![]() Its zero-to-60 time is just over six seconds, which was near supercar territory when the 1999 Si was introduced. A six-speed manual, feeding the front wheels, is the only transmission. The first turbocharged 1.5-liter engine Honda ever fitted to an Si makes 205 horsepower and 192 foot-pounds of torque starting at 2,100 rpm. Twenty-one years later, the Si model is offered as both a coupe and a four-door sedan. Unlike the 2000 Si, it doesn’t require as many gearshifts to wring out full power. 2020 Honda Civic Si Sedan: more speed, more safety, more infotainment. Primary safety features were limited to anti-lock brakes, dual front airbags and three-point seatbelts in 1999, all of which make the car safe enough when properly used. The current car’s Bluetooth, navigation, and satellite radio were well into the distant future when the 1999 Civic Si debuted. An AM/FM/CD player with four speakers was as far as infotainment went. The only power-operated accessories were the windows and door locks. In terms of equipment, the 1999 Civic Si was straightforward. That five-speed manual was the front-drive two-door’s only transmission offering. To handle the amplified output, Honda also endowed the 1999 Civic Si coupe with an upgraded suspension system and four-wheel disc brakes where the base Civic had rear brake drums. 127 horsepower for a vanilla Civic engine. 1999 Civic Si engine had a redline (maximum engine speed) was 8,000 rpm. These modifications over the base Civic rendered the 1999 Civic Si capable of running zero to 60 in just over seven seconds. ![]() But it called for a lot of shifting: The driver had to ensure the five-speed manual transmission was in the right gear to get the most out of the Honda coupe. The engine had to be revved vigorously to maximize performance, and it rewarded a driver with a snarling exhaust note and a surprising amount of pull. Redline, the maximum safe engine speed, was 8,000 rpm and the engine’s 111 foot-pound torque peak was achieved at 7,000 rpm. While 160 horsepower might not sound like all that much today, the car was also light by today’s standards, weighing just under 2,600 pounds. (Today, Honda’s ultimate Civic, the turbocharged 306-horsepower Civic Type R, produces 153 horsepower per liter.) Producing 160 horsepower, the engine met the then-Holy Grail standard of 100 horsepower per liter. Additional mechanical upgrades to the base Civic’s 127-horsepower engine made the Si a screamer for its time. Honda gave the tuners a great start, fitting the 1999 Civic Si with a 1.6-liter double overhead camshaft version of its four-cylinder engine, to which it added variable intake and exhaust valves. Lyndon Conrad Bell Holy Grail: 100 Horsepower Per Liter One thing that has yet to change: A Civic Si has never had an automatic transmission. It’s also rare to find one that hasn’t been hot-rodded. A couple years of hard driving aged them beyond their years, so many did not last the roughly 10 years most 2000-era cars remained on the road. Those Civic Si Coupes were routinely modified within millimeters of their lives by young enthusiasts eager to explore the limits of its performance envelope. Moreover, the Si Coupe was offered for only two of the five years of the Civic’s sixth generation (1996-2000 model years), which makes finding one a true rarity these days. The Si was the first high-performance coupe Honda brought to the U.S. On both cars, a six-speed manual is the only transmission offering. They are separated by 21 years, 45 more horsepower and 295 more pounds. 2020 Honda Civic Si, left, and 1999 Civic Si. It also demonstrates the esteem tuners hold for the 1999 Honda Civic Si. This would indicate that $52K Civic Si was more of an emotional purchase than a rational one. ![]() Kelley Blue Book says a 150,000-mile 1999 Civic Si Coupe in excellent condition should sell for about $3,500. So much so that a variant of our 1999 test car with 5,000 miles on the odometer recently sold at auction for $52,500. The Honda Civic Si holds a special place in the hearts of the automotive community. How far have moderately priced performance cars advanced in two decades on performance, ease of driving, safety and technology? To get a sense of the progress, we borrowed a pristine, 2,000-mile, 1999 Civic Si Coupe from Honda’s archival garage and drove it back-to-back with a 2020 version of the Civic Si Sedan.
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