CL7 Accord Euro R (Very pic heavy)
Discussion
I've owned this car for about 18 months now, and have been meaning to do a thread on it since early day's but I've finally got it to a place where I'm really happy with it so bare with me as there are a lot of photos to share 
What better place to start than the beginning. A good mate of mine bought himself a DC5 having previously owned an FN2, EP3 and getting bored of a stage 2 Focus ST.
I'd driven the EP3 (don't think I ever drove the FN), but the moment we picked up the Integra I knew I needed that engine. I was driving an Insignia 2.0T at the time, which probably magnified the impression the Integra had on me – but as cheesy as it sounds that's when what driving was all about really clicked for me. I immediately forgot all about power chasing and knew I needed something naturally aspirated with a good chassis and that handled well and was involving to drive.
Trouble is, I have an 11 year old and hopefully another on the way in the not too distant future, and the Integra wasn't going to be congruent with the direction my life was going. That's when my friend asked me if I'd seen the Accord Euro R's.
For those that are unfamiliar, the Accord Euro R comes in a CL1 and CL7 variant, and are Japanese market only. The CL7 which is the one that caught my attention is a 7th gen Honda Accord with the same K20A lump in it that can be found in the Integra DC5, JDM EP3 and Civic FD2. It shares the same running gear as the DC5, has an LSD, different intake manifold (for a bit more lower down grunt), and double wishbone suspension all round. The latest Accord Type R we got in the UK was the CH1 Accord, and in the next generation the Type R equivalent was only sold in Japan. I knew I wanted to find out more about this car.
The next problem was, that they were few and far between, both ones that were for sale and ones that were owned in the UK. I thought about this car for about a year, had notifications on all for sale channels and in that time only a handful came up for sale, none of which were quite what I wanted, nor close to home so I could go have a look. Over that same year I didn't see a single one on the road either or meet anyone online that lived close enough for me to pop by and have a nose. I knew if I wanted this car then I was going to have to be a bit more proactive and eventually got talking to Mike at Torque GT about the logistics of importing one of my own. Albeit a bit anxious as I'd still not even stepped foot in one, just basing my decision on gut feeling and reviews I'd read online.
Conversations with Torque bounced back and forth for a while, and I was close to biting the bullet and dropping a deposit, when to my disbelief I left my house one day, walked up to my Insignia and there was an Accord Euro R parked BEHIND MY CAR.
If you don't believe me, here it is
I literally could not believe my eyes, for about 18 months this car had just been a fantasy and now there was one parked right outside my house, behind my own boat, almost taunting me to say 'you know you want me'. Needless to say, I drooled over it for a bit, had a good look around, took some photos and left a note on the window screen saying how nice it was, and heres my number, and I'm not a weirdo, please ring me
I didn't get much work done the following day. Checked my phone approximately 7842 times but nothing. A couple of days went past and I was sure I'd blown it. The only thing I'd succeeded in was scaring off some poor bloke into thinking his car was going to be nicked. Then about a week later I get a text from an unknown number saying thanks for the nice note and feel free to ask any questions… and if you don't believe me, here it is
What a nice chap!
Now it turns out that Dave lives about half hour away but works in my hometown and drives the car in and out the city every day, I'd just never seen it. He even plays snooker at the end of my road every Tuesday!! and parks in the area every time
Anyway, messages bounced back and forth for a couple of days and god love the bloke he offered to come take me out for a spin. The following Tuesday he came early for snooker and took me out for a drive beforehand and I finally got a feel for it. Funnily enough I remember thinking it didn't feel very fast, but the Insignia had around 350lb/ft of torque so it wasn't going to, but the handling was outrageous for a saloon and it felt so planted. Interior was nice, seats were comfortable and it confirmed to me that I was making the right decision.
The Insignia went up for sale (sold in two days but thats another story) and I put the deposit down with Torque GT for my new car. Now I just had to wait for it to get into the country. This was probably the longest wait of my life, and I had no car, but it was summer and I enjoy cycling so could be worse. Torque GT were fantastic throughout the whole process, did pretty much everything for me and I just had to sit back and track the boat it was being shipped on watching it stop at numerous other countries on its route to the UK. Worst of all, the ship finally arrived in the UK, at the docks in Southampton which is about 20 minutes from my house, only to be collected and taken 4 hours away down to TGT offices in Devon!
Another two weeks passed whilst all the paperwork got sorted, car got serviced and undercoated, 4 new tyres, clocks converted and so on, finally it was ready to collect. Me and my mate got a train down to Newton Abbot and were collected by Mike (in a Tommi Makinen edition Lancer obviously) and taken back to TGT HQ.
If you've been to TGT you'll know their yard is pretty incredible, spent a good couple hours up there, took the car for a spin (could finally give it some), signed the papers, got myself some Fusso and the deal was done.
After about 2 years of dreaming about this car I was finally the proud owner of my own, completely stock, in the colour I wanted with not a mark on it, and a 4 hour drive ahead of me back to my hometown.
And if you don't believe me, here it is
Stopped off at the pub on the way home for some grub.
(TO BE CONTINUED… as its getting late, and I completely underestimated how long this would take haha. Got a bit carried away so sorry its a bit wordy, but lots of photos to come.)
What better place to start than the beginning. A good mate of mine bought himself a DC5 having previously owned an FN2, EP3 and getting bored of a stage 2 Focus ST.
I'd driven the EP3 (don't think I ever drove the FN), but the moment we picked up the Integra I knew I needed that engine. I was driving an Insignia 2.0T at the time, which probably magnified the impression the Integra had on me – but as cheesy as it sounds that's when what driving was all about really clicked for me. I immediately forgot all about power chasing and knew I needed something naturally aspirated with a good chassis and that handled well and was involving to drive.
Trouble is, I have an 11 year old and hopefully another on the way in the not too distant future, and the Integra wasn't going to be congruent with the direction my life was going. That's when my friend asked me if I'd seen the Accord Euro R's.
For those that are unfamiliar, the Accord Euro R comes in a CL1 and CL7 variant, and are Japanese market only. The CL7 which is the one that caught my attention is a 7th gen Honda Accord with the same K20A lump in it that can be found in the Integra DC5, JDM EP3 and Civic FD2. It shares the same running gear as the DC5, has an LSD, different intake manifold (for a bit more lower down grunt), and double wishbone suspension all round. The latest Accord Type R we got in the UK was the CH1 Accord, and in the next generation the Type R equivalent was only sold in Japan. I knew I wanted to find out more about this car.
The next problem was, that they were few and far between, both ones that were for sale and ones that were owned in the UK. I thought about this car for about a year, had notifications on all for sale channels and in that time only a handful came up for sale, none of which were quite what I wanted, nor close to home so I could go have a look. Over that same year I didn't see a single one on the road either or meet anyone online that lived close enough for me to pop by and have a nose. I knew if I wanted this car then I was going to have to be a bit more proactive and eventually got talking to Mike at Torque GT about the logistics of importing one of my own. Albeit a bit anxious as I'd still not even stepped foot in one, just basing my decision on gut feeling and reviews I'd read online.
Conversations with Torque bounced back and forth for a while, and I was close to biting the bullet and dropping a deposit, when to my disbelief I left my house one day, walked up to my Insignia and there was an Accord Euro R parked BEHIND MY CAR.
If you don't believe me, here it is
I literally could not believe my eyes, for about 18 months this car had just been a fantasy and now there was one parked right outside my house, behind my own boat, almost taunting me to say 'you know you want me'. Needless to say, I drooled over it for a bit, had a good look around, took some photos and left a note on the window screen saying how nice it was, and heres my number, and I'm not a weirdo, please ring me
I didn't get much work done the following day. Checked my phone approximately 7842 times but nothing. A couple of days went past and I was sure I'd blown it. The only thing I'd succeeded in was scaring off some poor bloke into thinking his car was going to be nicked. Then about a week later I get a text from an unknown number saying thanks for the nice note and feel free to ask any questions… and if you don't believe me, here it is
What a nice chap!
Now it turns out that Dave lives about half hour away but works in my hometown and drives the car in and out the city every day, I'd just never seen it. He even plays snooker at the end of my road every Tuesday!! and parks in the area every time
Anyway, messages bounced back and forth for a couple of days and god love the bloke he offered to come take me out for a spin. The following Tuesday he came early for snooker and took me out for a drive beforehand and I finally got a feel for it. Funnily enough I remember thinking it didn't feel very fast, but the Insignia had around 350lb/ft of torque so it wasn't going to, but the handling was outrageous for a saloon and it felt so planted. Interior was nice, seats were comfortable and it confirmed to me that I was making the right decision.
The Insignia went up for sale (sold in two days but thats another story) and I put the deposit down with Torque GT for my new car. Now I just had to wait for it to get into the country. This was probably the longest wait of my life, and I had no car, but it was summer and I enjoy cycling so could be worse. Torque GT were fantastic throughout the whole process, did pretty much everything for me and I just had to sit back and track the boat it was being shipped on watching it stop at numerous other countries on its route to the UK. Worst of all, the ship finally arrived in the UK, at the docks in Southampton which is about 20 minutes from my house, only to be collected and taken 4 hours away down to TGT offices in Devon!
Another two weeks passed whilst all the paperwork got sorted, car got serviced and undercoated, 4 new tyres, clocks converted and so on, finally it was ready to collect. Me and my mate got a train down to Newton Abbot and were collected by Mike (in a Tommi Makinen edition Lancer obviously
) and taken back to TGT HQ. If you've been to TGT you'll know their yard is pretty incredible, spent a good couple hours up there, took the car for a spin (could finally give it some), signed the papers, got myself some Fusso and the deal was done.
After about 2 years of dreaming about this car I was finally the proud owner of my own, completely stock, in the colour I wanted with not a mark on it, and a 4 hour drive ahead of me back to my hometown.
And if you don't believe me, here it is
Stopped off at the pub on the way home for some grub.
(TO BE CONTINUED… as its getting late, and I completely underestimated how long this would take haha. Got a bit carried away so sorry its a bit wordy, but lots of photos to come.)
Butter Face said:
Great looking car. Is it pearl white?
Thanks! Yes it is, really shimmers when the sun is on it this time of year.
Will continue with the write up this evening I imagine
As for spec:
When I bought the car it had 85k on the clock (miles once converted).
2.0 N/A K20A
220bhp
FWD
LSD
Momo steering wheel, Recaro seat etc
Mine was completely stock, which meant huge arch gap and quite a lot of body roll, so first thing I had to sort was the ride height.
Hi - I was in my S2000 yesterday in Kent/Essex.... from the look of it, you are in Devon - but it wasn't you that I saw out and about? Can't remember exactly where now, but think it was on the A13 or A127 near Basildon.
In fact I've been in one - but in Auckland! Mate out there had one - and also a track-ready MR2.
In fact I've been in one - but in Auckland! Mate out there had one - and also a track-ready MR2.
Marc H said:
Hi - I was in my S2000 yesterday in Kent/Essex.... from the look of it, you are in Devon - but it wasn't you that I saw out and about? Can't remember exactly where now, but think it was on the A13 or A127 near Basildon.
In fact I've been in one - but in Auckland! Mate out there had one - and also a track-ready MR2.
Hi Marc, I'm in Hampshire mate I just collected the car from Devon when I bought it.In fact I've been in one - but in Auckland! Mate out there had one - and also a track-ready MR2.
I have since met a bloke who lives Essex way and owns a white CL7 with a rear wing on it, might have been him!
Funny you should mention Auckland as a lot of the forums I watch are based in New Zealand, seem to be more popular over there.
DB81 said:
Lovely looking car!
Just out of interest, did you ever look at a Type S (with the K24)? I'm looking at 7th Gen Accords at the moment and the Type S seems more common (and less expensive) than the Euro R.
Thank you! It looks a fair bit different now but we'll get to that later in this thread.Just out of interest, did you ever look at a Type S (with the K24)? I'm looking at 7th Gen Accords at the moment and the Type S seems more common (and less expensive) than the Euro R.
I didn't to be honest mate, I knew I wanted the Euro R. And you're right, the UK version is as much as a quarter of the price of the JDM one. Lots of people compare and say that the K24 version is 9/10th's of the Euro R, but it just doesn't quite have that edge, and I was willing to pay the premium for all of the differences.
The K24 one is very tuneable though, and a few people in the community getting very good numbers out of them, they also come with the same kit on them (just not in white!), so look near on identical to the Euro R if you get the right one.
A great read so far OP, thanks for sharing.
I'm another one who got pointed here by the homepage. Well done!
It's always great to read and learn about these sorts of cars. I don't know much about JDM stuff - I've had a couple of Eunos V-Specs and some UKDM jap tin over the years, but not much more than that is my limit. This sounds like a cracker - enjoy!
I'm another one who got pointed here by the homepage. Well done!
It's always great to read and learn about these sorts of cars. I don't know much about JDM stuff - I've had a couple of Eunos V-Specs and some UKDM jap tin over the years, but not much more than that is my limit. This sounds like a cracker - enjoy!
Fantastic story Kewy! One of the best things I've read on PH for a while.
I've been through the importing thing myself, so i can relate to the waiting and boat tracking....
Well done on getting hold of what sounds like the perfect car for you! and kudos for going the Type-R (or euro-R) route. Bizarre, that a car badged euro-R is so rare over there, but there are loads over here in NZ because of all the Japanese imports. The name has always confused me, especially so now that i've learned it was Japan only....
Looking forward to hearing some driving impressions and comparisons to the EP3 and DC5 too.
I've been through the importing thing myself, so i can relate to the waiting and boat tracking....
Well done on getting hold of what sounds like the perfect car for you! and kudos for going the Type-R (or euro-R) route. Bizarre, that a car badged euro-R is so rare over there, but there are loads over here in NZ because of all the Japanese imports. The name has always confused me, especially so now that i've learned it was Japan only....
Looking forward to hearing some driving impressions and comparisons to the EP3 and DC5 too.
Had a k24 and whilst it was quick it was awful in traffic with so much transmission /throttle jerk at slow constant speeds.
It also had the tinniest sounding doors/boot and attracted every boy racer on my commute to have a go (to see if vtec kicked in yo)
Hope you have fun with yours - I sold mine after 6 months.
It also had the tinniest sounding doors/boot and attracted every boy racer on my commute to have a go (to see if vtec kicked in yo)
Hope you have fun with yours - I sold mine after 6 months.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff