Hi so ive basically wanted a EM1 si civic for like 10years, we dont have any in new zealand, not even 1, there's maybe 2 or 3 ej7 ek coupes but ive never seen one. Over here you cant import a car and legally register it to drive on the road if its newer then 20 years, so the only year that you could register is a 1994 and older, or a 2004 and newer. Over the past 2months ive wanted one so much and im dead set of getting one imported in the next 6-8months.

Ive been talking to people and they said there may be a loophole in the system if the EM1 si civic meets these needs

-Were there less than 20,000 made? Im not sure on this
-Are they a 2 door sports/performance model? Yes of course
-Are they deemed collectable?(And that means a write-up in a notable magazine)- and again im not sure on this

Any info would be appreciated

 

there was more than 20k made, collectable depends on opinion, "officially" I doubt it.

 

The "issue" with the EM1 is how few still exist in OEM condition, with a clean title. Most owners put better motors in them, or body kit them, or slap random aftermarket parts on them, or wrecked them. A clean-titled, all-OEM EM1 is definitely a rarity, and commands a high price.

That being said, the EM1 was only made between 1999 and 2000. That's pretty much smack dab in the middle of your no-go range. You said 20 years, but you didn't say where that bottom year comes from. Does 1994 go up as the years continue, or is it static at 1994? If you want an EM1 "like, yesterday", given your situation, you would be better served buying a 99-00 coupe, buying high quality OEM replica body parts, rebuilding a B16A2 motor, and making your own EM1. Do it right, and the only person who'll know the difference is you. There are also a lot of us out there who hold higher respect for a well done replica than just buying the real thing - a car bought is just a car. A car built is something personal - an extension of you - and tells people you actually care about it.

 

Hey yeah the year of the vehicle goes up as the years continue, so 2019 i could import a em1, and what sucks is, we dont even get ek coupes here either. Think my best bet would be buying a eg coupe, there's a few here and doing a ek front swap on it, that might be the go maybe and buying the em1 cluster and interior etc, here's a eg coupe with ek front, doesnt look to bad either. I would get the em1 headlights etc tho

 

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PM user FLAV, he runs an organization dedicated to this subject, Golden Era Honda's or GEH, he'll point you in the right direction.

 

OP....My suggestion would be to NOT do any "clone car" garbage. The attirbutes of an EM1 are simply the fact that its an EM1.

It's possibly the slowest Si made....or atleast one of the slowest....in any way. Its performance is abysmal.

The ONLY reason its desirable is because its a real deal, authenticated EM1. If that's what you want, then go for that.

I'm a huge EM1 enthusiast. I love them. And....no matter how close another model gets to an EM1, any other model of 99-00 coupe is lame at best in enthusiast terms.

Unfortunately for you, there were likely more than 20k made. I believe you should be able to find documentation of them being collectibles. Although you'll be stretching the definition of "collectible".

Who is doing the fact checking? If you told the Prime Minister that there were only 6 of these cars made and showed him some half witted article about how they're SOOO collectible, would he have parliamentarians running to check? How strict are they and how much digging do they do? Are they recording this conversation? Can they hear me??

If you're taking the trouble to get an EM1, then its worthwhile, right? So what's the point in cheating yourself and building a "clone" that's nowhere near as cool?

Just out of curiosity....why an EM1? Also...is it weird to think that we are just getting into summer in the states and that our water swirls the opposite way?

 

I agree, and I own one, the only thing AM left on mine is stiffer bushings, it has a few dings and dents I'm working on soonish.

But, realistically, GL OP in getting this done.

 

OP may have to settle for a CTR or ITR...both better then an "em1"

 

Yes, I would agree a CTR or ITR is better than an EM1 and seemingly available in NZ. I think he wants an EM1 for some sort of unique experience.

Unless someone spread a rumor that EM1's are in any way fast or quick. To which I say LOL LOL LOL LOL.

 

Pretty much an EM1 is a regular civic coupe with a few different interior/exterior pieces and a B16. I never understood the hype. The ITR at least has stuff in the chassis that is not reproducible.

OP I would just grab an ITR/CTR or an R32. To go through all the trouble to get an EM1, the slowest Civic SI produced is silly when far better options exist where you live.

 

The hype of owning an EM1 is akin to the preference of owning a real GSR vs. A B18C1 swapped LS. Difference is that EM1's are more rare than GSR's.

Would I take the trouble to import one to a country on the complete opposite side of the globe? No. Unless I was rich and I was YOLO'ing HARD that day

Would I ever under any circumstances build a "EM1 clone" for my use? F$#k no. Never. Not in my neighborhood. Not ever.

 

I'd tend to agree with that.
EBP is mighty pretty imo, I had no idea what I was buying when I did, all I knew is a friend was selling his car and I wanted a Honda vs my 96' Ford Taurus with purple leather.

 

LHD vehicles in NZ are also verboten on public roads. Which is maybe why there's a "collectibility" stipulation exception, under which LHD vehicles would be permitted. Would not apply to an EM1. A 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, maybe.

If OP desperately wants a B-series 6G Coupe, OP has access to all the pieces to put together effectively a CTR version of an 6th gen Coupe, since JDM CTR Hatchbacks can be found domestically in NZ, along with vanilla Coupes.

 

We can get R34's now in Canada saw one downtown Toronto a few weeks ago OP get a S15 or GTR lots more fun...

 

Thats not an EM1 btw, no where near looking like one.

 

OP, listen. PAY IT FORWARD. You want it bad enough than you're just gonna have to fork it up.

 

That is a 5G Civic with a front-end conversion. (Note side mirrors, door handle, seat.)

 

That did do a good job on the fenders though. Looks good.