This shares the same bore spacing and rods pistons ect as the honda F series. Whitch means it wouldent be hard to do a twin cam vtec head for them whitch is exactly what was in the s2000 prototype. G20 with h22 based vtec head. Unfortunately they ditched that for the f series
Can I just say how much I appreciate the backstory from the owners that go along with these videos? The passion they have for their cars and the “time capsule” they share is to me more interesting than the car itself. It’s so damn cool
Haven’t seen one in a hot minute, they used to show up for 1,500-2,500 for pretty tidy ones eh? (Edit) just checked and there’s a 106,000km one for 2,500 start price, no reserve and has been up for a couple months 😂
I remember watching a video a few years ago that shaped my mind when it came to thinking of engine sounds, which is that an engine's cylinder count, and its divisible counterparts, occupy the same note range/octaves (6 and 12 cyl: 4 and 8 cyl: 5 and 10 cyl). All this to say I love 5/10 cylinder engines, they sound angry. Cool car, ive never seen it!
I've seen a few of 'em in NZ, they are getting rarer now. Thanks, it's cool to see coverage of some of the oddball things you find over there, much appreciated. Chur.
Love that your covering something like this , I have a 92 Honda ascot innova here in Canada (1 of 2 in North America I believe) have never seen someone cover one .
Wow, what a weird coincidence.. I just saw one of these a couple days ago in person over here in the US at the Tail of the Dragon. All I could see from where I was sitting was the side roof line so I thought it was just a regular 4dr Civic parked off to the side and thus I ignored it. And I was distracted by the Eunos Roadster. Wasn't til the guy drove off that I realized it was RHD. Snapped a pic and both my friend and I didn't know what it was and had to do some digging. And then you post this..
I absolutely LOVE the Rafaga and this video is great because of that. Also difficult to talk about with people because the moment you start talking about the car or the fact it has a 5 cylinder, everyone loses you in confusion. Not sure if they were ever imported to the UK but I’ll definitely be doing so at some point and going to town modifying one.
Love these and thank you so much for spreading accurate information about them with the G20/G25, Mugen support and chassis facts. This owner was very passionate and I would love to be in contact with him, if by any chance.
i always thought those 5-cylinder hondas were super neat, unfortunately the only one we got stateside was the Acura Vigor and those are rare in my area (especially in manual). also sick pulsar nx sportbak next to it, i love those obscure nissans from the 80s/90s.
that things sweet, had a g2 legend coupe for a while and started looking into other technical exercises by Honda, we got the vigor in the states too and the 5cyl quite intrigued me, owners seemed happy with them too, but seeing a rwd sedan version is too cool, only thing that might top it in that layout would be a wagon
been watching your videos for years and just love when you take the time to shine light on these rare & unique corners of the car culture universe. plus, you showing interest in this man's car I'm sure made his day. he was so proud, amazing. thank you for what you do. all of us jdm fan boys here state side love your content.
That car looks very much like the Rover 400 in the UK, I believe Rover and Honda partnered on the design and certain parts but the Rovers used 4 cylinder K-Series engines in a front wheel drive configuration (not the same as Honda’s K-Series.)The dashboard looks almost identical to the Rover 400.
Got an ascot the same colour (more or less the same car) have seen one mugen body kit in nz. All the ones I have seen are leaking oil out the distributor, its just 2 generic orings, "but can't get parts for it mate".
haha they even copied the longitudinal front wheel drive layout of VW/Audi, hilarious. I wonder if those engines are any good for tuning up a bit, if it's worth swapping into something with the correct driven wheels. edit for those wondering, other FWD cars with a longitudinal engine layout (besides VW/Audi's) include many Subaru's, the Saab 99 and 900, a couple other Hondas like the Legend, Lancia Flavia and fulvia, Citroën 2c-v, a few Chryslers and Renault's, mk1 and 2 Toyota Tercel's, and the largest displacement FWD car ever, the 8.2l Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado.
As a Saab og900 nerd i feel obligated to point out that while the 99 and 900's engine is longitudinal it is also mounted backwards, that is to say the accessory belts are up against the firewall and the clutch is pointed forwards. the engine is tilted over 45degrees to one side and the transmission also serves as the oil pan, although they do not share oil. And lastly power is transferred from the engine to the transmission via chain drive. engines are stout but the transmissions are made from wet cardboard and room temperature butter. You'd think the chain is the weak point, but no the gears themselves are.
These were commonly grey used imported in NZ and was the staple of many families in the mid 90s to early 00s. They were not valued very highly or looked after and often after handing it down a couple of generations were neglected servicing and snapped cam shafts which mechanically totalled them. The motors were very special and the Vigor achieved a long and low VIP look for very little money at the time. I think nostalgia was kind to this era of honda. But people always favoured the Civics and Integra of the era more. Leaving these to fall below the wayside. But those who owned one will always remember how special they were.
I'd say there were quite a few to land in newzealand, somewhat of a car for the classic Karen. Like the bluebird to the primera this is the nugget of Honda at the time.
This shares the same bore spacing and rods pistons ect as the honda F series. Whitch means it wouldent be hard to do a twin cam vtec head for them whitch is exactly what was in the s2000 prototype. G20 with h22 based vtec head. Unfortunately they ditched that for the f series
Of course you know this Conor lol
How would a 4 cylinder head fit on a 5 cylinder block?😅
@@Antont0 hence why he said "h22 based" so similar to the h22 head but obviously not the h22 head
Its a 5 cylinder
Its a perfect engine
Nothing a CNC couldn't just magic one out 👀
Can I just say how much I appreciate the backstory from the owners that go along with these videos? The passion they have for their cars and the “time capsule” they share is to me more interesting than the car itself. It’s so damn cool
when handa engineers want to troll audi CEO😂
Really loved this video Alexi, I love this car and appreciate the owner's passion very much.
Haha my younger brother had one here in New Zealand, that thing sat on the limiter all day, sounded so sick 😂
Used to be so many around all over the place.
Haven’t seen one in a hot minute, they used to show up for 1,500-2,500 for pretty tidy ones eh?
(Edit) just checked and there’s a 106,000km one for 2,500 start price, no reserve and has been up for a couple months 😂
@@FreeUpTheWeed I paid $50 for mine lol Rustbucket spec though.
@@FreeUpTheWeed I've never seen one in NZ. Unlucky for me i guess.
See them around now n then in the b.o.p, things go hard 🤣
Loved this kind of content! The old man talking about the honda he loves is adorable!!
Reminds me of a Rover 600, and this was of the period where Honda & Rover shared platforms.
you may be onto something
The Rear Looks Leyland'ish
could have definitely see this rebadged as a Rover if BMW didnt buy them out haha
@@indenturedLemon wasnt it Land Rover?
Seems more similar to the '96-00 Civic Ferio to me, and to my memory all the Honda-Rover models were sold in Europe only
I'd love more of these short, interesting videos about these obscure japanese cars.
That was a very cool video. Short and sweet I can see these types of videos going far
Thank you. This is the kind of video I like to see from time to time. Thank you for appreciating this mans car and sharing it with us.
I LLOOOOVED this episode and the story from the gentleman. Always loved Vigor and 5 cylinder. Had no idea they also made it in 2.0 liter variant!
I love it when there's something I never knew about a brand I love! Thanks !!!!!!
I remember watching a video a few years ago that shaped my mind when it came to thinking of engine sounds, which is that an engine's cylinder count, and its divisible counterparts, occupy the same note range/octaves (6 and 12 cyl: 4 and 8 cyl: 5 and 10 cyl). All this to say I love 5/10 cylinder engines, they sound angry. Cool car, ive never seen it!
And VR engines make it sound sortof in between, e.g. VR6 sounds like its half way between a V6 and I5 in terms of angryness.
This is a great car + story, very cool owner !
I love just how informative you're video's are, Thank you Alexi !
Thanks for showing this! I love how many different models the Japanese manufacturers made back in the 80's and 90's.
At first I was like "wait a sec is it snowing?" lol then I noticed those are petals falling, so beautiful
Very cool little car I also love how the owner is very well educated about his vehicle much respect
I've seen a few of 'em in NZ, they are getting rarer now. Thanks, it's cool to see coverage of some of the oddball things you find over there, much appreciated. Chur.
Nice car! Those taillights instantly reminded me of those from the VW Bora (Sedan) :D
Love that your covering something like this , I have a 92 Honda ascot innova here in Canada (1 of 2 in North America I believe) have never seen someone cover one .
I started this video -_- but ended in a full grin. I love this and I feel the owners love for the car.
Being a Honda fanboy, this was really interesting❤️
The Ascot/Rafaga also had an optional GPS/TV display that would fold into the dash electrically. Decent tech
What a car, what a story and what an owner! Also that green interior reminds me of my first car, which was a German 1980s sedan.
I never knew there was a Japanese 5-cylinder, that is so cool!
今年30周年を迎えることができました！より一層愛着が沸きます！一生大事に乗っていきます😀
Really interesting video, I'm waiting for more content like this!
Wow, what a weird coincidence.. I just saw one of these a couple days ago in person over here in the US at the Tail of the Dragon. All I could see from where I was sitting was the side roof line so I thought it was just a regular 4dr Civic parked off to the side and thus I ignored it. And I was distracted by the Eunos Roadster. Wasn't til the guy drove off that I realized it was RHD. Snapped a pic and both my friend and I didn't know what it was and had to do some digging. And then you post this..
We definetly need more of this type of content!
if you see a 2nd gen ascot innova ever, i'd love a video. they're pretty much the 5th gen accord but only in japan and europe, very interesting car
Very cool car, I owned it for 2 years in Russia, only good memories remained!
I LOVE this kind of content.
It's always great when the owner is interested in showing more of their cars.
This video is masterpiece...
Respect to both of you...
I absolutely LOVE the Rafaga and this video is great because of that. Also difficult to talk about with people because the moment you start talking about the car or the fact it has a 5 cylinder, everyone loses you in confusion. Not sure if they were ever imported to the UK but I’ll definitely be doing so at some point and going to town modifying one.
This is the type of content that I need and love
Thanks for posting this oddity. I had a 5 door UKDM Civic 1.8 VTI-S back in the day which had very similar lines, but B18C instead of the 5cyl
Thought we would see at least one skid... at least we can hear them happening somewhere 👍 Best days to you and yours Alexi !
i have a video of me doing a burn out on grass with one of these haha
great stuff as alway 👍 it looks very similar to the UK's 1995-2000 Rover 400.
Rover did use alot of Honda's designs and parts back in the day 😀
i own a honda ascot and seeing this in such condition makes me want to restore the paint and clean it up
Front end reminds me of a Chaser
Mix between a Chaser and a Cresta
Love these and thank you so much for spreading accurate information about them with the G20/G25, Mugen support and chassis facts.
This owner was very passionate and I would love to be in contact with him, if by any chance.
We have quite a lot jdm Ascots and Rafagas in Siberia
Soo good to hear your voice again
You can tell this was one of those bubble era cars, a whole different engine for a few different models.
They'd never do stuff like this today.
I love these uploads, keep it up alexi
That's really cool. Love these type of videos
What a cool guy and a cool car.
That Exa next it brings back memories.
go the exa!
What a great story! Hopefully you will find more.
I used to see these in NZ all the time when i lived there briefly.
Love videos like this, thanks Alexi! I learned something new!
There was loads of these imported into NZ as grey imports. as Rafaga and Ascots, we also got the Ascot Innova, etc.
one of the few JDM cars that don't cost 100% more than their actual sale price
Such a nerdy video. I love it, very entertaining.
That green cloth Interior reminds me of some Individual-specced E36 and E39 BMWs, they had them too.
The mugen version is really beautiful !!
Today I learned what a Honda Rafaga is, and it’s pretty cool for what it is!
Ahhh. The same 5cyl on a Acura vigor? Working with acura only lasted couple years for 5cyl acura in north america
The G25A was also the base engine on the first gen TLs (based on the UA1 Inspire/Saber).
The Acura got the low compression 2.5L the cb5 vigors and rafaga ect has the Japan only 2L
I love seeing old dudes who brought a car new and never let go of it after many years and their love for it is as strong as the day they got it.
I have one of these I imported to the US! It's manual and it's silver with BBS wheels.
Haha if only I could find Mugen bodykit parts for my Ascot, so rare now
I like how the front end looks kind of like a 100 Cresta. Pretty cool car. Never knew about these.
i always thought those 5-cylinder hondas were super neat, unfortunately the only one we got stateside was the Acura Vigor and those are rare in my area (especially in manual).
also sick pulsar nx sportbak next to it, i love those obscure nissans from the 80s/90s.
I wanted a Vigor back in the day. Didn't know that era had a 5-cyl! I must not have been paying attention, hah!
that things sweet, had a g2 legend coupe for a while and started looking into other technical exercises by Honda, we got the vigor in the states too and the 5cyl quite intrigued me, owners seemed happy with them too, but seeing a rwd sedan version is too cool, only thing that might top it in that layout would be a wagon
My friend had one in New Zealand Im going to pick one up this week for $1000nzd they go good and sound quite cool
Love seeing the obscure stuff! I mean my favourite jdm vehicle is Mitsubishi Forte so I guess that makes sense ^^;
"Honda Rafaga" sounds like something you'd get in trouble for saying at school.
been watching your videos for years and just love when you take the time to shine light on these rare & unique corners of the car culture universe. plus, you showing interest in this man's car I'm sure made his day. he was so proud, amazing. thank you for what you do. all of us jdm fan boys here state side love your content.
That car looks very much like the Rover 400 in the UK, I believe Rover and Honda partnered on the design and certain parts but the Rovers used 4 cylinder K-Series engines in a front wheel drive configuration (not the same as Honda’s K-Series.)The dashboard looks almost identical to the Rover 400.
I really like this mixed combined look of an audi and honda
Quite common in New Zealand actually 👍
Love this! Cool car and such a cool owner! Also, rafaga means strong gust of wind in Spanish!
Great video nice car thanks for the information
Pretty neat car, also like the black Nissan Pulsar/EXA next to it, very clean!
I would love this car. I am obsessed with rare Hondas and want to be an expert with a unique collection.
Got an ascot the same colour (more or less the same car) have seen one mugen body kit in nz. All the ones I have seen are leaking oil out the distributor, its just 2 generic orings, "but can't get parts for it mate".
haha they even copied the longitudinal front wheel drive layout of VW/Audi, hilarious. I wonder if those engines are any good for tuning up a bit, if it's worth swapping into something with the correct driven wheels.
edit for those wondering, other FWD cars with a longitudinal engine layout (besides VW/Audi's) include many Subaru's, the Saab 99 and 900, a couple other Hondas like the Legend, Lancia Flavia and fulvia, Citroën 2c-v, a few Chryslers and Renault's, mk1 and 2 Toyota Tercel's, and the largest displacement FWD car ever, the 8.2l Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado.
They go hard. I miss mine.
As a Saab og900 nerd i feel obligated to point out that while the 99 and 900's engine is longitudinal it is also mounted backwards, that is to say the accessory belts are up against the firewall and the clutch is pointed forwards. the engine is tilted over 45degrees to one side and the transmission also serves as the oil pan, although they do not share oil. And lastly power is transferred from the engine to the transmission via chain drive. engines are stout but the transmissions are made from wet cardboard and room temperature butter. You'd think the chain is the weak point, but no the gears themselves are.
Wow. I never knew this Honda existed ! Super cool.
love me some 5 bangers!
never seen this car, thanks Alexi
The CS grade rear looks like a UK Rover MG ZS. But seeing as they were made with Honda it makes sense
is it ra FA ga, or RA fa ga as in spanish, because Ráfaga is spanish for "Burst" wich sounds more badass
I don’t know how to pronounce Spanish properly, so it’s probably the Spanish way. 😅
Yes more of this stuff plz
走りの歓びと持つ誇りに拘った上質ドライバーズサルーン
These were commonly grey used imported in NZ and was the staple of many families in the mid 90s to early 00s. They were not valued very highly or looked after and often after handing it down a couple of generations were neglected servicing and snapped cam shafts which mechanically totalled them. The motors were very special and the Vigor achieved a long and low VIP look for very little money at the time. I think nostalgia was kind to this era of honda. But people always favoured the Civics and Integra of the era more. Leaving these to fall below the wayside. But those who owned one will always remember how special they were.
do you know how the cam shafts snapped, like what caused it, because i own an ascot and drive it pretty hard in nz
@@Doublehondas neglected maintenance
@@stanleychung88 okay so since I’m into cars and maintenance the cars I own, then I shouldn’t worry
Jdm is really a whole new world to discover. Very interesting
No sunroof in the manual, but then the car is AT あやああ
5 cylinder was also Volvos thing since the 850 and up until the current VEA engine ;)
This and the chaser are on the same league. This being an audi, and the chaser as the 5 series.
Owner seems like a really nice guy
Early 5 Cylinder Engines made me a petrol head. They sound great, no matter how much you rev it.
I'd say there were quite a few to land in newzealand, somewhat of a car for the classic Karen. Like the bluebird to the primera this is the nugget of Honda at the time.
I miss my Rafaga it went hard but mine had 300,000+ kilometres on there and it was a bit tired and rusty.
Did I saw rolling at the background lotus Europa
2:42 side view screams BMW e36 for me
What year is this car? Or what years were Rafagas made? It strikes me as late 90s or early 2000s, but I'm not sure.
1993-1997
I don't know what else to say except that the owner is legendary.
I'm more impressed in the nissan exa with the hatch I have always wanted one
It looks like the old Rover 45 or the 600 to me. Its just got a new front and back ends changed.
I'd would have still chosen one of the Volvo I5 variants at that time but I'm sure this was less expensive