Rusty But Trusty

Honda’s Accord is not exactly known to raise anybody’s heart rate, barring some limited-production Si-R and Type R versions not imported to North America. But add a dash of Minilite wheel here, sports suspension there, and sticky rubber here, and all of a sudden you have a fun little car with a rev-happy four-cylinder that will entertain you on the way, even if getting there is not so quick. And as discussed before in this very place, it’s always fun to see these older Japanese cars from when eastern manufacturers were still finding their way in North America, and when their full-size offerings were the size of their current compact sedans. Check out this 1978 Honda Accord Hatch SCCA F Street Prepared for sale for $2900 in Salem, OR.

White is not the most exciting color, but it does leave you with a blank canvas to which you can apply numbers, sponsor decals, and more – some late-1970s signage would be pretty cool to give a period look. It’s questionable whether a car this age will still be competitive in its class, or in any level in SCCA, given cheap cars like Miatas will beat the pants off it. But for a low cost of entry, it might well be a good car on which to learn your technique until you’re ready for more power. Plus, you’re guaranteed to be the only one on the track, so if you screw up, people will know who did it.

This is the only shot of the interior – seems like there is a competition driver’s seat and full roll cage, and the seller mentions a 5-point harness and fire suppression system. As of 2010 it had fresh paint and a rebuild done on its 1600cc engine, and it’s said to have placed first or second every season with the local motor club – presumably in autocross, which the seller lists as its current purpose.

The seller used the car for 2 seasons and lost interest. It’s neat how aggressive this car can look with a slightly lower stance and wider tires, although handling may lose some of its lightness with that change. Unfortunately, especially for a race car, the seller has not included any engine pictures, so we don’t get to learn anything about the powerplant or its induction/exhaust systems. If you’re looking for a cheap way to start emptying out your wallet, this might do the trick!

Tags: accord, Feature, fsp, hatchback, honda, japanese, scca

This entry was posted on September 22, 2014 at 4:29 pm and is filed under Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.