Nick Higgins' Honda Civic

To become the best, you must be able to handle the worst

- Jonathan Wong

If you had seen Nick Higgins’ Civic hatchback in its previous form, you’d think most would’ve stopped there. Project’s done; it doesn’t get any better. Fashioned after the popular kanjo style made famous by underground street racers in Osaka, it was equipped with enough JDM EF9 goods to make you think it was actually fresh off the streets of Japan. Looks to thrill, powered with a semi-built B16A outfitted with ITBs, it’s the sort of build old-school Honda enthusiasts go wild for (including me). And then, one day, Nick decided to redo it from scratch.

But this isn’t purely a simple story of one rebuilding a car for the sake of doing so. The purpose behind it has far greater sentimental value to Nick. What began as a quest to prep a car for time-attack racing eventually became his motivation to push forward in all aspects of life despite having to face two of the most troubling times in his life: the loss of his parents.

“I’m not their biological child, but they always treated me as if I was,” he explains. “They fostered me from infancy and raised me to be the man I am today. They didn’t have to, but their conscious decision to provide a better life for me opened up so many opportunities. Every step of the way throughout the process of my build, they were there cheering me on.”