Renaissance Ride: "Pinky" the Honda Civic EK Show Stopper

• April 30, 2021
• Story By
  Luke Munnell

We’ve heard it countless times from builders of the most prolific performance-oriented show winners and cover feature cars: “Yeah, I’m planning to take it to the track …” And I’m sure we’re also all too familiar with how that story ends, more often than not.

It’s always been a sad fact of the scene that few of the craziest cars ever see any real track time. On one hand this is understandable. Who wants to put their sometimes six-figure creation to risk in an arena where cleanliness (often physical cleanliness) is the currency of success? On the other hand, the thought of never enjoying a build like that at it’s true performance limits seems mind-blowingly absurd. But sometimes, in rare instances, there’s a happy medium.

Show Stopper

If Christian Dumlao’s House of Kolor Kandy Pink EK Civic hatch seems familiar, it should. Back in August of 2007, it graced the cover of Super Street magazine as one of the most radically performance-built show cars of its day, with a full cage and spartan interior, some tall side skirts and an ITB’d K24 VTEC engine under-hood. Predating the Wekfest craze that popped off in 2009, it soaked up Best of Show wins and recognition at shows like HIN, Battle of the Imports and Nisei Fest better than a Shamwow on late-night TV. And that wasn’t even its first trip to the spotlight. 

That honor arrived way back in 2004 with its first Super Street cover, back when it was painted a DuPont shade of baby blue and rocked a simple GSR engine and red Work wheels. And before that it was Phoenix Yellow, tearing up the streets of the Bay area at the hand of Leonard Yee, the man responsible for the car in all its renowned iterations. That is, when Leonard wasn’t driving his other car, a turbocharged EM1 Civic coupe that also grabbed some Super Street ink at one point.

At every stage of its evolution, this car was just begging to hit the track. But wanting to chase down as many show wins as possible, and needing to keep his build partners happy in doing so, Leonard and “Pinky” (as she affectionately became known in the scene) never made it there. Until today.

Pinky Reborn

Enter Christian Dumlao. When one of his track-obsessed friends name Mike found the dismantled and forgotten Pink shell of the car listed for sale, Christian wasted no time in scooping it up and fulfilling its ultimate destiny: building it into a stout performer he could enjoy on track with his friends.

Pinky’s cage had remained, but there was little else bolted to her unibody monocoque. In true home-built fashion, Christian and Mike sourced a proven LS/VTEC engine, mated it to a B16A trans and installed it in the Civic’s bay all from within Mike’s home garage. After that, it was off to Christian’s.

Under his own roof, Christian installed a custom wiring harness, four-lug hubs, basic suspension, wheels and tires, and just what he needed inside to get out on track: a Momo steering wheel, single Bride racing bucket with Crow harness, factory Civic dash and door panels, and not much else.

His first time on track came just four months after initially buying the shell, and the refinements came soon after. That basic suspension was ditched in favor of full suspension from Progress Technologies, Hardrace and ASC. A five-lug conversion allowed the use of concave Volk Racing OG TE37 wheels in wide 15x8-inch sizes, wrapped in ultra-sticky Nitto NT01 rubber. The LS/VTEC engine stayed, as well as the close-ratio B16 gearset, but was stuffed into a proper DB8 GSR hydraulic transmission case.

Spotted on the Track

When we caught up with Christian at a VTEC Club competition round at Buttonwillow not long ago, we immediately recognized Pinky. It’s not often that a former famed show car makes its way to the track, and even rarer that one previously stripped down to its shell is resurrected into a potent performer. But that’s exactly what Christian did with Pinky, and we can’t think of a more fitting homage to one of the import scene’s most well-known builds than enjoying it in the sun with friends, all over again. This time at the track!

“Pinky” 1999 Honda Civic CX Specs