This is a shoot-out between two brand-new Honda Civic Si coupes. The twist is that Honda built one of them, the 1999 Civic Si, 20 years ago, and it's arguably the most pristine example in the world. It belongs to Honda North America and has been driven just 930 miles in the last two decades. It lives in a state of preservation under a blanket in a parking garage at the company's headquarters in Torrance, California, hidden from the ravages of the hot California sun, the clogged Los Angeles freeway system, and the temptation of aftermarket modifications. It's perfect and perfectly stock, just as it left the factory in East Liberty, Ohio, years before anyone ever heard of Dominic Toretto and The Fast and the Furious.

The other is a 2019 Honda Civic Si coupe fresh off the East Liberty assembly line, although its odometer already reads 2750 miles. It's also the most powerful Civic Si ever and the first to be fitted with a turbocharger. These two machines basically bookend the Civic's sport compact heyday, and driving them back to back shows just how far that movement has come over the last two decades. As expected, the performance gains since those early days have been significant, but we've also lost something along the way.

View Photos Jessica Lynn Walker

The Revolutionary

Honda lit the Civic Si's fuse with the first hatchback model in 1984. At a time when a V-8 Chevy Camaro only made 150 horsepower, the 91-hp Civic Si was stout, and sales lasted until 1987. The Civic's fourth generation landed in 1988, but the Si didn't reappear until 1989, once again only as a hatchback. With the Civic's fifth generation sold from 1992 to 1995, Honda finally offered a coupe body style, but the Si still only was available as a hatchback. Meanwhile, guys on the street, emulating cars like the BMW M3 and Nissan's Skyline GT-R, clamored for a high-performance version of the new two-door. Engine swaps and other mods became common as America's first wave of sport compact enthusiasts made every attempt to dial up the performance of their Civics.

Honda finally saw the light in 1996 and introduced the sixth generation of the Civic and the first Civic Si coupe, but only in Japan. When it finally arrived in the United States in 1999, it was powered by Honda's B16 VTEC-equipped double-overhead-cam 1.6-liter inline-four making 100 horses per liter and revving to a sky-high 8500 rpm. It was so good, so on point, it helped ignite the modern revolution of small-car, small-displacement performance that lives on 20 years later.

view photos Jessica Lynn Walker

Sales lasted just two model years, and the number sold seems to be lost to history. Because the Si was a trim level and not a distinct model, even Honda claims ignorance. It's estimated that Americans bought about 30,000 Si coupes between the 1999 and 2000 model years. It's also estimated that about half of them were painted our loaner's Electron Blue Pearl hue. Regardless of color, they've become proper classics, and values are climbing rapidly. Rare, unmolested examples are now selling for about $25K, or coincidentally, about the cost of a new Tonic Yellow 2019 Civic Si coupe.

More Torque, More Speed

In an age when it seems all cars have grown significantly larger and heavier, the Civic Si hasn't plumped up all that much in the past 20 years. Now in its third model year, the current Si weighs about 2900 pounds, roughly 300 pounds more than the old car, and its wheelbase and overall length and width have only grown a few inches. The old car's substantially airier greenhouse makes it appear taller, but it's actually half an inch lower. From behind the 2019 Si's girthy, leather-wrapped steering wheel, it feels bigger and bulkier than its grandfather, but that sensation is more a factor of its thicker pillars and smaller windows than a radical increase in dimensions or mass.

There isn't much of a displacement difference under the hood either, but these two Hondas' powerplants couldn't be more different. The new car's 1.5-liter is turbocharged and swallows more than 20 psi of boost to make 205 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 192 lb-ft of torque at just 2100 revs. Its powerband comes on just off idle, but it's slow to rev, and it's all done at 6600 rpm, where it hits an aggressive fuel cutoff. It also decelerates slowly, hanging onto revs with every gear change, which can make it trickier to drive smoothly.



view photos Jessica Lynn Walker

By comparison, the old car's naturally aspirated 1.6-liter feels as if it was plucked from a race car. Its power delivery is all at the top of its tach, coming on strong at about 5600 rpm. That's when the VTEC variable valve timing and lift system transitions to its more aggressive camshaft profile, increasing power and cranking up the internal-combustion music, which we called a "scalp-prickling, motorcycle-like snarl" in our original road test. This was the first Civic Si to get VTEC for both its intake and exhaust valves, just like the original NSX, and the B16 revs quickly and cleanly. It makes 160 horses at 7600 rpm and redlines at 8000 revs. But don't shift just yet. Hold that gear until you kiss the rev limiter at 8500 rpm. It's no wonder this car was a sensation.

The B16's upper-rpm pull is addictive, but you really have to wring its neck to keep the power flowing, and even then, the Si isn't exactly quick by today's standards. When we drove it like a stolen rental at the test track back in the day, the zero-to-60-mph dash took 7.1 seconds. If you live your life a quarter mile at a time, you've got 15.7 seconds at 88 mph before you live again. Today, that's about the performance of the base Civic coupe. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to catch the small unboosted engine off song, despite the short gearing of the Si's five-speed manual and its 4.40:1 final-drive ratio, which makes it a screamer on the highway. At just 70 mph in fifth gear, the four-cylinder is turning at 4000 rpm. You constantly find yourself looking for another gear that just isn't there.

view photos Jessica Lynn Walker

Although we appreciate the simplicity and sound of the old car, progress is progress, and the drag strip doesn't reward sentimentality. But the performance gap isn't as radical as you might expect: Shifting the modern Si coupe's six-speed manual for all its worth, a 2017 model needed 6.3 seconds to reach 60 mph in our previous testing and powered through the quarter mile in 14.8 seconds at 96 mph.

No Contest When the Road Turns

The performance gap between the two cars widens considerably when the road turns twisty. With its larger tires, firmer suspension, and wider tracks, the new Civic Si offers considerably more grip. The old car, however, doesn't embarrass itself on mountain roads. Back in 1999, Honda fitted the Si with 25 percent stiffer front springs, 33 percent stiffer rear springs, and a front strut tower brace. It also added a thicker front anti-roll bar, and it was the only Civic with a rear anti-roll bar. Its four-wheel disc brakes were larger as well, as were its 195-millimeter-wide all-season tires, which were wrapped around seven-spoke, 15-inch aluminum wheels. There's some body roll at the old SI's handling limit, but not enough to be a problem, and the car is wonderfully planted in fast sweepers, where it takes a nice set and its soft suspension soaks up midcorner bumps.

On a set of not-quite-fresh all-season Hankooks, our loaner understeered at the limit just as our original test car did back in 1999. But it's a mild push. This light, little coupe turns impressively well for a car with so little rubber and 62.2 percent of its mass over its front tires. With the engine's meager 111 lb-ft of torque peaking at 7000 rpm, this is definitely a momentum car. What holds it back are its small brakes and its incredibly slow 20.3:1 steering ratio. In tighter sections of road you have to shuffle your hands for leverage and additional steering input. You also have to get used to its upright, arms-out seating position. However, the old Civic's flat seats hold you in place surprisingly well, helped by the Si's thick velour upholstery that will make your back sweat on a winter day yet grips a pair of jeans and a cotton T-shirt as if they're coated with Gorilla Glue. Back in the day we tested a 1999 Si and recorded a modest 0.85 g of grip on the skidpad and a rather scary 70-to-zero-mph stopping distance of 210 feet.

view photos Jessica Lynn Walker

You sit much lower in the new car and in a properly bolstered sport seat. The tach is mounted in the center of the instrument cluster, as it should be, and the steering is much quicker with a 10.9:1 ratio. You immediately notice the new car's firmer suspension setup, but it doesn't give up much ride comfort to the cushier classic. On the new Civic Si, 18-inch wheels and tires are standard and our tester wore the optional Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 summer rubber. Although its better balanced than its ancestor, it isn't radically so, with 61.4 percent of its weight up front. Its agility and grip levels are in another league, though. The new car stops from 70 mph in just 159 feet, and it generates a stout 0.97 g of lateral stick. On a good road, with its superior grip and acceleration, it simply leaves the 20-year-old car for dead.

Today's Civic Si is clearly the best Honda has ever produced, and it remains one of the premier front-wheel-drive performance bargains in the world. Still, we find ourselves drawn to the mechanical honesty of the 1999 model. From the raw feedback and response of its B16 engine to the direct mechanical action of its shifter, there's more than a little first-generation NSX in its experience—enough to make these cars eternally desirable. Despite its additional performance, features, and refinement, you have to wonder if we'll be drawn to the current Si as strongly 20 years down the road. If we find one with just 930 miles on its clock, we just might.

Specifications Specifications 1999 Honda Civic Si VEHICLE TYPE

front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door coupe BASE PRICE

$17,860 ENGINE TYPE

DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection

Displacement

97 cu in, 1595 cc

Power

160 hp @ 7600 rpm

Torque

111 lb-ft @ 7000 rpm TRANSMISSION

5-speed manual CHASSIS

Suspension (F/R): control arm/multilink

Brakes (F/R): 10.3-in vented disc/9.4-in vented disc

Tires: Michelin XGT V4, P195/55R-15 84V DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 103.2 in

Length: 175.2 in

Width: 67.1 in

Height: 54.1 in

Passenger volume: 82 cu ft

Trunk/Cargo volume: 12 cu ft

Curb weight: 2584 lb C/D TEST RESULTS

Zero to 60 mph: 7.1 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 21.3 sec

Zero to 120 mph: 55.6 sec

Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 8.3 sec

Top gear, 30–50 mph: 10.3 sec

Top gear, 50–70 mph: 11.3 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 15.7 sec @ 88 mph

Top speed (drag limited): 127 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 210 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.85 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 28 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/city/highway: 25/22/29 mpg – 2017 Honda Civic Si Coupe VEHICLE TYPE

front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2-door coupe BASE PRICE

$24,775 ENGINE TYPE

turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement

91 cu in, 1498 cc

Power

205 hp @ 5700 rpm

Torque

192 lb-ft @ 2100 rpm TRANSMISSION

6-speed manual CHASSIS

Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink

Brakes (F/R): 12.3-in vented disc/11.1-in disc

Tires: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2, 235/40R-18 95Y DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 106.3 in

Length: 177.4 in

Width: 70.8 in

Height: 54.7 in

Passenger volume: 89 cu ft

Trunk/Cargo volume: 12 cu ft

Curb weight: 2879 lb C/D TEST RESULTS

Zero to 60 mph: 6.3 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 15.9 sec

Zero to 130 mph: 34.4 sec

Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.4 sec

Top gear, 30–50 mph: 12.6 sec

Top gear, 50–70 mph: 8.3 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 14.8 sec @ 96 mph

Top speed (governor limited, mfr's claim): 137 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 159 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.97 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 26 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/city/highway: 32/28/38 mpg Expand Collapse

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