Before the Honda jokes come pouring in, let’s make two things clear: 1) this particular Civic is a legitimate 700hp, turbocharged Mighty Mouse. Fast is cool, and so long as this little hatch can find traction, it would be game over for all but the most serious opponent. 2) The Honda Civic was not engineered for even half of that power figure. Honda could not have predicted that 1.8L of turbocharged four would make that kind of power without massive modifications, but in the current timeline of four-digit horsepower figures, a 700hp Civic that weighs just a tick or two more than a Polaris RZR is a giant-killer. But the whole car has to be addressed just as much as the powertrain was when you exponentially increase the power. In this case, the hood should have been pinned down. We don’t know if it just wasn’t properly latched or if the latch failed, but at least one of us can speak from personal experience that having the hood fly up at a good speed has to be one of the most terrifying things that can happen to you as a driver. It’s not like the initial impact isn’t startling enough, but the inability to see really screws with you. Photos taken afterwards showed that the forward edge of the roof took a massive hit as well. Ok, knowing that, NOW you may commence with the “VTEC really kicked in, yo!” jokes.
Language warning.
(Via Art of Gears)
Yeesh, anytime you fold the hood backwards its a rough day. As for the 700hp part, having ridden in a Civic hatch with half that power and being frightened, I can’t imagine what this thing is like.
I was in my buddy’s ’70 Nova doing about 110 when the hood flew up on it. Luckily no body or windshield damage, and we didn’t crash.