’s pretty unassuming to the passing eye, presenting itself as a tastefully modified 90’s Civic. The always popular Volk TE37’s in the classic, satin bronze finish are the things you notice at first glance. Not only a clean look but also offer great functionality with how lightweight they are. Other little modifications include a carbon fiber front lip and a trunk spoiler for a meaner road presence. One of my favourite touches Will has done is the black headlight housing, I love the contrast it adds to the front end against the Frost White paint colour.

Now for the power plant of this monster.

I will try to let the photos do the talking here, as it’s been four months since getting together with Will as of writing this article. With that time passing, I have forgotten most details of his engine setup. What I can tell you is that it is a Honda K20 paired with a Xona Rotor X3C turbocharger along with some K Tuned goodies, good for a healthy 500hp. It’s also equipped with a ported intake manifold, a CSF Radiator, Hasport engine mounts, Downstar hardware, and much, much more. The exhaust manifold was done by Unit 2 Fabrication out of Kitchener, ON, and the beautiful powder coated valve cover and turbo housing were done by Roro Designs from Paris, ON.

With various gauges, an updated audio head unit, and an upgraded short shifter from Garage 16, the interior is mostly stock. Will has focused on keeping his build as far away from a show car as possible, purely focusing on drivability and functionality.

I couldn’t help myself by snagging a photo of the song after we had been doing the legal speed limit on the highway, I thought the song and artist choice was a great wrap to the experience.

 All these shots were taken on my Sony A7ii, paired with a Sony 24mm 1.4 GM courtesy of my friend Chris Anderson (@chriswithana). At the time I was in the market for a new lens and wanted to try out a fast 24mm lens to compare to 35mm, which I have used quite often in the past. I loved the effect that 24mm has shot wide open at 1.4, really emphasizing your subject of the shot with soft focus around the edges of the image. Although not ideal for getting up close as it distorts the proportions of cars, it is a fantastic storytelling lens. It forced me to stand back, capturing the whole scene rather than a single portion of the Civic. Even in the detail shots, you’re given context as to where I am in and around the car.

I wanted to get together with Will to shoot for some time and I was super grateful we were able to meet up in October 2021, just in time for peak fall colours. I love seeing cars being properly built, then driven; which is exactly what Will does.

With so many people getting roped into building cars for other people and internet fame, Will is a part of the group of enthusiasts who build their cars for their own gratification. He takes it out at any opportunity, not parking it for weeks at a time, not waiting for events to show it off, or the perfect weather to go for a drive. He has put 20,000 km on his Civic just in 2021, daily driving it all summer long.

Apart from his daily commute, Will takes his car to open lapping events at circuit tracks, as well as drag racing events. It speaks to how well he has buttoned up his EG and the reliability of Honda motors; regardless of the loads of boost rocketing it to redline.

I chose to take my time capturing this car, really finding creative compositions, and picking apart the Civic to showcase the time and energy that Will has put in to make this car his. Even taking the time to shoot the rear seat mechanism and the strut cover over the rear window.

When taking the full car shots, I wanted to bring the location into play. Not just using it as a background, but bringing it into the frame where I could. I used the fence in multiple shots as a foreground feature, creating leading lines and some depth to the images. At a 24mm focal length, you do not get a lot of separation between the subject and its surroundings, so adding these elements help with creating depth to your shots.

Overall, I’m thrilled with how these shots came out. Using a lens and focal length I’ve never used before was a good challenge, especially going from 50mm to 24mm. It took some adjusting, but I’m super happy with how I was able to showcase Will’s take on the EG platform.