Not a Civic, but we need to discuss the car and its history to see the relationship to the 1st gen Civic, what motor swap! Read on.
City Turbo I from 81-83, City Turbo II -1987 Both motors were based on a 1237cc CVCC Honda engine. The compression ratio was 7.5:1 with boost up to 12psi. The Turbo II had a compression ratio of 7.6:1 now with an inter cooler.
Honda has only manufactured two models of turbocharged car (other than F1). One was a 2.5 litre V6 Legend needing a bit more go, the other, a tiny commuter car known as the City or Jazz. It’s ironic that the car they chose to release as a special edition turbo was the least sportscar like vehicle in the Honda range. The Honda City Turbo was the brainchild of Hirotoshi Honda. Hirotoshi is the son of Honda’s Founder. Hirotoshi’s company Mugen had already proven its worth making performance parts for motorcycles and some cars but was unheard of outside of racing circles. Hirotoshi Honda took Honda’s ugliest, most ungainly vehicle and turned it into an aggressive performer that was well ahead of its time (as with most Hondas) and Honda released a production version of it.
