by Gabrielle DeSantis

This yellow and green 1996 Honda Civic hatchback will undoubtedly turn the heads of any onlookers and for those well versed in the import tuning scene, it will refresh memories. This isn’t the typical budget-built, Autozone-special Civic that you can currently find in your local Craigslist search. Instead, this particular hatchback was built by world-renowned Honda and Acura tuner JUN Auto Mechanic, and it’s currently listed on Bring A Trailer.

The JUN Auto Civic has been around

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As you can probably guess, this 96 Honda Civic was popular around the time that the original The Fast and the Furious made its cinematic debut. But don’t get it twisted, this JUN Auto-modified Civic wasn’t a product of hyped-up cinematics. Instead, it’s a product of hard labor and some expert tuning.

In fact, if you were a fan of the tuning magazines from the early 2000s, then you might remember seeing this car on the cover of Super Street magazine. In 2001, the tuner magazine gave this car away to a lucky subscriber but it then changed hands to its current owner in 2005. Bring A Trailer notes that the Carfax for the car reveals no prior accidents, five different owners, and at least one open recall. That’s not bad, considering the car is 25 years old.

Its modification list is extensive

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Getting to the nitty-gritty, the JUN Auto Civic has quite the list of modifications. According to the car’s description in the BAT listing, the Civic is powered by a JUN-modified, 1.8-liter B18C crate engine that’s mated to a five-speed Integra Type R transmission with custom gearing. Other modifications include a Cusco limited-slip differential, Sparco bucket seats, and 17-inch Volk Racing TE37 wheels finished in white and wrapped in Yokohama S Drive rubber.

Beneath those white wheels lies a set of Tanabe adjustable coil overs that sit above Integra GSR-sourced disc brakes with Brembo cross-drilled and slotted rotors. On the outside, the Civic sports a yellow and green paint job indicative of JUN Auto’s trademark colors in addition to some well-placed graphics. Other exterior modifications include a Civic Type R front grille and spoiler as well as a JUN Auto vented hood, headlight covers, and rear spoiler.

Magazines are included with the sale

As you can probably tell by now, this JUN Auto Civic means serious track-ready business. It was even featured in an older Super Street story, which noted that this Civic makes around 220 hp to the wheels and is capable of pulling off 13-second quarter-miles passes at a high elevation. Again, not bad for a Civic that looks like a background car in all of the Fast and Furious movies.

The JUN Auto Civic is currently being sold on the Bring A Trailer auction site with a current bid of $15,750 (as of this writing). How much it will end up selling for is a total mystery, however, we wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up over $20,000. Also, if it sweetens the deal, the description says that the car will come with copies of the Super Street magazine that it was featured in. Now that’s what we call a “good deal.”

The post The Legendary JUN Auto Honda Civic Will Turn Heads and Refresh Memories appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

BMW has launched a pair of all-electric vehicles, the i4 sedan and its crossover compatriot, the iX. More importantly, there’s a hot i4 coming that will be called the M50. Whether intentionally or not, the Bavarian marque has just created a competitor the their own sports sedan: the M3. The M50 is cheaper and quite possibly faster in a straight line, but whether it can truly compete with enthusiasts remains to be seen.

BMW i4 M50: specs and options

The M50 version of the i4 certainly has what it takes to bring down the M3 on paper. With a 245 mile range, it’ll probably go just as far as the M3. The new EV also boasts 536 hp and runs a very EV-like 0-60 of 3.9 seconds, according to the German brand. For reference, the new M3 Competition touts 503 hp and a blistering 4.3-second sprint to 60, nearly identical to the M50.

That zero to sixty number may look like a big gap, but the difference is nearly imperceptible from the driver’s seat. Where the difference is felt is in the handling. The M50 will come with a sort of “handling pack” with optional improvements like strut tower bars to help the heavy EV feel more nimble. Frankly, handling is where this car needs to be focused, as it’ll feel nothing like the M3 if the car doesn’t seem to shrink around you in the corners.

A cut above (or below)

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Here’s where the i4 M50 really gets the M3: price. The new M50 starts a staggering $4000 less than the base M3, at $65,900. In contrast, a decently specced M3 will run you nearly $30,000 more, ending up just barely on the right side of $95,000, and that’s not even the Competition model. Serious savings to be sure, but enthusiasts aren’t here to save a buck. It’s the drive that counts for them.

Without ever having been near either the M50 or the M3, it’s plain to see that the M3 just has something on the M50. Be it the manual transmission, flared fenders, or loud paint options. BMW seems to think some enthusiasts are ready to move on from the feel of petrol cars to electric ones, and that’s the real question. What kind of experience do you as either an enthusiast or a consumer want?

Is an electric sports sedan for you?

From an enthusiasts’ point of view, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the M50 even touching the M3 in terms of sales, driving experience, or feel. BMW has simply spent so much more time learning to make petrol cars drive better and better every year. The Bavarians are a little new to this EV thing, after all. Maybe in a few years, the brand will be able to pull enthusiasts away from their filthy gas-powered cars, but probably not with the M50.

The post The BMW i4 M50 Is the All-Electric M3 Alternative appeared first on MotorBiscuit.