CR-Flexin’

Story: Phillip Pratt  Shots: Tony Proenza

Ever heard the old platitude: “beauty in simplicity”? It’s a real thing. Three-stage paint, giant wings, oversized wheels pointing in the wrong direction – are all well and good. But for the most part – those are all fads. Trends come and go, depending on any number of factors. Often relying heavily on what the next person is doing or what occurred in popular media. Do you know what doesn’t change? Simplicity. Something that Patrick Rezende understands all too well.

Patrick’s weapon of choice is a pristine 1991 Honda CRX Si. The model must have been an acquired taste for him – because this isn’t his first. Before the 91’ he had an 89’ Si, his very first car. That’s pretty much on-brand in the world of CRX builders. CRX fans mostly file into one of two groups– loved them from afar, or have owned more than one.

From humble beginnings…

It took Patrick three painstaking years to get it into the shape you see here – and to be honest, that isn’t all that long a time. Many a tuner could take twice that and not have it where they want. Doing just about all of the work himself most likely helped moved things along.

“No shop helped me build this car at all in any way. [It] was built with me and my cousin.”

Nothing wrong with trusting a shop – but having to rely on someone else that’s more than likely wrenching on several different cars a day and charging upwards of $85 an hour can slow things up – a lot. Not to mention drain funds on labor that ultimately could be better spent on buying parts. Being able to do the work autonomously allows the owner to shape it to their personal vision and build standards. For this CRX, Patrick’s standard was to get the Honda to look pretty much stock.

“As much as possible, I tried to make the car look like as it did when came from the factory… The biggest challenge was building the motor and making it look like it belonged there from day 1”

Let’s talk about the powerplant. In terms of modification – Patrick managed to keep everything pretty… simple. His engine of choice is a B18C1 block tastefully matted to a B18C5 head. Breathing in that fresh, humid, SOFLO air is an AEM intake. On the hot side are 1320 headers bolted to a classic HKS exhaust system.

For a South Florida Honda enthusiast – that shortlist says a lot about what kind of tuner he is. There aren’t too many out there so committed to near-stock cleanliness – especially not with a from this era. At this point – it’s probably easier to find a K-series motor than the B-series which this chassis naturally cozies up to.

So how does one tastefully modify a classic body and an already legendary suspension system without losing its near-factory look? With patience. That’s how. For the body, Patrick’s most audacious addition is obviously the OEM-style carbon fiber hood. From there, he topped off the car’s styling with a front lip and a Si-R wing – a trim of CRX which we were not blessed with stateside. Let’s get something straight – it is typically HARDER to restore a car than it is to modify it with readily available aftermarket pieces.

OEM parts are harder the track down every year they are separated from their manufacture date. They also tend to be more expensive, due to scarcity.

The suspension upgrades were applied as conservatively as everything else. The ride and height are handled by a set of Skunk2 coilovers, while Integra Type R brakes bring his 15” Sprint Hart CPR wheels to a halt. It’s not every day you see a CRX like Patrick’s down here. It’s just not the culture – but it’s a welcome and refreshing sight in this habitat of 1000whp K-swapped hatches and ultra-distance Hyundai Genesis’. After a while, just in hopes of fitting in – it can change your taste. Gladly, that’s not the avenue Patrick took with his Honda.

“I did have a few people that were trying to convince me to go turbo or gut the car and make it a track car or to put nitrous. But I knew what I wanted.”