The Honda Civic debuted in the North American market at exactly the right time if one considers the impact of the Arab Oil Embargo on October 19th,1973.
The price of oil nearly quadrupled from $2.90/barrel in October 1973 to 11.65/barrel by January 1974.
Jim Sutherland
It was the perfect time to launch a sub-compact vehicle that offered decent performance and otherworldly gas mileage in one small package. Gasoline became both expensive and scarce in a big hurry during the embargo so small cars with big MPG numbers became overnight rock stars in the eyes of the buying public-and a 1973 Honda Civic was the main attraction.
Honda Civics were early pioneers in the front-wheel drive movement and took full advantage of the weight to horsepower ratio because they were lightweight cars that squeezed as many horses as possible under their hoods.
Early Civics were instantly cool conversation pieces that would bury a VW Beetle in a one-on-one street fight or a highway showdown. An added bonus was Honda Civics could run all day on a freeway and drive right past many gas stations along the way during the oil crisis.
On a personal note, I had an opportunity to test drive a new Honda Civic in 1974 and was totally surprised by its performance at the time. I was an impressionable kid and loved the way the little car was able to chirp its tires when I shifted from first to second-plus it handled a fast run through a tight series of curves better than any other car I had driven up to that point.
I was sold on the Civic, but I was a kid and not an ideal candidate to cough up dough for the car, so I never owned one. However, I was always a fan of the cars because of my road adventure during that memorable test drive.
First-generation Honda Civics were a very popular car and were a best-seller because they were able to cope with high pump prices and get their owners from Point A to Point B in a hurry. They were on the frontlines of the foreign car invasion and set a high bar for domestic car builders from the moment the first Civics left their North American dealerships in 1973.
Scott Lachance was too young to own a 1973 Honda Civic back in ’73 but the little Japanese import left a huge impression on him, enough for Scott to become the owner of a race-ready 1973 Honda Civic 12 years ago. For the record, Scott’s little road rocket has almost double the horsepower of a stock 1973 Honda Civic.
Scott was also influenced by his son because he owned one before Scott and reinforced his attachment to the early Honda Civic models. Scott added that he has a buddy who raced Honda Civics on “roundy-round” tracks and was a big influence on him as well.
The net result is Scott owns a 1973 Honda Civic that is ready for the track and looks the part, given its wide body flares and roll bar, but he uses the Civic for any opportunity to simply hit the road in his car.
Scott will get to his destination faster because his Civic’s engine is now a fire-breathing monster in a small package.
His 1973 Honda Civic is the perfect vintage car for Scott and well worth his long wait to own one.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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