The best topic to start off is the subject of Honda's domestic line-up for the Japanese domestic market. Often, long and sometimes quite heated discussions will be made that talks about what specific models, engines, or even options are marketed by Honda for its domestic consumption. Sometimes, like the example of the Prelude Type-R, it's about whether such a model exists. Other times, it's when a new model has been introduced in Japan and what configuration it comes in.
One of the best sources to find out the official Japanese domestic line-up is of course the index'es of new car prices that one often finds in popular Japanese car magazines. However, TOV-A takes the best and ultimate reference source for information on Honda's Japanese domestic line-up to be the Honda of Japan's official home-page. The URL for this home-page is http://www.honda.co.jp. If you want a short cut to jump straight to the automobile section (Honda is also a major motorbike manufacturer and as everyone is aware, an extremely successful, if not the top one at present), then the URL would be http://www.honda.co.jp/auto.
This homepage lists all models being marketed by Honda in Japan at any present moment of time. Of course the site is written in Japanese but there are enough pictures and English words for one to navigate successfully even if a japanese language enabled browser is not available.
In the automobiles section, entries are itemized by model and then by type. A model would be for eg, Civic, or Integra, and a type would be for eg Civic VTi or Integra Type-R, in TOV-A's nomenclature. Once you are in the particular model's sub-page (eg Civic), select the first link, or to be sure, select the link that says 'grade-data' as the URL. This will link you to a page that lists all the types being marketed for this model. So, the relevant page for Integra will list the SiR, SiR-G, Ti, Xi-G, Xi, Xi 4WD, plus a few other types. (The Integra Type-R has an entry on its own). Selecting the link for that particular type will give you a page that lists the important specifications for it. Again, the table is in japanese but things like width, length, height are easily discernible whereas things like max power or max torque, being listed in units of PS/RPM or kgm/RPM should be very obvious.
One cavert would be that Honda do market various one-off types, also called special-edition, limited-edition, or various other names. I have seen an EG-series Honda Civic (3door) Si Limited Edition. There is no Civic Si for the EG-series, and often the Si type is used to designate use of the ZC 16V DOHC PGM-Fi (non-VTEC) 130ps engine. But I wasn't able to open the hood to check. Another example would be the EF-series Civic 4door 36i 'Grand Stage' which again I wasn't able to check under the hood. The regular EF Civic 36i has the ZC SOHC PGM-Fi 120ps engine. I have never seen a Civic with the 'SiR-2' label but I have seen some EG-6 Civics with the 'SiR-S' label at the back. The unusual EG Civics are not listed in the homepage during their times. They are also not listed in the various magazines of the period or even Honda's official catalogues.
TOV-A's sub-editor Kaz Mori, if he finds spare time on his hands (not
a very common occurrence nowadays), sometimes translates the tables into
english and puts them into TOV-A's specs section. I will also put in specs
for previous models into the section if there is a demand for them (eg
EF7 and EF8 specifications) and if I have the data.
Temple of VTEC - Asia. June 03 1998