Honda is Using a Retro-Inspired Accord Station Wagon to Showcase the Type R Crate Engine at SEMA

Back in 1996, Naoki Hattori won the Japanese Touring Car Championship in dominating fashion, driving a colorful Honda Accord. Now, 25 years later, Honda is commemorating that victory with a retro-rad SEMA concept build.

Appropriately dubbed “Project 96,” the car draws plenty of inspiration from the original.

Using the station wagon (!!!) version of the aforementioned Honda Accord, Honda collaborated with famed tuning shop Mountune and respected wheel manufacturer Fifteen52 on the build.

And they started by plunking the Civic Type R crate engine under the Accord’s hood.

Originally revealed in 2017, the Type R crate engine is billed as the most powerful Honda automobile production engine made in America. It’s a 2.0-liter DOHC direct-injected i-VTEC turbocharged motor making 306 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 295 lb.-ft. of torque across a 2,500 to 4,500 rpm powerband.

But this Accord race car replica has plenty of other track-focused modifications too, including Brembo brakes poached from the Civic Type R, along with a full cage and Sparco racing seats.

Outside, the Accord wears JDM-spec headlights and aerodynamic side mirrors that mimic the ones found on the original.

The car’s white, orange, red, and green paint scheme is a direct homage to the 1996 championship-winning race car as well.

Oh, and those rims…

The Accord’s retro-race vibe is complemented with a set of Fifteen52 Podium White Wheels.