With a background in tuning old Honda CRXs, Gilbert Villanueva wanted to try out something new, this is his tuned Civic Type R FK8.
Honda’s Type R sub-brand is something that must be handled with care. Not the cars themselves, of course; they’re so robust they could grate parmesan at thirty feet with a single menacing flash of the headlights. The premise is that ‘R’ stands for ‘Racing’. Or ‘Really Fast’. Or ‘RaaaaaarrrrRRRRGGHH!’. Something like that.
So, it’s a badge that gets glued only to the most special, the most exciting, the most finely honed road cars that the company produces. These aren’t cars designed for chauffeuring your grandmother to the bingo hall. Although they’ll happily and politely do that too. They’re for dominating apices, shrugging off braking points, laughing in the face of camber changes. They’re the best of the best, in the most Top Gun way possible.
The Civic Type R, then, is a hallowed beast. The original EK9 that appeared in 1997 set the template for all that was to follow: red badges offset by glowing Championship White paint, hand-ported head, helical LSD, stripped out soundproofing, red seats, titanium gear knob… it had a bonkers specific output that made grown men and strong women tremble at the beauty of its engineering prowess.
As the Type R legacy morphed across subsequent generations of Civic, and spread its wiles across such other models as the Integra, Accord, and of course NSX, what really ties all this together is the concept of evolution.
Honda tuning in the US
All of this is deeply intertwined in the motoring affections of Japan’s car enthusiasts, although for Stateside residents there’s a different dimension to the culture of VTEC and its roots in modding culture. Whereas the Honda tuning scene was still a fledgling affair in mid-1990s Britain, for example, over in the suburbs of Los Angeles the streets were aflame with hot JDM rides. A generation who grew up with their parents eulogizing over rumbling big-block Detroit metal sought a different path, something to throw their own unique perspective on, and the influx of Japanese hatchbacks with eminently tuneable motors helped them to achieve just that.
And it’s this colorful culture-clash that essentially led to the creation of the tuned Civic Type R FK8 you see here. Lovingly and painstakingly crafted by Gilbert Villanueva (@HHwHH_by_Panda23), the inception of the project represented a new dawn for a seasoned modifier who had hitherto been in his comfort zone tuning far older Hondas.
“Prior to acquiring this CTR FK8 in late-2019, I’d been looking around for parts and imagining how I was going to approach this new chassis,” he explains, “as I’d only been building old Hondas before. Particularly second-gen CRXs; I once owned six of them, although I’m now down to two! So the FK8 chassis was way too new for me to build…”
Approaching the tuned Civic Type R FK8 build
It was a beguiling and attractive idea though, and the more he thought about it, the keener Gilbert became to roll his sleeves up and get involved with the modern-era Honda platform. The internet is a powerful tool, and he was able to put extensive research into the modding potential of the FK8. And when his wife, Cheryll, green-lit the project, that was all the impetus he needed to get started and try something new.
“We ordered the car at Honda of Serramonte with the help of my friend Giann De Castro,” says Gilbert. “We knew that we wanted it in Championship White, and 2019 was the year that the FK8 wouldn’t even touch the showroom floor, especially in this most desirable of colors. So we just ordered it and the waiting game began!
That actually helped me out though, because it gave me more time to research and decide what I wanted to go for in terms of appearance and performance. Ultimately I decided on a Mugen build, but with a twist to make it different from the others… I ordered all of the Mugen parts available from Kings Motorsports, GReddy Performance, wheels from SpeedImage and lots of other parts. Remember, the brand-new car wasn’t even here yet! But I like to collect parts and have most of them in my hands, so that once the car arrives I’m ready to get started with fitting it all straight away and effect a full transformation.”
Modifications on the tuned Civic Type R FK8
A couple of months later, and with a growing pile of high-end parts, Gilbert and Cheryll’s Championship White FK8 finally arrived. More and more upgrade items were arriving all the time thanks to that blizzard shopping spree, and Cheryll instantly fell in love with the Civic and insisted on daily-driving it. Gilbert was super-keen to get cracking with the build, but life was getting in the way and time was a factor with work and family commitments… and then Covid happened. And so began the story we’ve heard time and again from modifiers the world over: “I suddenly had some time on my hands,” Gilbert shrugs.
“I got laid off work as so many of us did; that kinda sucked but it did give me the time to do some work and install all the parts that I’d collected and were just sitting inside the garage. From there till now the endless mods have continued, and I’ve attended some major events and shows including WekFest, Spocom, Honda Super Meet, Raceworkz and others, being honoured to take some silverware home. My goal on this build was to have something new on a different platform, to challenge myself again to build something fresh.”
And that’s exactly what he’s done. The spec of this tuned Civic Type R FK8 is frankly incredible, with the F20C1 turbo VTEC motor treated to a full GReddy SP HG stainless exhaust system, Eventuri intake, GReddy FMIC and oil cooler and loads more besides, all jostled into shape by a Hondata Flash Pro. The transmission has been beefed up to suit with an Exedy Stage 2 cerametallic clutch and lightweight flywheel (and check out the super-cool CAE shifter!).
Chassis Upgrades
The chassis has been substantially augmented: the brakes feature Project Mu x Alcon calipers with upgraded rotors, pads and lines, while the suspension boasts Fortune Auto 510 Series coilovers, Hardrace camber arms and BeatRush front and rear strut bars. The custom-specced wheels are a particularly cool touch, being reverse-staggered in true FWD dragster style: the Volk TE37 wheels measure 11×18” +37 apiece on the front axle, with sticky 295/30 Toyos, while the rear wears 265/30s on a pair of 9.5×18” +33 wheels. It’s a properly hardcore setup that garners a lot of attention.
Indeed, that’s a statement that neatly sums up the car as a whole. With its uncompromising interior featuring Mugen Recaro MSZ seats and a cage, to the artfully Mugen-adorned Championship White body, this is solid proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. That age-old grounding in CRX modding turned out to be the perfect foundation for Gilbert to work his magic on the hypermodern FK8 platform. “People love how the car’s come out,” he smiles, “especially the creativity and how the car flows. It’s so simple, but so aggressive.” Which is precisely what a Type R should be.
Words: Dan Bevis. Photos: Patrick Lauder.
Tech Spec: Tuned Civic Type R FK8
Engine & Transmission
K20C1 2.0-litre VTEC turbo; Eventuri intake system; Eventuri V2 turbo pipe; PRL x PTP Black Edition turbo blanket and downpipe blanket; HKS Black Edition blow-off valve; PRL decat downpipe; GReddy SP HG full stainless exhaust system with 3” front pipe and 3” mid pipe; GReddy 24E front-mount intercooler; GReddy high-capacity front-mount oil cooler; Radium coolant tank with Chasing JS coolant cap and bolts; Radium dual oil catch can with Chasing JS bolts; Chasing JS oil cap; Chasing JS oil dipstick; Chasing JS windscreen washer cover; Antigravity ATX-30 lithium battery with battery tracker; Mele Design Firm rally battery tray; APR carbon fibre cooling plate set; Detailed By Panem custom carbon fusebox; custom aluminium a/c caps; Rywire ground kit; PWR aluminium radiator; Hasport U72A race mounts; PRL plug-and-play flex-fuel kit; Hondata Flash Pro
6-speed manual; CAE Ultra Shifter; Exedy Stage 2 cerametallic clutch; Exedy lightweight flywheel
Chassis
Suspension:
Fortune Auto 510 Series coilovers – with Swift Springs (12k front; 10k rear); Fortune Auto front camber plate; Hardrace rear camber arms; BeatRush Titanium front and rear strut bars; HKS EDC cancellation
Brakes:
Project Mu x Alcon calipers; Paragon rear upgrade brackets; Project Mu 380mm front discs; Paragon 350mm rear discs; Project Mu pads; Project Mu stainless braided lines; ARP extended studs front and rear
Wheels:
11×18” +37 (front) and 9.5×18” +33 (rear) reverse-staggered custom Volk TE37 Saga alloy wheels in Mag Blue; 295/30 (f) and 265/30 (r) Toyo R888R tyres
Interior
Mugen Recaro MSZ seats; Recaro sliders/brackets; Schroth Racing 3” Profi II 4 ASM harnesses; Studio RSR harness reels; Studio RSR chromoly steel half-cage; P3 gauges; Mugen steering wheel; Mugen start button; Chasing JS teardrop gearknob; Chasing JS door sills; Detailed By Panem custom carbon fibre shift plate; EVS Tuning carbon rear seat delete with Chasing JS hardware nuts and bolts; Tuxmat floor mats; H3R Performance fire extinguisher with H3R Prolock quick-release bracket; Honda Access medicine kit; Diode Dynamics interior LEDs
Exterior
Championship White; Mugen front under-lip spoiler; Mugen side garnish set; Mugen rear under spoiler; Mugen rear wing with Chasing JS bolt kit; Mugen side window visors; Mugen front bumper garnish; Mugen carbon fibre mirror caps; First Molding Super Aero vented bonnet; Honda Access door mouldings; custom EVS Tuning front grille; Racebred 3” front splitter with quick-release brackets; Racebred front spats; OEM facelift rear vents; Mugen LED taillamps; Mugen license plate bolts; Mugen door handle protectors; Mugen titanium badge; JDM OEM clear side markers; 3M matte black roof wrap; custom aluminium rear wiper delete; Diode Dynamics Elite Series foglights; Honda Access option rear bumper appliqué; Rplate digital license plate; LaminX headlight film; custom Epsilon aero canards; window tints
Thanks
First I would like to thank god for every accomplishment and success I’m having. And to my family; especially my wife Cheryll Hermosura for giving me her FK8 and trusting me with it for me to work on a new chassis – and to my two angels Ezra and Tatum; my day one supporters!
To my extended family and friends at HHwHH Ryan; Gervin; Mark; Baek; Giann; Gerard; Mike; Jerry; Alex; Jessie; Jomar; Danny; Arjan; Shawn; Brian; Eric; Marklin; Jon. And to all my sponsors/supporters – Fortune Auto; SpeedImage USA; Chasing JS; Toyo Tires; Anti Gravity Battery; MeLe Design Firm; Paragon Brakes; RaceBred Components; GReddy Performance; Mackin Industries; Evasive Motorsports; Diode Dynamics; H3R Performance; Detailed By Panem; Amsoil Inc; P3 Gauges; LaminX Film; SlipLo USA; BlackVue; Tracklife Composites; Exedy USA; FKN Prints; Mr. SexyS2K; Brian Garage; StreetOutCast; inspire USA; Studio RSR; Mistrshop; Illumaesthetic; DSR Prez; DSR George; Qu1ckWorks; Leen Customs Pin Garage; Artire Automotive; and Jspirit.
