GENONE Blog

Welcome to the GEN ONE Blog!  This blog is the byproduct of what has transpired in my personal and professional life.  I started writing at a young age and completed my first 'book' around the age of 9.  I've always been into cars as well, but the two pursuits never came together until about a year ago.  That's when I realized that my obsession with a particular car finally gave me enough material to write about.  At the time I had just finished my first restoration project, a 1985 Honda CRX SI.  It was my baby; the culmination of many desires and dreams that had built up over the previous 6 years of owning first generation CRXs.

My first experience with these cars came in high school when a friend of a friend came to visit from 6 or so hours away.  He pulled up in a 1986 Honda CRX HF (Seen below), chipper and unfazed by the journey.  His 6'2" figure climbing out of the car reminded me of Mary Poppins pulling a lamp out of her handbag.  Not only was he physically unperturbed, but he didn't have to stop at any point along the way.  Everything about what I had just witnessed had me hot and bothered.  How could this tiny little car look so good, be so efficient, reliable, ergonomic, and cost so little?!  Needless to say, this moment had a profound effect on me, focusing my previously broad automotive interests significantly.  I ended up purchasing that very car from him 5 years later when he decided to part with it.  (The full story on my first CRX can be read here: Genesis - Where it all Began).

My career pursuits were also in line with my passion for all things motorized.   Right out of high school, I went to an automotive technical college to become a racing mechanic.  It wasn't long before I discovered that 95% of the graduates ended up working at automotive dealers doing oil changes.  This was not for me, so I finished up the automotive program and headed back home.  However, I would not be defeated.  I was determined to work in the automotive industry, so I decided to turn to my roots as a means of success.  My father and mother, as well as my mother's father, are all talented artists, and thankfully some of that rubbed off on me.  I confidently concluded that if I wasn't going to work on cars, I was going to design them.  This slightly naive decision led me to study Industrial Design, with the intentions of getting a graduate degree in Transportation Design.  As with my first educational aspiration, the romance of my dream was hosed down with a thick helping of reality.  Apparently there is a very small percentage of students who study Transportation Design that actually become successful, and of the top three design schools in America (all of which were, and probably still are, insanely expensive), the major auto manufacturers really only hired people from one.  At this point, it was too late to start another educational path, so I decided to just make a career out of my Industrial Design degree and make cars my hobby.

Thankfully this part of my plan worked out, and only a few years after graduating, I finally had the time and money to invest in this hobby.  That's when I turned to the first generation Honda CRX.  My first CRX, that I referred to earlier, shuttled me effortlessly through brutal Chicago winters while in college, and even got me to my first job 13 hours away on shot wheel bearings.  By the time I was ready to get serious with my hobby, I had two of them, and as time went on, I developed a substantial resume of repairs, modifications, and general knowledge of the car and its tight-knit community.  When my '85 SI restoration project (Shown below) was complete, I knew I had plenty of material to write about, but more importantly, I realized there was a need for information and general content for the first generation CRX enthusiast.  What better way to combine my experience, talents, education and hobbies into one medium in order to spread the word about these great cars, and their owners.

I started the GEN ONE Blog with the intentions of providing information to those who needed it, sharing content to inspire others to either fix their own cars or purchase cars for the first time, and bringing together fellow owners to grow the community.  It has grown steadily and I have had the privilege to meet many of those in the community.  I've also branched out to include all members of the classic Honda community.   So if you are new to the GEN ONE Blog, welcome!  I hope my work and the passions of those in the community inspire you to dabble in the world of classic Honda's.  You won't be disappointed.