HONDA CRX 1987-92

FROM THE mid-1970s until the late 1980s, Honda based its success on a sequence of conservative car designs, giving no hint of what was to come.

- WORDS CLIFF CHAMBERS * PHOTOS HONDA

It arrived in 1986, designated CRX and destined to inspire later Hondas like the Integra and Civic Type R.

The original CRX was short, low and light, sitting on the Civic's 2300mm wheelbase, weighing 880kg and measuring just 3.75 metres. The 1.6-litre engine was Civic-based as well, with 96kW of power peaking at 6800rpm and funneled to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.

Early CRXs were raced in Australia where they saw success on tighter tracks. This included an epic battle at Winton in 1989 where a CRX driven by Glenn Seton finished a 300 Kilometre Production Car race just metres behind a much more powerful Toyota Supra Turbo.