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Alex Nguyen's '97 Prelude

Propulsion

Nguyen's Lude finds motivation from an H22A4 stuffed with pistons, rings, cams and springs from a Japanese H22A. Compression is bumped to 11.0:1. Ferrea stainless-steel valves and JUN Type 2 titanium retainers (gold titanium nitride coated as an option from the factory) round out the valvetrain with Skunk2 cam gears regulating reciprocation.
The H breathes with the aid of a JDM BB6 intake, Mugen header and Tanabe Racing Medallion exhaust. Ignition mods are limited to NGK plugs and wires, while an ECU reprogrammed by Nguyen's friend Joel raises the rev limiter for more top end pull.
Drivetrain mods are modest, just an Exedy sports clutch and JUN flywheel.

Stance

For around-town driving or weekend canyon runs, Nguyen goes with a Tanabe Sustec Pro SS setup that some of his friends criticize as too soft, but Nguyen says is just fine for him. But when it comes time to hit the track, Nguyen swaps out for Mugen adjustable coilovers. Spoon Sports front and rear strut tower bars, and EM Racing C-pillar bar further the chassis bracing.

Rims & Rubber

Nguyen sticks with a classic combo for his contact patch: a set of silver Mugen MF10s sized 17x7.5 with +48 offset wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza RE-01's (215/40/17).

Fashion

Outside

Can't go wrong with Mugen front bumper, side skirts and rear valances, painted to match the Nighthawk Black Pearl factory coat. Nguyen also adapted mirrors, finished in carbon fiber outside, from his buddy's DC2 for his Prelude.

Inside

JDM ITR buckets sit atop Recaro universal rail sliders, themselves mounted to Wedge Engineering brackets for Prelude. Takata 4-point harnesses cinch driver and passenger for a spirited ride, while Mugen FG360 steering wheel, Mugen Sport pedals and Spoon Sports shift knob offer input and feedback.

Ice

Keeping it real simple, Nguyen only swapped out the factory head unit for an Alpine deck.

We love the Prelude faithful. We admire their determination to do something with a model that's never been an instant go-to choice for new or returning Honda heads. And even within the Prelude camp, most enthusiasts seem to gravitate towards the fourth-generation variety. Hence when we see a well-executed fifth-generation, the last Prelude to take a bow, we take notice.
The fifth-gen has never been a crowd favorite, but to us, it's one of the best styled and most muscular of the family. It's also the biggest and heaviest, a result of Honda continually throwing new technology until, at least to some minds (especially inside Honda), the Prelude lost its way. The lean, sporty coupe of the late 80's/early 90's had evolved into a thick, still performance-oriented slab by the end its run near the end of the decade.

Which is precisely why Alex Nguyen chose to build up a BB6.

"I'm a big fan of the NSX, but couldn't afford it, and the S2000 wasn't out yet," Nguyen explains. "Everybody else was doing Civics and Integras. I had a DC myself. I guess [I picked the fifth-gen] just because no one else liked it. I wanted to do something new."

His plan took shape when a friend gave up on his own Prelude project and offered up the parts he'd largely sourced from JHP and OTP Auto, including pistons, valve springs, camshaft, and a rear seat from a JDM Prelude Type S. "Once he gave up on the project, everything was for sale," Nguyen says.

Nguyen and a friend assembled the motor in the garage of a friendly San Diego shop, Aero Cosmetics, and later added an intake from a JDM BB6, Mugen header and Tanabe Racing Medallion exhaust.

But there are a couple of things you can't help but notice about Nguyen's Lude. One of them is the deep and rich Nighthawk Black Pearl factory paint, with barely a sticker in sight but for the Mugen stripe running along the top of the rear quarter panel and door.

The second is the stance. Dropped more than two inches at all corners with Tanabe Sustec Pro SS adjustable coilovers and ending in silver 17-inch Mugen MF10's, Nguyen's Lude looks all muscle. The look intensifies when viewed from head-on, staring down the gullet of the Mugen front bumper and side skirts. Nguyen even fesses up to swapping in Mugen coilovers for track days, preferring the Tanabe kit for daily duties.

We're starting to notice a theme here. You're not a fan of Mugen gear, are ya Alex?
"A lot of people ask me that," he admits. "I just try and stick to the script, I guess. I don't really like mixing and matching. [The aero] is a nice-looking kit. After I got that, it was basically whatever I could get my hands on, I'd go for it. I did my DC up full Mugen too, so I guess it just stuck with me. I never thought about picking up other stuff, other companies."

Which isn't totally true, as Nguyen allows. Inside the valvetrain, he carries Ferrea and JUN components, and the transmission holds an Exedy clutch and JUN flywheel. Spoon Sports strut tower bars front and rear stiffen up the lateral loads. There's a bit of an interior clash between the Mugen pedals and Spoon shift knob.

But we'll cut the guy some slack. Everything else is orchestrated well, including the Integra Type R Recaros, Takata four-points and FG360 steering wheel. For a Sunday morning canyon runner and low-profile show stopper, it's got all the pieces in place. Getting himself to work and back is the work of his '95 Integra. Early morning runs with friends and the semi-regular track day are exclusively the domains of this BB.

Standing back and gazing once again on Nguyen's finished work, we have to ask: weren't you ever thrown by the cost involved in sourcing all of these gooch Mugen parts and pieces?

"No, it's a fun hobby. I definitely enjoy it, can't see anything wrong with it. There were a couple of times when my girlfriend might have asked why I was spending so much on something like [these parts]. Anyways, I got really good deals on all of this stuff and I don't dump crazy money into my car all the time. It's just whenever I come by something that's nice and cool."