Description
1991 EF1 Honda Civic 23L Special Edition Hatch Back – Flint Black Metallic Color
Price: $19,995 (plus shipping)
Mileage: 84,698 km (approx. 52,628 miles)
Location: Available for local pickup or shipping
Title: Export Certificate
Vehicle Overview
Introducing a 1991 EF1 Honda Civic 23L Special Edition Hatch Back, now available in our inventory. Finished in factory Flint Black Metallic (NH-526M) over an Off Black interior, this is a 5 speed manual car with only 84,698 km on it. Clean engine bay, clean under carriage, and still wearing its OEM window visors and bronze glass. Original, unmolested EF hatches are getting hard to find.
Key Features
- Engine: 1.3L SOHC 16 Valve D13B (82 PS)
- Transmission: 5 Speed Manual
- Chassis Code: E-EF1
- Exterior Color: Flint Black Metallic (NH-526M)
- Interior Color: Off Black
- Mileage: 84,698 km (approx. 52,628 miles)
- Comfort & Convenience
- Air Conditioning Works Very Well & Blows Good Cold Air
- Power Windows & Power Steering
- Tilt Steering Column
- Rear Wiper & Factory Rear Spoiler
- Split Folding Rear Seats
- Classic 1990s JDM Styling
- OEM & JDM Details
- Gathers Radio Tape Deck
- OEM Mud Guards
- OEM Factory Honda Access Window Visors
- OEM Bronze Glass
- Original Floor Mats in Mint Condition
- Clean Engine Bay
- Clean Under Carriage
- Chassis & Specs
- Double Wishbone Suspension Front & Rear
- Front Disc / Rear Drum Brakes
- Front Wheel Drive
- 900 kg Curb Weight
- 2,500 mm Wheelbase
History & Background
The fourth generation Civic, built from September 1987 to August 1991, is known in Japan as the “Grand Civic.” This car was assembled in January 1991, putting it in the final months of the EF’s production run.
It was the first Civic to use double wishbone suspension at all four corners — a layout normally found under sports cars and luxury sedans, not economy hatchbacks. That decision is why the EF still handles the way it does and why it became a tuner and club racing favorite for the next three decades. The chassis earned a spot on Car and Driver’s 10Best list every single year it was built.
The EF is also the platform that introduced VTEC to the world. In late 1989 Honda released the Civic SiR (EF9) with the B16A, the first engine to carry Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control. On track, Honda’s touring car team ran the EF in the Japanese Touring Car Championship starting in 1988, where Mugen pulled 205 horsepower out of the B16A and took the manufacturer’s championship in 1990 against Toyota’s Corolla Levin.
Why the mileage is so low: Japan’s mandatory shaken inspection gets progressively more expensive as a car ages, and owning an older car carried a real social stigma during the boom years. Most Japanese owners cycled out of their cars every four or five years rather than pay to keep them registered. Cars got parked, sold, or exported instead of driven into the ground. 84,698 km over thirty-five years is normal for a surviving JDM car, not a red flag.
This car was built at the peak of Japan’s bubble economy, which ran from 1986 until it collapsed in late 1991. The 23L was never the halo model — it was the everyday commuter grade, the one people actually used and eventually threw away. That is exactly why a clean, original, low mileage example is harder to find today than the sport models everyone knew to save.
Additional Notes:
- This vehicle is sold AS IS and comes with a with the export certificate.
- Please note: as a used vehicle, it will have cosmetic imperfections such as dents, scratches, or surface rust consistent with age.
- Shipping is available at an additional cost, or the vehicle can be picked up locally.
A low mileage EF hatch, Good pick for a collector, a weekend car, or a solid base to build on.
