I guess I should apologize to all the residents of South Carolina for referring to their state as the “Worst Carolina” in the headline there. I’m from North Carolina, so there’s a lot of sibling rivalry between us and Garbage Carolina happening. Shit. I did it again. I’m sorry! I’m especially sorry because there’s a resident of South Carolina who has built something remarkable and put it for sale on Facebook Marketplace, and I want to share it with you. It’s technically a 2007 Honda Civic, but it’s really so much more. Just look at this thing.
What we have here is a 2007 Honda Civic Si coupé with a “custom grafted steel body,” and it certainly looks like absolutely all of that. The overall design of the Civic has been changed pretty dramatically, ending up as something that resembles a mid-engined car, complete with what looks like an air intake scoop just aft of the door:
The original Civic was a handsome little car, but it played things a bit safe, and as a result ended up a bit more bland than it needed to be. This customized Civic definitely solves that problem, especially when you look around back:
See what’s going on here? The clever builder has worked in a tailgate! And a hatch! And there’s still a back seat! This thing is actually more practical than how it started from the factory, and that’s saying something, especially when you take into account the more dramatic looks. Look at all that room in the back there with the rear seat down! And, thanks to the sort-of-kammback design, there’s room for a substantial roof/trunk (the difference here is pretty hard to determine) rack, which you can see is occupied by that roof tent up there. And down here:
This was sent into us by a reader named Ricardo, who went above and beyond and even reached out to the seller/builder and interviewed him! Wow! That’s the sort of thing you absolutely should do when writing a little story about a strange car you saw for sale online! The owner/builder is named James DeLorme, and this Civic is the result of some big dreams, now largely abandoned, as dreams often are, but is still an impressive bit of backyard fabrication. Here’s that full interview:
Ricardo: Hi James, this is a very interesting car. Could you tell me a bit more about it?Did you graft a truck bed to the back?
How much of the Civic was removed to accommodate the new rear end?
Was the plan to make fiberglass kits for other Civic owners?
Thanks, Ricardo.James: The running gear and exo structure are all civic. I grafted a lot of parts onto the car. All just skins either over or replacing factory panels. I really only used the back section of a truck bed to integrate the tailgate. My plan was to make kit bodies but really was not intended for stock Civics. The design was to use Civic from doors forward but make a rear frame to incorporate a mid-engine design. Essentially replacing the current hard to find Fiero design.Civics are so plentiful and cheap. It only makes sense to utilize it for a donor.Currently the front clip and doors could be replaced with stock bolt-on Civic parts. The rear clip and roof however is all welded on and the trunk area was cut out to make a hatch and tailgate system, which are factory from other cars so all it seals and functions properlyRDA: Wow, that’s incredible work. About how many hours did you put into this? Did you do all this work yourself?
JDL: Probably 150 hours broke up Over a few years. I did it all myself when the guy I was going to have do the fiberglass work died. I lost interest in finishing it or copying it.
Sure, the build quality is a bit rough, but considering this is one person’s work, I think it’s pretty incredible. The revised character lines in the hood and body all work remarkably well, and I think the proportions, especially in profile, are quite good!
This is a fun build! Somebody could clean this up a bit – it does appear to be quite happily well-used – give it some nice paint, and have a fun, reliable exotic-looking car that would baffle absolutely everyone.
And, deep down, isn’t that what we all want?
I believe this car was available in San Francisco Rush 2049.
Charleston is fun to visit and Greenville was quite nice last time I was there ~20 years ago. Since then I’ve only observed Greenville while sitting in eternal construction traffic on I-85 trying to get to Atlanta.
Everything in between those two is horrid.
South Carolina is trash Carolina and everyone knows it.
I’m getting serious Wraith vibes.
The rear 3/4 looks like a Cybertruck, it’s great
Which Carolina is responsible for the vinegar based barbeque (as in pork)? Whatever Carolina that is, is automatically best Carolina.
I know it’s an Eastern Carolina thing (think coastal plains) but I never got a clear answer on whether North or South is responsible. I assume they fight over this.
I’ve spent a lot of time in North Carolina (wife’s siblings live there) but have never spent a moment in South Carolina, so I can’t really make an educated decision here.
That’d be North. South Carolina BBQ is mustard based and usually sweeter.
Also ENC BBQ is another level. “Carolina BBQ” is such a misnomer. North and South, East and West, there are so many regional differences. And yes. MUCH fighting.
SC is responsible for ALL BBQ. You are welcome. The book linked below traces the history of BBQ arising out of the interactions of the Spanish and the native Americans in Saint Elena, SC. SC also has just as much claim to vinegar sauce as any Tarheel.
NC has to denigrate its southern neighbor to distract from its attempts to steal the more illustrious culinary history of the Palmetto State.
https://www.amazon.com/History-Carolina-Barbeque-American-Palate/dp/1609498631/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1478180284&sr=8-1&keywords=A+History+of+South+Carolina+Barbeque&linkCode=sl1&tag=destinationbbq-20&linkId=87d8c052fd2508d9b81029a60d98eff0
Vinegar BBQ sauce sucks!
What in the Lou Ferrigno is this?
Whoah that’s an awkward shape.That said i very much like what it is.
Now i’m going to waste the next few days thinking what could be modified this way,and still look great, then forget about it because who-needs-another-project?
BTW the Carolina insult made me laugh way more than i should have.I think there’s something wrong with me.
What in the cousin kissing fuck?
I…I need it
Mayberry is in NC, so it will always be the better Carolina.
There is no Mayberry but there is a town called Mount Airy that it’s based on. There’s a bronze statue of Andy and Opie, a restaurant called Aunt Bea’s and you can get tours of the town in a 50s squad car. Or all that was true 15 years ago, at least.
There’s another bronze statue of Andy in Pullen Park in Raleigh, too.
Yes, I am aware that Mayberry is a fictional place. It was just another one of my desiccated attempts at humor.
The Nissan bucktooth would not be my personal choice, but I love the rest, especially the tailgate/bed.
“…a handsome little car, but it played things a bit safe, and as a result ended up a bit more bland than it needed to be.”
I had one and loved the looks. A nice ‘worn bar of soap’ look. Then Honda went all boy racer with the Civic. Ick.
Wait, somebody actually likes the bar of soap look? I usually see “bar of soap” applied to every new crossover as an insult…..
I first saw it applied to the first generation Taurus, FD RX7 and Audi A6/A4, but I imagine it could’ve described the Jaguar XKE and earlier sports cars. To me crossovers look more like a well-licked salt block.
The 7th and 8th gen civics never did it for me. The short sloped hood reminded me of the “dustbuster” Pontiac Trans Sport vans, only less attractive. I had 2 sixth gen Civics and I am on my 2nd tenth gen.
South Carolina is the Alabama of the Carolinas.
I was raised in Virginia. NC looks down on SC, but VA looks down on NC. I lived in Charlotte as an adult and, yeah, the only time people wanted to cross the state line was for college football, Myrtle Beach, or Charleston. Or to get to Atlanta if they couldn’t fly.
Charlotteans also cross the state line for cheap gas.
Fireworks too.
Alabama person here. Well said.
And the stupid ass dragging bro truck shit has started to become a thing here. Can’t fix stupid apparently.
Sorry but nothing about this build works for me.
I always thought these types of unforgivable automotive body kit sins were regulated to include Pontiac Fiero’s only. I stand corrected now.
Quite an interesting piece of work. Looks a bit like one of those UK shed kit cars. This one does look more complete and we’ll thought through.
I realize that with only two values to compare, it’s more correct to say “better” or “worse” than “best” or “worst,” but good god South Carolina is the Worst Carolina. You cross over the state line and instantly feel the lower gas tax in the road surface, and it is not getting any better anywhere else. The Confederate flags are totally just heritage, right? (We have a few of those big ugly shits over the I-40 corridor in NC, in fairness to SC.)
That’s putting it lightly. There’s a confederate flag on I40 that’s so big, I go back in the closet for a mile so I don’t get shot by a cousin fucker every time I go to the mountains.
In other news, was at the Rolex almost 24 last weekend, and found it hilarious they had to change the signs at the campgrounds to add that confederate flags ARE in fact, incendiary and indecent to fly in public. So Florida.
I live in SC and it’s been a running joke for years among my work crew for one of them to yell out “It’s A Great Day In South Carolina” (a slogan Haley invented and made all the state employees answer the phones with) as soon as we cross the line and hit the first bump or pothole.
A gloriously mad idea, quite well realised. I’d hate to parallel park it though…
crack pipe just kicked in, yo
Totally love the dig. Lived in Greenville and always referred to them as the good Carolina and the bad Carolina. Greenville’s OK, and Charleston is great, but the in-between…
My in-laws live in Charleston, and it sucks too. I mean, it’s a nice place to visit once for the history and crap, but once you get over that, it’s just another Bad Carolina swamp.
Indeed, it’s the wannabe Savannah
Can this make it up a slight incline with some snow on it?
I don’t see the taillights here or in the listing – is this street legal as sold?
Nor rear view mirrors.
Yeah the ad says it still needs tails. Something something someone else’s project…
SC State Motto: We shoot first.
NC= Hog farms, tobacco, Nascar
SC= Peaches, Beaches, BMW
Have you seen the beaches at College of Charleston?
I have. Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s island are lovely beaches. There’s a reason why so many NC residents visit SC beaches when they need a little sand in their shoes.
So true. Hilton Head has great beaches. Although from I-95 until the beaches is swamp. Pretty swamp, but still, there’s an awful lot of swamp.