Hoonigan Gets the Party Started in a Bisimoto Civic ‘Wagovan’
Take an uncommon platform, drop in an unlikely engine swap choice, and get a winning combination.
If you’re a fan of the late ’80s Civic shape, then you’re probably familiar with the Honda Civic “Wagovan.” The wagon, called the “Shuttle” in other markets, crosses the passenger space of a sedan with the rear cargo space, and sick style, of the hatchback. Why the history lesson? Well, when the Yas Marina Blue Honda rolls into the frame it’s important you know what it is, so you can appreciate how far Bisi Ezerioha has taken it. Ezerioha is the CEO of Bisimoto and is known for some of the most iconic, and fast, Hondas ever built.
Hoonigan has produced one of their “Build Biology” videos on the Civic hosted by John Naderi, the resident Honda/import expert. As with most of these videos there’s a lot more detail that we just don’t have the time or space to tell you about. Even more so for a build of this level. Here are two of our favorites: the rear wing and the turbo setup. “That’s an EF mid-wing. A lot of people don’t know, it fits very nicely. It looks right at home on the back of this EE2 wagon,” Ezerioha explains.
Under the hood is a K24 with a big ol’ 72mm turbo. Now, this isn’t just any K24, it’s a K24Z3 bottom end matched to a K24Z7 head. As Nads and Ezerioha discuss at length, the Z7 head is off of a 2014 Honda Civic Si. You know, the one with the cylinder head and exhaust manifold as a single piece. Long disliked by enthusiasts, Ezerioha points to the custom manifold attached to his and the massive turbo attached to it. “You know the old school log manfolds we used to have? This is like a better version of that,” he explains. Less lag that running a traditional manifold too, since the turbo sits so close. Lemonade out of lemons eh?
Like we said before, there’s SO much more there, the video is definitely worth a watch. There’s also a Quaife sequential gearbox mated to an all-wheel drive conversion and a paint-matched roll cage. Enjoy.
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