Celebrating the Golden Era of Honda on the Tail of the Dragon
The Tail of the Dragon is the home course to several make specific meets during the course of the year. Classic Honda on the Dragon is a relatively new occurrence, with it only being in its fourth year. I wasn’t expecting something on the level of the other, much longer running meets the Tail of the Dragon is home to, but I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. Now I know what you’re thinking, a “Honda Meet” doesn’t inspire confidence in a lot of people. While yes, there were a few “stereotypical Hondas” in attendance, this wasn’t the norm.
While there wasn’t a field full of immaculate, concours-esque, old Honda metal, what I did find was a field full of like minded owners, who were beyond the boy racer mentality that plagues affordable fun cars that Honda is known to offer and instead they were there to restore, tastefully modify, or just preserve their old Honda. The early October sun crested over the hoods of 1st Generation Honda CRXs. A handful of newer, but still old, Civics were scattered throughout, but the day belonged to their lesser seen older brethren.
After a short morning rendezvous, we proceeded to Fontana dam, where the late risers caught up with us. The already sizeable group was joined by a handful of Integras, EF Civics, and unexpectedly a couple Supras. The foggy, tree-covered mountains that surrounded us matched with a parking lot full of old Hondas looked straight out of mid 90s Japan.
The clock struck noon and I was once again strapped into my friend’s stock 1992 EG Civic. Attacking the Dragon was the goal, and as we departed Fontana Dam, the hills were alive with the sound of screaming B-Series engines. The meager 13” tires beneath me squealed at every opportunity as we careened down the mountain roads, we were hot on the tail of a duo of 3rd Generation Civics, and behind us the distant scream of 3 B18C equipped 1st Generation CRXs.
As we blasted down the mountain, my day was coming to a close. Time marches forward, but there’s still a dedicated group of people who are committed to these old Hondas. While these early Hondas remain as the gateway for many to get into modifying Japanese cars, you’re beginning to see less and less of them. Slowly, but surely other platforms are becoming people’s first foray into car modification and the humble early Civic is being dethroned by 350Zs, S-chassis and the like. These Golden Era Hondas have matured to a point of celebration by those who understand these simple machines are worth more than their infamous status signifies, ushering in even more quality into a community already rich with it. Each year Classic Honda at the Dragon has gotten bigger, attracting more attendees from farther and farther and I can’t wait to see what next year brings. Until that day comes I’ll continue to fondly look back on this day of long overdue celebration of proper Hondas.
