02| AEM FWD Drag Civic

Drag
Peak Horsepower: 700 @ 7,800 RPM (Dynojet Dyno)
Issue: 01 / September/October 2002
Published Time: 8.12@180MPH

The AEM Honda Civic Coupe drag car was not only the first car to ever grace the cover of DSPORT (then Drag Sport), it was also the quickest and fastest at the time, pioneering deep into the 8’s and knocking on the door of the 7’s. The driver of this rocket, Stephan Papadakis, unleashed this beast’s best run down the 1320 at the 2001 IDRC Long Horn Nationals in San Antonio, Texas. The Civic recorded a best pass of 8.12 seconds at 180 miles-per-hour. The combined talents of AEM and Papadakis made import drag racing history time and again. This iconic machine set a standard not only for front-wheel drive cars but for professional import drag racers as well. Only six years earlier, people were commenting that there would be no way for a front-wheel drive car to run in the 12’s. Thankfully, import drag racing’s pioneers never gave up and proved that even front-wheel drives can defy physics.

UPDATE
In 2004, the Civic was sold to Jerrold Rhodes. The Civic body was ditched in favor of a Honda Accord shell instead. To date, it has not improved on its best performance.

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