Honda toasts 60 years in the US with its SEMA show display
The display includes a 1999 Civic, a few modern concepts and a restored Chevy pickup truck.
This year marks a significant milestone for Honda as the Japanese automaker celebrates its 60th year of doing business in the US. To help celebrate the anniversary, Honda has dug back into its archives and plans to bring some pretty neat stuff to the 2019 SEMA show, which will sit alongside a few new concept vehicles.
On the modern side of things, two 2020 Honda CR-V models will be on display. Both come from Jsport Performance Accessories, and one of them is the new CR-V Hybrid model. Both are chock full of such as a 1.5-inch lift kit, off-road wheels and all-terrain tires. Plenty of gear of the active lifestyle is also present.
Honda will also display a Ridgeline decked out with Honda Factory Performance products and a Rally Passport. The latter is pretty cool. Honda said a research and development employee worked on the crossover after hours to showcase the vehicle's performance capabilities. And yes, it did go rally racing, where it placed second in its class.
Diving into the old stuff, Honda will bring a 1999 Civic Si to the SEMA show, which won the Civic Si Challenge back in 2000. It's a rolling time machine that the automaker faithfully preserved after Super Street Magazine modified the crud out of it. The car's a pretty darn good look at what was all the rage in the early 21st century when it came to modifying cars. Need For Speed: Underground anyone?
Additionally, a very awesome N600 will be on display after it won the Honda Super Tuner Legends Series, part of the Hot Wheels Legends Series. The microcar actually features a Honda 800cc V4 motorcycle engine, which revs to an atmospheric 12,000 rpm. An S800 will also be present with a rebuilt original engine, but plenty of modifications.
While not new, Honda will showcase its totally restored 1961 Chevy pickup truck as well. When the automaker first arrived in the US, it used these trucks as motorcycle and bike delivery vehicles. The restoration is meant to honor the company's past that includes hand-painted decals to match the original trucks.
Wrapping things up are two Civic Si builds, one by Super Street and one built as a drift car, and plenty of Honda Powersports products. SEMA kicks off next week on Nov. 5.
