
1998 Honda Accord - Dark Horse
AutoMeter gauges reading air-fuel ratio, boost pressure and nitrous pressure give Roybal important information on the status of his one-off engine. All the factory Honda seating surfaces have been replaced with OBX buckets up front and Sparcos in the rear. The seats and door panels were then re-skinned in black fabric by Garza's in La Puente, Calif. A Momo steering wheel, shift knob and custom pedals enhance driver input.A six-point roll cage fabricated by TRC Racing encases the entire cockpit in case Roybal gets excessively aggro on the road courses-but given the amount of work on his car I don't foresee it happening any time soon. The 10-lb. NOS bottle sits on a custom perch welded onto the cage, right between the bucket seats, where everyone on the road can see it and say, "Hey, that's a10-lb. nitrous bottle!"
Accord owners, and those others in the import segment that have certain cars not heavily supported by the automotive aftermarket-you know who you are-would do well to take notes on Roybal's achievement. There are no production forced induction kits for the four cylinder Accord, but that hasn't stopped big Steve from turbocharging his ride. Alls you need is a little determination, a bit of luck, and a lot of creativity. Of course, it doesn't hurt to know someone that can fabricate an entire forced induction system for you in a month's time, either, but that's all up to you. As with anything else, the limitations on what you can do with your particular car are set by only one person. That would be you.
As a side note, I am ashamed to say that I haven't been able to contact Steve since I began work on this article, so I haven't been able to find contact information for Spark Motorsports, the place that did the turbo system. Frankly, it sucks not being able to list that shop in the Hotbox below. If anyone knows anything about this particular shop, drop us a line so we can give them the credit they're due.