Who doesn't love to admire Mugen's Honda creations from the 80's and 90's? Here are a few of the more obscure brochure covers from Mugen that you may have missed!

Mugen Accord Coupe



Mugen Accord Sedan



Mugen Accord Wagon



Mugen Prelude Spec II (3rd gen), circa 1988



Mugen E-AB Prelude and a rare color shot!



The Mugen CR-X PRO. circa late 1985. This car was equipped with a Mugen roll bar for track demonstrations.



Mugen CR-X PRO.2 from an early 1988 Mugen promo brochure



Mugen Sports Civic Special-circa 1986! Beautiful white CF-48 wheels on red!

Back in the 80's, a Mugen limited slip diff turned any CRX/Civic or Integra into an auto-x or road race terror. It simply revolutionized what we thought possible in a FWD setup! This basic design is still winning championships worldwide....

Right click to see the full size image.



http://www.kingmotorsports.com/p-1464-mugen-limited-slip-differential.aspx

It's 1984 and first Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Police Academy and Beverly Hills Cop are in theaters. And these amazing exhausts are in Mugen's lineup for Prelude, CRX and Civic!

Right click to see the full size image.

Check out this radical design on the City exhaust:

Here are all the parts you need to build your own Civic Si N1 racer! This awesome brochure is circa 1985.

Right-click any image to see the full-size version.

Bonus pic: The Mugen Civic Si demo car circa 1986. Mugen Sports exhaust, CF48 wheels, Sports Suspension kit and a set of Yokohama A001R tires. This was and very potent autocrosser and a blast to drive on the street!

From the archives: The Mugen Prelude Sports Goods product lineup, circa 1984. Check out the non CVCC cylinder head conversion. Back in the day the Canadian spec Preludes came from the factory with non CVCC cylinder heads which were highly sought after....

Right-click a brochure page to see the full size version.





Check out this slick electronically controlled variable suspension system:



CF-48 wheels, Sports Muffler Kit, Special Conventional Head Kit, Exhaust Manifold:

Despite your feelings about Honda's future, there is no denying they knew how to capitalize on their racing heritage in the 80's. From our archive is this masterfully word-smithed ad for the 1988 Acura Integra. It's interesting to see how much ads have changed over the decades. Ad copy used to be 80% of the ad, with images making up the remaining space; advertisers believed that words were key to the convincing. Today's ads are pretty much the reverse.

Enjoy!

Precision Crafted Performance. The Formula for Creating the Most Exciting Automobiles in the World.

The Acura Integra 3-door and 5-door sport sedans. Fresh, intelligent designs. Innovative technology. Setting new standards for precision. And uncompromising performance. Driving enjoyment in the absolute.

This is the promise of Precision Crafted Performance behind every Acura Integra automobile. An unparalleled design standard built around the single most important element in an automobile: the driver.

It's a concept honed in the world of Formula 1 competition. Where horsepower figures go off the scale of normal engine dynamometers and critical tolerances are computed in microscopic increments. Where man and machine work together as one.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. develops and supplies engines to winning Formula 1 championship teams like McLaren International. Just as there is no tougher proving ground than Formula 1 for an auto manufacturer, the company finds there is no better training ground for its top engine research and development engineers.

The engine designers draw on Honda Motor Co., Ltd.'s Formula 1 experience in the development and ongoing refinement of the innovative Integra powerplant.

Advanced technology--in the form of precise engine management systems, programmed fuel injection, four-valves-per-cylinder designs and use of lightweight, reliable components--is a unique element in the development of every Acura automobile.

It's technology that enhances the partnership between car and driver. In the exhilarating sensation of power and sports car-like agility. In the exceptional standard of quality and reliability.

And in the understanding and dedication to the fact that the development of technology must not be for technology's sake. But for the enhancement of the driver and of the driving experience.

It can be felt the moment you slip behind the wheel of the Acura Integra.

From the natural feel of every instrument and control being located in just the right place. From the exhilarating response of the engine and reassuring handling precision. To the unrelenting attention to detail.

It's what driving was meant to be. Precision Crafted Performance. As expressed in the exciting Integra sports sedan.

This weekend I stopped by my local Autozone to return some parts. As I pulled into the parking lot, this red beauty was the only car in front of the store. I swear there was a golden beam of God-light piercing through the Pacific Northwest cloud cover, shining directly on to this JDM wonder. I heard angels singing; somewhere in the world, blind people were seeing for the first time. It was an Autozone Miracle.

I found the owner inside -- his name is Brian B. and he was more than happy to talk about his ride. I knew immediately he had a story behind this very clean second gen CRX which he affectionately calls "Suki."

Brian was more than happy to share -- and it's clear there was a lot of love put into this CRX. Love, combined with a few rear-ender heartaches that he persisted through. Here's his story in his own words:

****

My dad first got a CRX when I was 6 years old. I remember fond times of him taking me around town and on long road trips in that car. Since then, I wanted a CRX of my own.

My dad called me up early 2006 and told me he had a friend that had an abandoned one located on his property. I inquired the story about the car, what year it was (since I wanted a second gen) and what color it was. He told me he had no idea about the details on the car, except for the fact that the previous owner drove it out on to his friends property and got out of the car and killed himself. I was reluctant to pick it up after hearing such a horrific story. He decided to pick it up and possibly flip the car after he did the maintenance work. He sent me photos of the car after he received it and I became very interested. A Rio Red 1988 Honda CRX DX.

I purchased it from him for $1,000, which is cheaper than any of the mods I later did to the car. At first I drove it around as a daily driver, just enjoying having a car I have longed for. After a year's time, I became bored with the stock d15b2. I had the itch for more horsepower. I started saving as much money as I could while still attending college. After a year and a half of owning the car, I had the money ready to start my motor swap and my first set of suspension parts. I decided on the B16a because I felt it fit the chassis and style I was going for since it came that way from Japan. I mistakenly cheaped out on suspension and went with Megan Racing coilovers and KYB AGX. This was reversed years later.

I spent a month swapping the motor in along with a minor wire tuck. The big hurdle was modifying the stock Japanese harness from the B16a to work with the stock DX harness, since the old harness was tired and brittle. I wanted most of the Japanese harness to look untouched. I tucked the fuse box to right above the ECU on the passenger's side and tucked both headlight harnesses. I was starting to make some progress with the car.

One advantage to being a poor college student with a car project is funds are limited. Now that might sound odd, but it makes you think multiple times before you hastily make a purchase on a part for style or performance. This gave me time to figure out all I wanted to do to the car, without making it look over the top or so similar to the rest.



My uncle (a frame puller at a body shop in Kennewick, WA) offer to paint my Rio Pink / faded car as long as I helped pay for supplies. I would be stupid not to agree. It was really easy to get it started and place the primer on, but the downside was is getting the time for him to finish up the car. Especially since I lived in Boise, Idaho at the time. The car stayed in its primer state for one whole year before going under the gun.

Two weeks before heading up to my uncle's for the paint, I was rear ended by a semi at a traffic light. His excuse was that he couldn't see me and forgot I was there. This is after he hit my rear bumper 5 times before stopping.



Luckily, this is what my Uncle did for a living, so it was no big deal to pull it out.

Car was then painted and all of the pieces put back together:

I had the itch to make it look as OEM/USDM as possible...



A few weeks away was a local car show called Shakotan Matsuri (Lowered Car Festival). I felt I was all ready for it, and then I was rear ended by my roommate's sister.





I spent another year waiting for insurance money and the time to get this damaged fixed. I also picked up a new set of wheels, which still happen to be my current wheels. These were originally going to be a temporary solution until I could afford a rebuilt set of BBS RSs or a real set of Work Equip 03, but then ended up staying with the car a lot longer than I wanted them to be.



One of my buddies gave me this old (but now very popular) 5 panel Wink mirror back in 2008. I like to think I was on the cusp of everyone and their moms' owning one.



Once I finally got the the rear end fixed again, I decided to upgrade the tail lights to the 90-91 EDM tail lights with the EDM center piece with fog light. This means the fog light is on the driver's side, rather than the passenger side like the JDM fogs.



Mind you this project car was also my daily driver throughout all of this.



Finally got around to purchasing the Koni Yellows + Ground Control sleeves with top hats.

Went out with my friend and his Fit for a photo shoot.





Coming up to the more recent mods, I decided that the stock bushings were old and tired as well with over 220,000 miles on them, so I spent the winter of 2010 replacing everything.

I finally got the car to a nice spot. It was the perfect blend of daily driver and tough machine that I always wanted. Since 2011, not much has changed on the car. I went back to a Broadway convex mirror because I was tired of seeing the Wink 5 panels everywhere. Future long-term plans include Hondata tuning, more aggressive cams, REAL wheels, Bride racing seat and harness bar, and a Nardi Racing woodgrain steering wheel with quick release hub.











More of this shoot here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nateshrum/sets/72157628388718047/

Parts List:

B16a from Hmotorsonline
Prelude LMAs
Si steering rack
Hasport Motor Mounts
Hasport Shift Linkage
2.5 inch cat back with magnaflow exhaust and dual tip
Koni Yellows + Ground Control sleeves and Ground Control top hats
Complete bushing overhaul
ODB1 conversion (With Ostrich chip emulator)
Si interior
EDM flush wing
EDM tail lights and center fog light
GT Styling Solarwing II
DA Integra Front and Rear disc brake swap
OEM VW MK3 VR6 Euro lip

****

** Thanks Brian for sharing this awesome build and pictures with us!! **

You can find a full range of parts for the first and second gen CRX at the King Motorsports store!

https://www.kingmotorsports.com/s-86-crx.aspx

This awesome photo is Geoff Foster in his Dalt's Honda SCCA C Sedan Civic 1200 pictured here at Road Atlanta in 1979. Geoff raced Mini's in Canada for years before switching to a Civic in 1976. Geoff's best finish at the SCCA Runoffs was third in 1980. This car used many Mugen parts available at the time from Keihin CV carbs to a Mugen limited slip. This car was sold to Bill Shaw of CACI fame in after the Runoffs in 1980.



CACI was an early pioneer in the Honda performance market. Bill produced a line of high quality Civic 1200 parts in the mid-late 70's. Some of the highlight products were a twin Weber DCOE intake manifold, angle drive distributor, header and much more. Bill went on to race Civics in the IMSA Radial Sedan series at Riverside in early 1981 which is were this picture was taken. One of the cars was then sold and went on to great fame.......

It was time for my annual pilgrimage from Oregon to Wisconsin for the 2013 Dyno Day. I arrived about a day early to help with preparations. This year, Scott had a special project for me: convert the 3 glass showcases in the King showroom into a mini-display of Mugen and King nostalgia items that might be interesting to Dyno Day attendees. "No problem," I thought. How hard could that be?

Turns out it was quite a challenge! This is King Motorsports, and this was Scott. King has worked with Mugen for over 30+ years -- so the amount of items Scott had on hand was overwhelming. The challenge became one of editing -- the hardest decisions were choosing what to leave out!

First up, Scott showed me a stack of 80s and 90s Mugen brochures in his office. Mixed in were original product and vehicle photographs from catalog mockups. I laid out a fraction of the brochures in that first stack, taking it all in:





Honestly I wanted to scan every single page of every brochure and catalog. But my guess is that would have taken about a month for an intern to complete if they worked full time. I was able to snap a few quick pics of a few apparel/accessory pages with items I had never seen before. These pages are from one of the book-thick annual Mugen catalogs:

He had several other drawers full of original Mugen brochures for wheels, brakes, seats, steering wheels, suspension, EG/EK/EF Civics, Integras, S2000, Accord and NSX. Even some product brochures for JDM-only cars. Basically this was the mother load of materials for Mugen brochure enthusiasts.

I found a hand-assembled photo book of the aero parts installed on the prototype Mugen S2000. I had seen a few of these pics before in the Mugen S2000 blog post, but really liked this unique pic demonstrating the strength of Mugen's hood:



As if that wasn't enough, Scott also had a few bins of other treasures in storage to show me. He had shirts, shoes, lanyard, key holder and a necktie from the Mugen Honda F1 Collection.

"Excellent for MEN": Look closely at the necktie to see the black-on-black MUGEN logos.

A super-special addition to the display were these amazing F1 valve covers sent to Scott by Mugen Japan -- these two priceless valve covers were still in the bubble wrap. It was the first time that Scott had opened up these V10 beauties! In the picture below, the upper cover is from the 1997 MF-301HB; beneath is a cover from the 1996 MF-301HA (you can see more of these valve covers and their specs in the "Mugen Cover Art" blog post).

After a few hours, I had the glass showcases cleared out and had started filling them with Mugen and King nostalgia. Originally I thought about a nice, orderly display with items laid out with plenty of breathing room (ala The Smithsonian) -- but quickly realized that would not work. There was just too much good stuff to fit in there. So I took the visual-overload approach!

By day's end the displays were pretty much filled to the brim. Here are the showcases in their final form - ready for the Dyno Day attendees!

Here's a closer look at Showcase #1!

Here's a closer look at Showcase #2!

Check out that newspaper-sized Mugen brochure that says BLOOD OF RACING on it -- it's actually for the NR-10 and NR-10R racing wheels. This promo was a major departure from any print designs Mugen had done up to that point (or since), featuring brooding fashion models posed next to Mugen wheels. The end result was a brochure that was more Abercrombie & Fitch then the Mugen we know today. Inside, the copy is equally inappropriate-- stating that the wheels are great for "street racing". You'll never see a Mugen promo like this one again (we hope)!

These are print elements for King Motorsports very first parts catalog, featuring Mugen parts. The catalog was assembled before the days of Photoshop, Indesign or even QuarkXpress. These were assembled by hand with prints, film, scissors and glue!

Can you spot the Mugen umbrella in this pic below? How about the brochure for the Mugen S2000 prototype?

In the pic below (lower left) is a handmade binder provided by Mugen to its dealers. Within it are photos and specs of their parts lineup with suggested retail prices. No surprise that some of the parts are still selling for the same price (or more) 30 years later. Next to it is a page from a corporate Honda employee magazine describing an event where the Mugen-tuned CRX and race cars were brought out for employees to enjoy!

In the lower right is the Mugen parts brochure for the first-gen Integra 3-door and 5-door!

A major milestone for King Motorsports was when it became Mugen's authorized parts distributor for North America. In the picture below is a letter from Mugen explaining that all future orders within North America should go through King Motorsports. Next to it is King's first flyer announcing their new status. Scott said he remembered going to races and slipping these flyers under the wipers of every Honda he could find!

The cool little 1:43 scale die-cast Civic comes from Scott's personal collection. It sits on an envelope that delivered some of the first Mugen Civic EG parts catalogs to the USA.

Below is a early, redlined draft of King's history that would eventually find its way into King's literature and website. Next to it is one of the "What is MUGEN?" pieces created in the 80s to help introduce the American enthusiasts to Mugen.

Below are correspondence from Mugen Japan from 1990 regarding the limited nature of the fiberglass rear wing kit for Integra and the introduction of 2 new Mugen steering wheels.

More pages from the dealer binder with detailed specifications of available performance and aero parts for Civic, Integra and CRX.

In a stack of old faxes I found this note from Scott to Mugen asking questions about the N-1 suspension. It's clear that the collaboration between the two companies runs quite deep!

And finally, here's a closer look at Showcase #3:

Very cool "What is Mugen" promo literature from the mid 80's plus a Mugen Time Machine watch among other goodies! Can you spot the Mugen folding hand fans? Of all the displays that were assembled, this one actually has the most items that are currently available for mere mortals to purchase. Sadly that awesome mug is not one of them!

This empty container of genuine Mugen performance engine oil is one of my favorite Mugen package designs. Many Dyno Day attendees were drooling over the discontinued black Mugen t-shirt in the lower right of this picture.

Crash lid worn by Bob Endicott for the 2005 SCCA World Challenge (King/Mugen RSX) season and Mugen F1 victory momentos... It's very likely that Dyno Day attendees were the first and last people to ever see these items on display!

I have to give Scott a huge thanks for letting me raid his office and private collections to assemble these displays. We really hoped the Dyno Day folks enjoyed seeing these historic and rare items!

We'll see you at Dyno Day 2014!