Science Ex–Car and Driver Twin-Engine 1984 Honda CR-X²

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This 1984 Honda CRX is a twin-engine coupe that was initially built in the mid-1980s by Car and Driver with support from American Honda Motor Company. Dubbed the CR-X², the car was modified with a second stock CRX powertrain for the rear wheels that was supplied by Honda and installed by Racing Beat. Car and Driver later fitted two 1.8L inline-four engines and four-speed automatic transaxles sourced from an Accord along with a Mugen body kit. It also has a MacPherson strut suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and electronic fuel injection. Inside, Recaro bucket seats trimmed in blue vinyl and patterned cloth are accompanied by a sport steering wheel as well as two sets of auxiliary gauges installed within a custom center console. The car spent over two decades with its prior owner in Florida before being acquired by the seller and relocated to Southern California in 2022. Subsequent refurbishment work included the addition of CR-X² graphics and 15″ MSW alloy wheels as well as installation of a replacement fuel tank. It was featured on BaT in November 2023 following the work and appeared in an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage in December 2024. This CRX is now offered at no reserve with a binder of records and correspondence, a collection of magazines featuring the car, and a clean California title in the seller’s name.
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The project was initiated by Car and Driver in 1984 with help from American Honda Motor Company, who supplied the magazine with a Greek White–finished 1984 CRX as well as a spare engine and a collection of additional parts and components. Installation of a second rear-mounted 1.5L inline-four and three-speed automatic transaxle took place at Racing Beat in Anaheim, California, and included the addition of a retrofitted front suspension clip out back as well as custom-fabricated chassis reinforcements. The car appeared on the cover of the May 1985 issue of Car and Driver shown above.
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Entitled “Synchronicity,” the May 1985 feature embedded here notes that the car covered thousands of evaluation miles at the hands of the magazine staff including a trip to the track for instrumented testing. Car and Driver‘s period test recorded a 0-60 time of 8.0 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 16.0 seconds at 85 mph.

A follow-up piece dubbed “Super Synchronicity” that appeared in the October 1985 issue is embedded above. It lays out further modifications made to the vehicle that year including the addition of a Mugen body kit as well as an update of the powertrain with twin 1.8L inline-fours paired with four-speed automatic transaxles. Another round of testing yielded a 6.2-second 0-to-60 run as well as a 14.5 second quarter-mile time at 95 mph.
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The car changed hands between a string of private owners in the late 1980s and early 1990s before being sold to its prior long-term owner in 1996. It was acquired by the seller in 2022 and subsequently underwent a cosmetic refurbishment process that is documented on their YouTube channel, Carchaeology. Work involved adding custom CR-X² graphics to the tail panel and doors as well as repainting the exterior trim black and performing paint touch-up at the rear to correct damage from shipping. Upon completion of the project, the car was driven again by Car and Driver and featured on their site in December 2024.
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An air intake for the rear-mounted engine is incorporated into the fuel-cap cutout, and further details include red accent striping, remote-controlled side mirrors, and quad exhaust outlets. The seller notes stone chips on the front air dam, cracks and chips on the side cladding, and various other imperfections around the vehicle.
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The 15″ MSW alloy wheels feature lockable center caps as well as contrasting gray-finished insets. The wheels were sourced and mounted with 195/50 Toyo Extensa HP tires under current ownership. The chassis features custom-fabricated reinforcements added as part of the installation of the retrofitted MacPherson strut front suspension setup out back. Koni shocks are paired with torsion bars at all four corners, and braking is handled by power-assisted four-wheel discs.
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The cabin features Recaro bucket seats upholstered in blue vinyl with patterned cloth inserts, which extend to the door panels. A custom removable cover aft of the seats hides the rear-mounted engine, and further appointments include a heater, a rear window defroster, retractable seatbelts, and crank windows. The installed Sony AM/FM cassette stereo is inoperative, and wear is noted on the outboard bolster of the driver’s seat.
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The three-spoke sport steering wheel frames a tachometer with a 6,500-rpm redline accompanied by a 120-mph speedometer and gauges for fuel level and coolant temperature. A custom console houses an Accord-sourced shifter as well as dual tachometers and additional auxiliary gauges. The six-digit odometer shows 51k miles, approximately 100 of which have been added under current ownership.
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The factory 1.5L inline-four and three-speed automatic gearbox were initially paired with a matching powertrain out back before both were supplanted with 1.8L engines mated to four-speed automatic transaxles that were sourced from contemporary Honda Accords in 1985. Both engines feature PGM-FI electronic fuel injection and are linked with a custom exhaust system.
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The rear-mounted 1.8L inline-four is mounted ahead of the rear axle utilizing a retrofitted front suspension clip. The front and rear–engined setup makes for an four-wheel-drive package. Custom cables connect the accelerator pedal and shift mechanism with the rear engine and gearbox.
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Following a period of storage said to be due to a leaking rear fuel cell, the car was fitted with a replacement fuel tank in 2022. Additional work under current ownership has involved installation of a replacement battery and fuel injectors.
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A binder of records, correspondence, and schematics is included in the sale along with a collection of magazines featuring the car that can be viewed in the gallery.

The Carfax report shows no accidents or damage and lists history in Michigan and Florida. A June 2003 entry notes that an “Exceeds Mechanical Limits” title was issued to this vehicle in error.”

The car is registered as Planned Non-Operation in the state of California, and the seller states that the car cannot pass a California emissions test.
 
I bet this would be fun as fuck to drive. And now I'm stuck in a nostalgia hole. I miss my old yellow '89 CRX more than many of my dead relatives. Favorite car I've ever owned. Nothing like packing 3-5 people into a two seater and raising hell on the backroads.

Fuck, I'm old.
 
Cars like this and the MR2 are my fantasy, my version of the Corvette.

It's a shame it's so hard to find cars like this now.
 
Have thought for awhile that the CRX, as good as it was, would have benefited from being rear-wheel-drive....but this is even better. Twice the power, 50/50 weight distribution and AWD must be quite a hoot to drive.

Edit: the twin-engine thing jogged my memory a bit, I thought I remembered reading an article about this car a few years back but it was actually a different article about a twin-engine Chevy Citation that was a Corvette test mule.

 
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Oh man, I bet something wonky like that done right is a complete blast to drive. I'm not ashamed to say I want the thing.
 
Edit: the twin-engine thing jogged my memory a bit, I thought I remembered reading an article about this car a few years back but it was actually a different article about a twin-engine Chevy Citation that was a Corvette test mule.
There was also the Eldorado "TwinStar" with a second Northstar V8 in the trunk. Apparently Mosler built 5 of them, and the proportions out back are hilarious:

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There was also the Eldorado "TwinStar" with a second Northstar V8 in the trunk. Apparently Mosler built 5 of them, and the proportions out back are hilarious:

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From the side it looks like a stretched Fiero if you squint a bit. It probably rode nicely but I shudder to imagine the turning radius.
 
I bet this would be fun as fuck to drive. And now I'm stuck in a nostalgia hole. I miss my old yellow '89 CRX more than many of my dead relatives. Favorite car I've ever owned. Nothing like packing 3-5 people into a two seater and raising hell on the backroads.

Fuck, I'm old.
I was going to post the exact same thing. The only thing different is mine wasn't yellow (although I wished it was!) but it WAS an '89.

The mpg was nuts too, well over 40 highway. And even though gas was still around buck a gallon I was a broke-ass 20 year old and my wallet appreciated it.
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but why was it tagged under science? And can't tell if disguised ad or waxing nostalgic.
 
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