Nnovation - Simon’s Milano red EM1
Author/Photographer: Kai Her (@spoonin.ap2), November 5th, 2024
I can recount plenty of times that when you read a blog about a vehicle (via Super Street, Stance Mag., etc.), the writer would predominantly concentrate on documenting about the contents and attainments of the car; because of course, what else would it be about. I wanted to utilize this opportunity to discuss about Simon’s Civic (EM1) in that way to demonstrate in detail what he has acquired for the Civic and how much dedication he has invested into it. You would “xplicitly” get a glimpse of the time and effort he has put into his build. Although it would be delightful to chatter about his build in that routine and explain how he has built it, I thought it will be much more interesting avenue to actually shift that focus onto something else.
Instead, I envisioned that it would be a neat idea to centralize my blog about how I met Simon. I will be verbalizing through writing about how our interests and hobbies align, how we’ve come to know each other, and how our relationship was cultivated through cars. I’ll make sure to record his car parts as much as I can, on the side as well. That way, if you are curious about something you see on the Civic, I hope to mention that throughout the entirety of the blog.
I have voiced myself numerous times about the gratification and melancholic moments of building a car whilst including how that would shape who you are as an individual, but the people you meet along the journey is equally important, or even more essential. I love tinkering with my S2000, however if I have to be completely honest with myself, I hold in a higher regard to the relationships I’ve built alongside the car.
There’s something uniquely personal about the connections you build with people in the car community. It’s not just about the nuts and bolts of building a vehicle, or in my case, stripping bolts. LOL! Instead, its largely about the experiences shared along the way, and more importantly, the moments that define the relationships you’re striving for with a common goal. When I reminisce how Simon and I became friends, I can’t help but feel grateful for how cars brought us together. Furthermore, how they’ve allowed us to share parts of our lives that go beyond just the projects at that moment. There’s a silent and unspoken kind of comprehension that develops between people who spend hours on cars together, their hands covered in grease and paint, frustration and elation intertwined into each adjustment and improvement. You begin to learn a lot about a person through those moments, and with Simon, I learned about dedication, patience, and learning how to better cook in the kitchen! I guess I can say the quiet feelings tend to always strive for something better—whether that’s in the car or in each other’s life.
What I cherish most about my friendship with Simon, however, is how building cars became a catalyst for something much deeper. Our shared values, the support we’ve given one another, and the lessons we’ve learned along the way. AND! The abusement a friend’s particular skill in toiling with cars! LOL! I’ve seen Simon gone through his own ups and downs with his Civic. Yet, through it all, his resilience and passion remained unwavering. Those moments, whether it was both challenging and rewarding have assisted in shaping who he is today, just as my own build has molded me. It’s these moments of difficulties and triumph that have fundamentally glued our bond tightly. The cars, of course, will always be the backdrop to our friendship, but it’s the time we’ve spent together, the conversations, the bullsh!t, and the shared silences that has cemented this journey together so beautifully. In the end, it’s not the cars we build that define us; it’s the people we build them with. And I’m incredibly thankful for the friend I’ve found in Simon.
Simon’s EM1’s execution is spot on! The J-Blood front bumper (which he won from a raffle) made up the front nose of the car and a First Molding hood to accompany it. The “elephant ear” stock side mirrors have been swapped out for a more sporty OEM look: EK9 side mirrors. The headlights have been removed and substituted to the EK9 headlights as well. Not quite visible, but can be spotted from thorough investigation from this photo was the Mugen inspired rear valences as well. The EM1 still obtained an OEM execution with a nice flow of tasteful JDM parts.
A long time ago before NnovatioN, Simon and I were silent Facebook friends. I had friends and cousins that connected with Simon. However, Simon and I would never really have an opportunity to just meet, but we knew of each other’s existence. A good explanation to demonstrate that would be when car person knows another person by what they drive and not how they look like. Well, that was me and Simon before we became NnovatioN. Self reflecting about the past, Simon actually associated with my late older brother: Lue, more than me. They’ll hang out, drink, and talk whenever Lue would take a trip down to Fresno to hang out with his friends. Apparently, Simon would also be invited as well when Lue was in town because they shared the same circle of friends.
Although, both Simon and I communicated scarcely in the past, I wouldn’t know how to explain the feeling well, but I felt like we somewhat just knew of each other by the pictures and posts we would share regularly on our Facebook wall. I wasn’t stalking Simon at all. LOL! I would just look out and unknowingly expect to see what he have attained or installed on his vehicle on a regular basis.
Another picture exposing the front end. I personally think the J-Blood bumper could use a little love for a smoother transition on where the fender meets the bumper tabs. Overall, it’s a neatly designed and more aggressive bumper that is perfect for the EJ8/EM1’s.
I became Facebook friends with Simon before any of the NnovatioN brothers, I will have to give Kong the credit in always being brave about grabbing us together into a circle. His motto was: “we are stronger by numbers.” Well, that’s what it was then, but that perspective have altered after we adopted the NnovatioN impression of quality being grandeur than quantity.
Simon and my first official meet was at an Import Face-off car show in Bakersfield. During that time, Simon owned a black Civic hatchback and I have already been modifying the S2000. As you have visualize it, Simon and I hit it off and we were like two peas in a pod. We already knew each other online without really knowing each other directly. It was a pleasant feeling to own, and a wonderful experience you can’t really just express. Everything kind of just fell into the right places during that initial meet. Our visions, goals, sense of humor, and mainly our personality resonated with each other.
Throughout the bay, you can easily see the Spoon Sports accessories and parts (front tower brace, radiator hoses, spark plug wires, spark plug wire, oil cap). The valve cover have been dipped in a yellow fashion in continuance of representation of the Spoon Sport theme. The B16 was also equipped with an AEM fuel rail and the stock plastic intake arm have been replaced with a carbon kelvar arm with GReddy couplers. Titanium hardware was easy to spot on the valve cover, and connected to a NTP catch can that is attached to the firewall. Simon left the air conditioner system intacted in the car and the bay have been refreshed by Kong a few years back. The ITR headers have also been sanded down and polished for good measure as well.
Shortly after the results of the show and our initial meet, Simon sold his Civic. I recall Simon straying away from the car scene for a good minute. It wasn’t until he picked up this EM1 shell locally for a bargain. Thereafter, he had the car repainted and leisurely recollected any JDM parts he could source and gradually build up the EM1 to how it sits today.
A carbon fiber Gruppe M intake box/filter met the end of the carbon kelvar intake arm. The engine bay is beautifully dressed with Password: JDM dress up bolts for a cleaner appearance.
As Simon’s EM1 continued evolving, our friendship elevated along with it. We would eventually gain more opportunities over the months to find a reason to hangout whenever we could. A memorable moment of another encounter was at another show, but closer to home. Lowkatski threw together a car show at a lake not too far from home and Simon invited me. With his cousins, himself, and after finishing putting the EM1 together, I rendezvous with him in the S2000. Like how Te37’s are forged, our friendship continued to also forge as we continually mesh cars into our livelihood.
Simon swapped out the original EM1 Si cluster and installed a CTR EK9 cluster. The bezel is a dry carbon piece, unlike the Em1. The MPH have also been converted into KM/H and the RPM goes up all the way to 8.5k, rather than 8k. The needles were no longer red and were yellow. The final touch to the cluster was the “CIVIC TYPE R” logo on the cluster! It’s a very nice and affordable cluster if you don’t want to convert to an S2000 digital cluster or pay a pretty penny for a Spoon or Mugen cluster.
Throughout the evolution of Simon’s interior, he has come a long way. Especially with figuring out which seats would look best on the EM1. I believe at one time, he had some CTR EK9 Recaro seats (in red) after restoring the EM1. Not too long after that, he bought a pair of Bride adjustable seats which I absolutely didn’t enjoy at all. They were bulking and it just didn’t look right inside the Civic. Perhaps another chassis would have been a better fit. I’m glad Simon got rid of it and is now rocking some clean yellow Recaro Tomcats.
For a short period of time, Simon would get too preoccupied and wouldn’t be able to attend car shows as much as I could. I’ll connect with Kong and presenting the opportunity to compete in numerous car shows throughout California, but he would get to attached to reality and not be available as well. Whether it was a good reason or a lame excuse (LOL), I’ll still go out and compete by myself.
However, when Wekfest San Jose finally drew nearer, I was able to convince Kong to go compete with me. We also invited Simon into the circle and it was methodical to forge our friendship through these multiple events silently in the background. Before I can actually grasp of better understanding of what transpired between me and Simon, we were already quite deep into each other’s lives. The bromance have already blossomed to fruition!
Carefully chosen from the multiple sets of iconic wheels inside his garage, the photo above was Simon’s newest addition to the wheel family. A set of Mugen MF10’s redone in silver. The wheel also housed a Mugen blue themed center cap and the Spoon Sport lug nuts was a nice addition to the center cap and valve stem. Behind the front wheels are a set of Spoon twinblock calipers in continuance of the blue color scheme. Wearing some Falken RT615k+ rubber, the wheel was pleasurablely tucked right under the fender with minimal gap.
Outside of shade, you can clearly observe that Simon doesn’t ride the EM1 too low compared to how I like riding my S2000. It’s a nice drop and it’s not too low. Which is good because Simon wouldn’t have to maneuver his way on and out of a driveway with tremendous effort.
Because of the conjunction of cars, food, and humor, all that made up the pillar of the friendship between me and Simon. I enjoy hanging out with Simon as much as any of the NnovatioN brothers. I’ll be honest, he IS the light of the party! Simon’s extremely down to earth, a good chef in the kitchen, and always looking out for us, although he is the youngest out of us all! Age is just a number and experiences definitely outweigh that. I often perceive him more of a older brother to me, rather than a younger brother.
The way Simon carries himself around us and his family is uncopiable! He easily talks to people naturally. He doesn’t like a quiet conversation. He asks questions more than answering one and always have a lot to say. I enjoy having him by my side immensely and feel truly blessed to be able to uncover a friendship and brotherhood like what Simon and I have conjured throughout the years.
Simon’s EM1 back to back to Kong’s NSX. Both cars are sporting a set of Mugen MF10! The real question is: who wore it better?
This pretty much takes up the whole blog, guys! Thanks for reading my formulation of my brotherhood with Simon. It’s insane how silent recognition and unspoken acknowledgement really paints a full picture of how our paths crossed. Sometimes, the best friendships aren’t born from grand gestures or loud moments. To simply put it, they’re quietly cultivated in the shared spaces of life (whether it be personal or not), in the hours spent working side by side, and in the understanding that doesn’t need words.
Looking back, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful for this journey we’ve taken together as brothers in arms. It’s a reminder that the cars we build and the projects we pour our hearts into are only small part of a beautiful story; the true value lies in the people we share and forge memories with. Simon has not only been a friend, but a brother who’s been there through thick and thin, teaching me as much about life as he has about cars.
So, here's to many more late-night wrench sessions, endless conversations, and the unspoken bond we share. I'm truly thankful for him, and I’m sure many of you have that one person who has shaped your journey too. If you do, hold on to them—because it's these connections that make the ride worthwhile for a lifetime!
Thanks for reading! I got to go feed my baby a bottle now! Good night!
