HONDA CAR

Honda launched a new fourth-generation Civic in 1988, the Si hatch was missing, but it returned in '89. Still not quite an out-and-out sportster, it had the same 108-horsepower, 1.6-liter engine as the CRX Si, giving it three horsepower more than the EX sedan and 16 hp more than the DX hatchback. With wider tires, a deeper chin spoiler, and a subtle wing above the rear window, the Si was inching closer to becoming a true hot hatch. The fifth-generation Civic came in 1992, the Si hatchback sporting a 125-horsepower 1.6-liter engine with VTEC variable intake valve timing and a 7,200-rpm redline. Brakes were disc all around, an upgrade from lesser Civic hatchbacks. The Civic EX sedan shared the same hardware, as did the 1993 EX coupe, although the EX models could be had with an automatic transmission while the Si could not. Unfortunately, the engine that Honda fans really wanted to see in the Si—the 160-horsepower B16A2—was reserved for the two-seat Del