Highlights
- One owner from new
- Just 10,982 miles indicated
- Leather interior
- Desirable 1.6-litre DOHC VTEC
- Five-speed manual transmission
The Appeal
Small, light and nippy - that’s how we love our sports cars in Europe, and the Japanese have always been brilliant at building just those sorts of machines. In the 80s and 90s, one of the finest examples was Honda’s quite wonderful CRX. Tipping the scales at just about a tonne, and offering a range of peppy drivetrains, it’s a cracking modern classic for the enthusiastic driver.
This very well-kept CRX i-VT presents with incredibly low mileage, one owner from new and a very handsome specification – including the much sought-after B16A1 DOHC VTEC unit. If you’re after a truly desirable, increasingly rare and cult-favourite sports car, well here you go.
The History and Paperwork
- First registered in March 1992
- One owner from new
- Comprehensive history file, including numerous invoices for maintenance as well as many old MOT certificates
- Owner’s handbooks included
- Excellent MOT record
- Current MOT to March 2023
- 10,982 miles on the clock, verified back to 2006 by the MOT record
- Just 1,000 covered since 2006
The Interior
- Smart black leather sports seats
- Factory fitted electric sunroof
- Electric windows and door mirrors
- Period Panasonic radio/cassette
The rear bench appears to have been hardly used, if at all, with the upholstery presenting in superb condition, with no signs of wear or use. The front seats naturally show some light signs of wear, with minimal creasing to the leather. But the red contrast stitching and CRX/VTEC embroidered logos appear to be in very good order, with no evidence of threading we could see.
Looking at the steering wheel and gear gaiter, these too are trimmed in black leather. The gaiter shows minimal signs of use or wear, but the steering wheel does show a little more, with evidence of a repair to the lower right quarter. Similarly, the door cards are in fine fettle, with no tears, sagging or damage we could see. There does seem to be some light marking or fading to the passenger side door card, but we think this could be easily rectified.
As far as we can tell, all of the trim and switchgear in the cabin is present, correct and seems to be original. There are minor signs of use and light wear, as should be expected from a 30 year car, but overall it has held up astoundingly well in our estimation. The vendor assures us that everything works as it should, with no malfunctions to report.
Coming with a factory fitted sunroof means that occupants can enjoy both some sunshine and the aural delights of the VTEC as they whizz along. The headliner looks to be secure and undamaged, with no staining or tearing apparent. Much the same can be said for the carpets, with the main grey carpet presenting well and contrasting ‘Honda’ branded black floor mats showing a little more wear, as you’d expect.
Coming with a factory fitted sunroof means that occupants can enjoy both some sunshine and the aural delights of the VTEC as they whizz along. The headliner looks to be secure and undamaged, with no staining or tearing apparent. Much the same can be said for the carpets, with the main grey carpet presenting well and contrasting ‘Honda’ branded black floor mats showing a little more wear, as you’d expect.
The handy little boot area is trimmed in grey carpet and is complete with a spacesaver spare wheel, jack and toolkit. On lifting the carpet, the wheel well and boot floor look nice and solid, with no evidence we could discern of damage, repair or corrosion.
The Exterior
- Solid Frost White paintwork (NH538)
- Original alloy wheels
- Excellent underside
Having clearly had quite a cosseted existence so far, this charming little coupé is looking fantastically well for its age. The Frost White paintwork shows very well, with a nice gloss and even, factory finish. Naturally there are a few minor marks and blemishes, but the only mark of note that we saw is a scratch on the leading edge of the bonnet, just above the near-side headlight, that is starting to corrode slightly. Nevertheless, this should be a very easy fix.
All of the bodywork panels look straight and corrosion free, with neat factory panel gaps and crisp lines. So too, the trim pieces, badging, glass and light lenses are all in exceptionally good order for a three-decades old car, with no significant damage and nothing missing, as far as we could see.
Thankfully, the owner has kept the car on its original alloy wheels, and the lovely little five-spoke, 14-inch items suit the vehicle perfectly. They look to be in good condition too, with no major kerbing or lacquer peel to report, although a couple of the Dunlop tyres appear to have some cracking to the sidewalls.
Looking under the car, the underside is lovely and straight. We didn’t observe any evidence of damage or repair and the usual trouble spots – wheel arches, sills and floor pans – look to be clean, straight and free from corrosion. A good sign that this car has been properly nurtured.
The Mechanics
- Iconic B16A1 1,595cc engine
- Five-speed manual transmission
That rev-hungry DOHC VTEC unit is a truly special engine. Renowned for their build quality as well as their intoxicating top–end race to the redline, these lovely little 1.6-litre units produce a quite healthy 148hp. Add that to the car’s low kerbweight (about a tonne) and manual transmission and you have all the ingredients for a properly engaging little sports car.
The engine bay is nice and clean, with no significant evidence of surface corrosion, and no signs of leaks or overheating that we could see. To our eyes, the exhaust looks to be quite new too.
Again, the vendor tells us that the car is in fine mechanical condition, with no issues to report.
Summary
Some cars are special because they’re rare, or engaging, or simply look fabulous. This CRX is all of those things and, with a fine history and excellent spec, we’re certain this is going to charm everyone who sees it.
Notice to bidders
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