Repurposed
Some of the thriftiest cars make the best racers. This has always been the case, but it was never more true than in the 1992-1995 Honda Civic EG hatchback. This one body style served double duty as both Honda’s fuel saver and its hot rod – and the poster child of the import drag racing scene – because of complementary characteristics: light weight and aerodynamic efficiency. With the 70-horsepower, eight-valve, 1.5-liter D15B8, it was the Civic CX, one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles between 1992 and 1995. But with the 125-horsepower 1.6-liter VTEC D16Z6 engine, it was the Si, the most powerful new Honda Civic at the time. Today, tuners leave either of those in the junkyard and install Honda’s K-series motor. Well-built K-powered EGs run 9-second quarter miles without boost. Seriously.
The best purpose-built cars don’t need to give up their greatest attributes during their transformation. If anything, their worst parts are upgraded or cut out entirely.
Ask Paul in the New Testament what it’s like for a human to go through this. He was originally known as Saul, and he was an enemy of the newly formed Christian movement. He was a high-achieving, law-upholding Jew. He was a Pharisee in every sense of the term. In his words, he was:
“…circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.” (Philippians 3:5-6)
But God had a plan for Saul. God dramatically and miraculously got in the way of his plans, shook up his very understanding of God and how God wants people to relate to him and his creation, and gave Paul a new identity and purpose (Acts 9:1-19).
If Saul felt like a major component of his core identity was dying, the Bible doesn’t record it. It merely says he “got up and was baptized.” Maybe there was more inner turmoil than that. Or maybe he knew that his intellect, relentlessness, and passion were left intact but given a new direction.
But what about the old stuff, the accomplishments, accolades, and social standing? They’re as useless as air conditioning to a tuner, hyper-miler, or eco-modder. The passage in Philippians 3 continues: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.”
God repurposed him. It’s what he does. He designs people with unique gifts, abilities, desires, and passions, and then places them into a world that tries to repurpose all of that to pursue damaging and destructive desires. Plenty of Civic CXs got ruined with giant, heavy rims and wind-blocking body kits during the tuning scene. It’s easy to get off course. But look again at Paul. It’s never too late to let God the creator do some repurposing.
The EG was the Honda to have in the 90s and 00s, but its plucky VTEC engine made it into another Honda: The 1992-1995 Civic EX. They didn’t get the full Si treatment, but they did get a neat little black front spoiler that just so happened to fit on any 1992-1995 Civic. If you see one abandoned in a junkyard and you have an EG, it’s time for some repurposing.
John V16 is the intersection of God and cars. Please support our work and donate a V16-powered 1940 Cadillac Series 90 Sixteen to John V16. Or share this article with a friend.
