Honda CR-X del Sol a.k.a Honda Civic del Sol
The Honda Civic del Sol was a two seat, targa top convertible manufactured by Honda in the 1990s. Based on the Civic platform, the Del Sol was supposedly the successor to the popular Honda CR-X although it is considered by many not to be in the same blood line. This is also reflected in many markets in that the CR-X naming convention was dropped from the del Sol line as it was distinctly different from earlier models, which were hatchbacks and not convertibles. It debuted in 1992 in Japan and the United Kingdom, and 1993 in the United States. Not a true convertible, the Civic Del Sol featured a removable hardtop that stowed in the trunk and a retractable rear window for that "convertible" feel. Trunk space was reduced from 10.5cf to 8.3cf while the targa was stowed. This "open air" experience is why Honda gave the car the Spanish name del sol, which, in English, translates to of the sun.
The del Sol was first introduced to North America in 1993 in two trim levels, The S and the SI. The base "S" model came with a 1.5 liter SOHC 16-valve four cylinder engine and rode on tiny 13" tires and steel wheels.
The uplevel "Si" model came standard with a 1.6 liter SOHC 16-valve four cylinder engine with Honda's VTEC. The Si also came with nicer 14" alloy wheels which were body color-matched on Samba Green models, power side mirrors, cruise control, rear disc brakes and a front anti-sway bar for improved handling.
The powerful VTEC trim line was added in 1994, with the first appearance of a 160 hp (119 kW) Honda DOHC VTEC B-series engine in a U.S.-spec Honda. Smooth and powerful, with a high redline, the B16A3 is the same powerplant found in the Civic Si-R. This trim level came with bigger front brakes, larger front anti-sway bar, additional rear anti-sway bar and different 14" wheels known as "Fat Fives" with wider tires.
On all models, the only options were a rear spoiler , custom floor mats and air conditioning.
Starting with the 1995 models, Honda dropped the 'Civic' name from the del Sol cars. The del Sol then underwent a slight alteration in 1996 (which included removing the two auxiliary headlamps) in an attempt to boost sales, but uncharacteristically poor body maintenance (the targa tops were prone to leaks in early models) and poor promotion had all but doomed the del Sol. Production and sales ended with the 1997 model in the U.S. and 1998 elsewhere, with a total of slightly fewer than 75,000 models sold in America.
The Japanese models are: VXi, VGi, and SiR being the top of the line model.
In Europe they made the ESi, and VTi being the top of the line model.
del SolManufacturer:
Honda
Production:
1992–1997
Predecessor:
Honda CR-X
Class:
Sport compact
Engine:
1.5L 102 hp I4
1.6L 125 hp I4
1.6L 160 hp I4
Transmission:
4-Speed Automatic Overdrive
5-Speed Manual Overdrive
Wheelbase:
93.30 in.
Length:
157.30 in.
Width:
66.70 in.
Height:
49.40 in.
Fuel capacity:
11.9 gal.
Related:
Honda Civic
Acura Integra
Honda Integra
Rover 400
Rover 200
Rover 25
Honda Ballade
Honda CR-V
Isuzu Gemini
Rover 45
Honda Concerto
Honda Domani
The Honda Civic del Sol was a two seat, targa top convertible manufactured by Honda in the 1990s. Based on the Civic platform, the del Sol was the successor the popular Honda CRX. It debuted in 1992 in Japan and the United Kingdom, and 1993 in the United States. Not a true convertible, the Civic Del Sol featured a removable hardtop that stowed in the trunk and a retractable rear window for that "convertible" feel.
Initially, the car was offered in two trims. The base "S" model came with a 1.5 liter SOHC 16-valve four cylinder engine, with 106 bhp, and rode on tiny 13" tires and steel wheels. The uplevel "Si" model came standard with a 1.6 liter SOHC 16-valve four cylinder engine with Honda's VTEC technology, which gave it 125 bhp. The Si also came with nicer 14" alloy wheels, power side mirrors, cruise control, and an anti-sway bar for improved handling. On both models, the only options were a rear spoiler and custom floor mats.
Although the Civic del Sol looked and rode like a sports coupe, '92-'93 models didn't offer much of a power boost over the normal Civic. For 1994, this was addressed with a third, top-line model, the Civic Del Sol VTEC. The VTEC nameplate was used to describe a new DOHC engine with VTEC technology that produced 160 bhp, 35 bhp more than the Si engine. This led to confusion, because the Si also had a VTEC engine - SOHC, not DOHC. Further confusing matters, this naming scheme was different from the regular Civic line, where "Si" meant DOHC VTEC, and there was no "VTEC" model.
The del Sol was the first Honda to receive the DOHC VTEC engine in the United States, and it finally put the Del Sol on the performance map. For 1995, Honda revised the targa top seals, which on earlier models had been prone to leaks and noise.
In 1995, the Del Sol officially became its own model series separate from the Civic and it was renamed the Honda Del Sol, although the car itself was relatively unchanged. New refinements included a trunk release latch added near the driver side seat, a low fuel indicator light was added, and new seat materials were used. 1996 was rumored to be the last year for the Del Sol, although it would survive for one more year. Rumors persisted about poor quality, and the early leaking roofs and faulty auxiliary lighting (the bulbs burned out too quickly,) hurt sales. The rumors seemed confirmed when the 1996 front bumper was redesigned that eliminated the holes needed to fit auxiliary lights and low side vents were added. The base engine in the S model was increased to 1.6 liters at 106 bhp, resulting in a slight power gain. The Si engine also received a very minor power gain to 127 bhp. The top of the line VTEC engine remained unchanged. In 1997, the Del Sol underwent no changes, and was discontinued in the U.S., but survived one more year in Europe and Japan.
Because the del Sol was based on the Civic platform, owners are able to use much of the same aftermarket accessories, making the del Sol a popular candidate for modification. Popular mods include larger intake/exhaust manifolds, lower/stiffer suspension, cold air intake, additional sway bars, superchargers, turbos, and more - all using parts already designed for Civics of similar model years.
Trans Top
An option that was available in Japan and Europe was the Trans Top, an electric mechanism which retracted the targa top into the trunk lid via a push of a button. In Europe it was available on the VTi model, which became standard in 1995 on the ESi model. The roof is operated by flicking two catches above the windows then holding a button down. The trunk lid raises vertically and extends two arms into the targa top which you then flick the latches back up. Then the targa gets pulled into the trunk lid, afterwhich the trunk lid then lowers back down with the targa still inside it.
Model Updates:
Changes For 1994:
• Added VTEC engine option with improved suspension
• Dual airbags standard
Changes For 1995:
• Redisigned targa top seals
• Anti-Lock Brakes (VTEC model) 2,522 base weight now
• Power Locks
• Remote Trunk Release
• Low Gasoline Lamp
Changes For 1996:
• Elimination of front auxilary headlamps
• Small airdam / rear deck aesthetic treatment
• New front bumper and air dam.
• Length increase to 157.7"
• The base del Sol S gets the 106-hp 1.6-liter engine for a four-horse boost over previous year's 1.5-liter.
• The del Sol Si gets the 1996 127hp Civic Engine and also the suspension and steering of the 160-hp VTEC.
• All del Sols now have 1.6 liter engines: 106, 127 and 160-hp.
The engine codes for the various models are as follows:
Number of Del Sols sold in USA:
VIN Decoder for US Domestic Market Del Sol:
http://specs.amayama.com/honda/cr-x_delsol Honda CR-X Del Sol specs A LOT OF INFO
http://www.teamdelsol.com/ International del Sol owners' club, based in the U.S.A. (no fee to join)
http://www.azsols.com/ Arizona Chapter of Team Sol International del Sol owners' club (no fee to join)
http://www.teamsolfl.com/ Florida Chapter of Team Sol International del Sol owners' club (no fee to join)
http://www.teamsolcal.com/ California del Sol owners' club (no fee to join)
http://www.solsociety.com/ Sol Society forum (no fee to join)
http://www.crxpt.com/ CRXPT.com - Portuguese CRX Community
http://www.procivic.com/pages-honda_...ary/index.html Del Sol and CRX Aftermarket Parts Catalogs
http://www.teamsolgermany.de/ eh6.de eg2.de - TeamSolGermany
