The Midnight Collection

[MidnightRun85]

Mugen Motul Civic Type R (EK) '98

One of the most iconic of all the early Honda racing liveries is that of the Mugen Motul Civic EA of 1987, amongst the earliest Honda-backed JTC car which started the tradition that continues today with the NSX!
Honda had officially joined the race programme in 1985, but in 1987 the EA Civic driven by Osamu Nakako and Hideki Okada won every single race in Division 3!

I wanted to recreate this legend using the EK Civic, so the rear wing is stripped off, the wheels are anodised steel like the original, and I've tried to keep everything as "like the original" as possible.

The whole livery is built on a metallic gold base (I think it's a Mini colour!), with the white, black and red laid over the top to leave the all-important metallic gold stripe.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.





_________________________________________________________________________________​

Love the Civics man, this will be a nice cup race ​

Civic TC's up next, then on to the newer Civics... then the Integras... then the S2000s!!​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Playboy Civic Type R (EK) Touring Car

Before Honda introduced the Civic Ferio, the Civic EK, the Accord, and then the NSX, they had the trusty Civic EF9. In 1991, Team Racing Forum ran a Playboy-sponsored Civic in JTC-3 for rounds 2-6 (they had a Sierra RS500 in JTC-1 in round 1 which had a DNF), driven by Takahiko Hara and Yasuo Muramatsu, and managed to finish in the points in every race and took a win at Autopolis. They ended the season 19th/20th overall.

The livery itself is pretty simple: white base with black graphics. And it's a livery that works well on both the EF9 and the EK Civic Touring Car.
I had to take a slice of creative freedom with the rear end and shift things around a bit to make it all work on the EK body.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here. ​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Spoon Civic Type R (EK) Touring Car

Way back in 1985, a bunch of legendary things happened. For example, I was born. Another legendary thing that happened was the formation of Spoon Sports, when founder Tatsuru Ichishima stepped up his game and entered a Honda Civic E-AT into the JTC. He was a privateer, but previous work at Honda as a test driver allowed him to gain support from Honda and Mugen for the season!

The Spoon philosophy of lightweight performance lent itself perfectly to the Civic Touring Car, the stripped out track-spec version of the Type R EK. I've tried to keep this one as close to the original as I could, although the transition from blue to yellow isn't 100%, as I decided not to make custom decals for this one.

Of course, I had to add Spoon wheels to the style, seeing as we have them now in GT7! And they look great in an anodized aluminum appearance like the originals.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

BP Trampio Civic Type R (FK2) '15

By 1994 the JTCC was up and running at full pace, and the weapon of choice for Honda was the Civic Ferio, a two-door coupe variant of their trusty old hatchback.
Object T had two cars, a Toyota Corona, and a BP / Trampio / Zippo sponsored Civic Ferio, driven by Takahiko Hara.

The simple green/yellow livery lends itself well to the FK2 body shape. White Rays wheels set it all off well.
And while I'm not a huge fan of the FK2 Civic in general, this one in particular has become one of my favourite cars on the grid in this series!

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Gathers Civic Type R (FK2) '15

Another entrant in the JTCC 1994 in a Civic Ferio, this time the Team Gathers Civic driven by Kazuo Shimizu. The season wasn't the greatest for Shimizu and the team, with 10 races being either missed, DNS or retirements, ending the season in 32nd place.

I had a bit of fun making this one. Finding decent images of the original wasn't easy, and it required a custom-made decal for the design on the sides of the car - so I also made the design on the bonnet and the tailgate.
Thanks to the usual suspects for helping find and make some of the sponsor decals on this one!

As with the BP Trampio Civic, the very different body shape on the FK2 versus the EG Ferio proved challenging at times, but the end result is something true to the original but also works really well with the modern shape.
A set of Spoon alloys painted red finishes it all off nicely!

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here. ​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Inter TEC Civic Type R (FK2) '15

With all three of the FK2 Civics I decided to use a 1994 JTCC car as the base, in this case its the Team Doricome Civic Ferio "1994 Inter-TEC" which serves as the base livery.
Driven by Armin Hahne for the final round in the 1994 series, it placed 21st and 15th in the two races at Fuji Speedway.

The original livery was almost a rolling billboard for the Civic Ferio, with the biggest obvious change in this version being the replacement of "Civic Ferio" for "Civic Type R" on the sides and bonnet.
I decided to use modern logos mixed with vintage logos, plus the original JTCC number boards. The combination on the FK2 body with modern Enkei wheels is a killer combo and one of my favourites in this series!

Seeing as this car was only driven one day at Fuji, it seemed only natural for a Fuji photoshoot. The pics are all from the pits, where the backdrop works to make that livery pop!

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here. ​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Team Kunimitsu Civic Type R (FK8) '20

In 1995, Honda entered three NSX's into the 24h Le Mans, two of them being GT1 Turbo builds, the other being a GT2 machine which went on to win it's class and take eighth outright.
That non-turbo GT2 machine was driven by Keiichi Tsuchiya, Akira Iida and Kunimitsu Takahashi, and serves as the base for this wide-bodied FK8.

A simple livery in essense, it's a red base with two massive "Team Kunimitsu" logos on the sides, over which all the other sponsor decals are overlaid in white.
Castrol logos bring a pop of green colour to the livery, and the fluorescent green discs on the front quarter panels complete the colour contrast.

To make it feel a little more alike the original, I opted to give this one the wide body treatment, plus a big wing and black wheels. The end result is pretty powerful and looks very aggressive on track!

At first I thought a Le Mans-based photoshoot would look awesome and put it back in it's original environment - however, the lighting and scenes didn't work for what I wanted to show.
So I looked around at different locations and in the end I think these scenes from Death Valley and Watkins Glen came out about perfect!

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here. ​

 

[Gingerale]

This might be interesting for your list?

 

[MidnightRun85]

This might be interesting for your list?

Those aren't on my list - but there's some cool stuff in there! Where did you find those? I might transfer some of those to my Gr.2 Hondas or NSX '17 for the Time Trial.

 

[Gingerale]

Misfire Motorsport just posted these on their Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/misfire.motorsport/

I saw them and immediately thought of you. Great page btw for classic Japan racing stuff.

 

[MidnightRun85]

Misfire Motorsport just posted these on their Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/misfire.motorsport/

I saw them and immediately thought of you. Great page btw for classic Japan racing stuff.

I follow them already, hadn't seen that post. I use that and su_san_motorsports for most of my classic JDM racing livery "research".

 

[XSquareStickIt]

Been meaning to say this for a while. Your liveries have always been top notch, but your photography has come a long way to become some of the best on the forums as well!

Why the sudden obsession with Hondas, though? Just curious

 

[MidnightRun85]

Been meaning to say this for a while. Your liveries have always been top notch, but your photography has come a long way to become some of the best on the forums as well!

Why the sudden obsession with Hondas, though? Just curious

That's a HUGE compliment! Thank you!!

I have no idea why, but I just decided one day to run an all-Honda custom race series, after seeing some of the old Civic Ferio and Accord JTCC liveries. Seemed like a good idea at the time! Now I'm not sure I want to make any more Honda liveries for a while!!

I have also got plans for a re-creation of the 1996 JTCC grid using Gr.4 cars, plus I want to make a "Legends of Le Mans" endurance race using iconic liveries on the respective Gr.3 cars...

 

[MidnightRun85]

Mugen X Dome Civic Type R (FK8) '20

One of my all-time favourite liveries is the yellow/white/green combination of the Mugen X Dome NSX from the 2002 JGTC. The colour combo is slightly mad but works so incredibly well. Green wheels was an inspired choice, but in my humble opinion, this is the only place where they work with the livery!

During the 2002 series of the All Japan Grand Touring Car Competition, Mugen X Dome PRoject entered a pair of NSX's, one of them being car #18 driven by Richard Lyons and Sebastien Philippe. They started the season with a bang, taking 2nd place on their first outing, but then struggled for most of the season aside from taking victory at Motegi, finishing the season 9th.

One of the trickiest parts of this livery was the yellow/white gradient fade that runs along the body, splitting the livery vertically into a two-tone style. It works well on the NSX due to the body shape, but the Civic FK8 has some very different lines - it took a lot of trial and error to get the transition line to look right! The Takata harness laid over the roof, down the bonnet, and over the rear window was also a fiddly detail. The rear window in particular caused numerous headaches!

In my Honda JTCC/JGTC series, this was my chosen weapon. Set about 75% of the performance of the rest of the field it provided huge fun, challenging at times to even make it to the podium!

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here. ​

 

[MidnightRun85]

PIAA SN Civic Type R (FK8) '20

Arguably the best monochromatic-style livery to come out of Japan in decades is the Mugen PIAA SN Accord, as driven in the 1997 JTCC by Takuya Kurosawa to take 2nd overall.

A simple livery using a white base, black rear quarter split and front quarter panels, plus a set of black stripes to break up the abrupt the transition, with a bright red model name on the side panels beneath the massive "PIAA" title sponsor logo.
It's incredibly effective and looks good in both full colour and black & white!

As has been the trend for so many of these "replica" liveries transferred from the other models over to the Civics, the body shape presented some interesting challenges, even on a livery as simple as this.
The rear end was by far the hardest part, getting the black to wrap around the back without impacting the tailgate and getting the stripes to run across the tailgate properly were the two biggest challenges.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Mooncraft JACCS Integra Type R (DC2) '95

Contrasting the PIAA SN Accord, in the same season, competing in the same races as the PIAA SN Accord, was the colourful Mooncraft JACCS Accord driven by Ryo Michigami. In fact, the Michigami and Kurosawa shared the podium a number of times during the season - however Michigami never managed to claim the top step...

Working with the DC2 Integra body shape was certainly more forgiving than the FK funky Civics - side note, that's my nickname for them, the "FunKy2" and "FunKy8" - but this livery itself was a bit of a headtrip to get looking spot on.
Annoyingly, I've noticed a mistake I missed until now - see if you can spot it!

The colour blocks are all colour matches as best I could using JPEGs and the white pin stripes are all manually created. This one took ages to get aligned and set up right!

Having such a colourful livery actually presented some issues with choosing a Scapes location where the livery could stand out and not either overpower the backdrop or get lost in the detail of the scene. I experimented with some night shots (below) which came out okay. The "studio" style shots (above) the also let the livery speak for itself

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Takata Dome Integra Type R (DC2) '95

The 2004 season of the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship saw the partnership of Ryo Michigami and Sebastien Philippe piloting the Takata Dome NSX.
A season of lacklustre performance saw the duo finish in 14th, second-last of the points-scorers. At least they looked good on track and in the pits though!

As with the Takata X Dome NSX of 2002, this livery features the gradient transition horizontally along the to create a two-tone style, this time a dark green atop a white base. Unlike the FK8 Civic, this time I used a stretched circle to create some curvature to the feature to get the transition looking right along the doors and meeting the front and rear lights (a straight line put the transition too far down the door panel). Fortunately - for me - they decided to simplify the livery for this version, so there was no tricky 5-point harness to lay over the bodywork. Instead, a large Takata logo sits on the roof and the bonnet is somewhat basic.

To get the Integra looking a bit closer to the NSX GT500 I added the wide body kit. Unlike the majority of wide body kits, this one adds bolt-on style quarter panels, which is arguably one of the coolest wide body kits of the whole game!
The green wheels from the 2002 car are back and a big wing completes the imitation GT500 look.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

I've realised I missed the Mugen Motul Civic Type R (EK) '98! Oops! I'll have to come back and add that one at the end...

EDIT: Updated this post.

 

[Barney Da Dog]

Incredible collection!

 

[MidnightRun85]

Incredible collection!

Thanks! Many more to come yet!!

 

[MidnightRun85]

Epson Integra Type R (DC2) '98

Another from the 2004 season of the JGTC, the Epson Nakajima Racing NSX-R GT was piloted by Andre Lotterer and Tsugio Matsuda. They ended up finishing top of the NSX's, but eighth overall, winning at Twin Ring Motegi but off the podium in all other races.

While the essence of this livery is fairly simple, the shapes used to make the livery work on the NSX-R GT don't translate easily onto the Integra DC2 body, namely the blue shapes over the rear quarter panels and the bonnet down to the headlights.
I've tried to make my best attempt to get something which looks similar to the original and also maps onto the more curvaceous surfaces of the DC2. You'll have to let me know if I've succeeded!

Unlike the Takata Dome Integra '95 (here) I decided to keep this one with the original body, so no wide body mods here.
I added the big rear wing, plus all the other aero bits to give some resemblance to the original.
I even toyed with the idea of using fake vents, but decided against it, on the basis I don't like decals to look like body work...

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Kenwood Integra Type R (DC2) '98

Another from Honda's rare attempts at the 24h Le Mans, this being a semi-replica of the unlucky #47 NSX GT1 Turbo which was the first DNF of the race in 1995. Driven by Armin Hahne, Bertrand Gachot, and Ivan Capelli, the team had to retire after just 7 laps due to clutch failure. The other two NSX's in the race that year fared slightly better - the other Honda-backed NSX completed 121 laps but was Not Classified, but the #84 car, entered by Team Kunimitsu came eighth overall and took first in class LMGT2 - here's my FK8 Civic wearing that livery.

This was a simple livery really, just a solid base colour, plain white decals, and some gold wheels. A couple of little touches here and there to make it true to the original (like the yellow strips on the bonnet, "Integra" logos above the headlights replacing the "NSX" on the race car, and the addition of the all the aero bits and roll cage to give that full race car feel!

A photoshoot at Le Mans seemed fitting, but a red tint makes the scene more dramatic.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Kool Integra Type R (DC2) '98

1997 was certainly one of the most memorable years in the JTCC when it comes to Honda liveries, and the Kool-sponsored Mugen Honda Accord driven by Naoki Hattori is no exception. The bold green/white combination offset by a gold pinstripe (as per the main Kool logo) was instantly recognisable - the green wheels were a questionable choice, but it was the 90s so I'll let it slide!

To stay true to the original, I built this livery over a gold base paint, working with green and white shapes to leave the gold pinstripes on the sides of the body and on the bonnet. The livery itself is pretty simple, but the pinstripe detailing took some time to get looking spot on - eg. getting the stripe to stay a constant size along the curves over the rear quarters and match the width on the bonnet as well. The finishing touches to make the livery work on the DC2 was to switch out the "Accord" logos from the original and replace them with "Integra" logos.

I stuck with Japan for this photoshoot, all shots taking place at the Osaka University of Arts: Art Science Department building.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[Mercia]

You are missing a certain Honda..

 

[MidnightRun85]

You are missing a certain Honda..

View attachment 1237310

You're right! But I think the rest of the community have done an incredible job pumping out thousands of liveries for this gem in record time, so I'll leave it alone and focus on other cars for the time being.

 

[Mercia]

You're right! But I think the rest of the community have done an incredible job pumping out thousands of liveries for this gem in record time, so I'll leave it alone and focus on other cars for the time being.

Haha, fair, it's not like you don't produce enough

I have a Jameson whiskey idea in mind for it, not that I'm much kop at it but it is fun to try.

 

[MidnightRun85]

Haha, fair, it's not like you don't produce enough

I have a Jameson whiskey idea in mind for it, not that I'm much kop at it but it is fun to try.

If you want me to make one feel free to send me a message with a description, etc. 🤘

 

[MidnightRun85]

Ebbro M-Tec S2000 GT300

The JGTC was split in two categories, GT500 for the big boys, GT300 for the smaller teams with lower budgets and generally slower cars. In 2004, The Ebbro-sponsored M-Tec NSX, driven by Tetsuya Yamano and Hiroyuki Yagi, clinched the class title by one point over the Autobacs Garaiya. The gold chrome livery is an eye-catcher and works well to blind the competition - maybe that's how they scored that extra point!

The S2000 is so differently proportioned to the NSX that translating the logo positions on this livery was quite, err, interesting at times. Case in point, the placement of the decals above and below the headlights - I've used a best guess approach, but it's definitely a bit of a divergence from the original.

Working with gold chrome was a fun departure from the common plain base colours, and a nice way for the original livery to stay true to the classic Honda Racing colours (white, black, red and gold) while standing out as a non-factory team.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

And so, onto the final car in my All Honda JTCC/JGTC Series...

Mobil 1 PIAA S2000 GT500

Nakajima Racing was formed in 1983 and was a regular competing team in the JTC, JTCC and then JGTC, and in 1998 they found a sponsorship deal with Mobil 1 and PIAA that would see their NSX wearing a plain white with bold Mobil1 and PIAA logos for the next few seasons, often competing for the win and regularly finishing in the top 5 for the championship. This partnership lasted until 2003, when Epson replaced Mobil 1, and the iconic Mobil 1 NSX was no more.

In 2001, the Nakajima Racing NSX was piloted by Tsugio Matsuda and Dominik Schwager. The season wasn't their best, finishing eighth overall and taking only one win at Twin Ring Motegi, then two retirements in the final two races.

This iconic livery is a simple one comprised of a white base layer and numerous Mobil 1 and PIAA logos placed in prominent locations around the car. The original also had more logos on the roof, but the S2000's soft top didn't allow those decals to be replicated. I included as much of the aero parts as possible to give that GT500 feel and make it stand out from the Ebbro M-Tec NSX and its GT300 look.

Spoiler: The original:

Add it to your collection here.​

 

[MidnightRun85]

Zakspeed Jever AMG CLK-LM

The Mercedes AMG CLK-LM '98 is an absolute beast, there's no doubting that.
In the same year, Porsche's equivalent was the 911 GT1 (2nd Gen), and I thought: what better way to mash the two than with a "What if..." livery!
Zakspeed is a racing team founded in the 60s which peaked in the 80s and 90s. In 1998 they ran a Jever-liveried 911 GT1 in the FIA GT Championship races around Europe.
But what if Zakspeed had decided to team up with Mercedes back then (they run AMG GT3's now)? I like to think this is what might have been!

It's a fairly simple livery - just a green base layer with red/white stripes over the roof and a bunch of white sponsor logos. But it works.

I wanted to keep the original wheels and match them as closely as possible to the 911 GT1's, but sadly we can't to two-piece paint on these!
Still, overall it works as a package and looks period correct. I opted to keep the default race numbers for simplicity.

Add it to your collection here. ​