What is “Kanjo-Zoku”, a Japanese social phenomenon of the 1980s?
The holy place for street racers in western Japan is the Hanshin Expressway Route 1 Loop, which circles the city of Osaka. In the late 1980s, late at night on Saturdays, the 10.4km loop was transformed into a circuit with an exhaust sound. A group of EF and EG Civics with stiff suspensions and very low ride heights were the “Kanjo-Zoku (Loop Racers)”, now an urban legend.
The popularity of the Civic was due to the manga
Many of the “Kanjo-Zoku” cars were designed to resemble the racing cars of the Civic single-make race held at the Nakayama Circuit at the time. There was even a rumor that a car from the Nakayama Circuit was running in the loop. In addition, the EF and EG Civics became special cars for street racing in Osaka, partly due to the influence of a comic strip starring the “Kanjo-Zoku”.
Among the many Civics on display at the Osaka Auto Messe 2023, the EG6 Civic with rivets artwork stood out from the crowd.
The new “Kanjo-Zoku” style, track-spec machine features Rocket Bunny fenders front and rear and uses the largest tires possible.
Atomic makes the front bumper with its unique channel shape and the lower lip is a modified version of the Rocket Bunny Z33 with canards on both sides.
The suspension is a Krux Height Adjustable Kit with Spoon 4-pot calipers. Rays TE37 wheels and Yokohama Advan S tires were set.
Hundreds of airbrushed rivets
The interior was stripped down to the undercoat for a thorough weight reduction. A roll bar was added to increase safety and body stiffness. In addition, the factory fuel tank was removed and a racing fuel tank was installed in the trunk.
The engine was changed from a B16 to a Honda Integra’s B18C. The transmission is a stock 5-speed manual, but the last gear was changed to 4.7. This allows the engine rpm to rise quickly and the driver can enjoy a smooth upshift.
The body was painted with hundreds of airbrushed rivets to resemble fighter planes. It took four steps to paint a single rivet, so it was a very difficult job. This painter said, “Never Again!”
From now on they will use a straight muffler with a single straight pipe.
