Honda builds custom Civic Si based on Forza Motorsport design contest

Fri, 07 Feb 2014

Forza Motorsport games are known for a few things, one of which is the extensive range of customization options available for each car. Gamers have complete control over the look and size of wheels, window tints, paints and decals, as well as various different finishes. For Forza Motorsport 5, players even have access to carbon fiber, gold, chrome, brass and camouflaged finishes.

To celebrate this, Honda held a little contest among gamers that challenged them to prepare a custom Civic Si. The winner would see their design applied to an actual car and shown at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show. This is that car. Designed by Tiffany Labedz, it was one of 170 entries in the Forza Motorsport Civic Si Design Contest. It took the title, with 17,000 votes from members of the Forza community.

Take a look up top for our live gallery, and then down below for the press release and images of the car from the press conferences as well as in Forza Horizon.

Honda Wows Windy City with Real-Life Custom Forza Civic Si Coupe

Winning entry from the Forza Motorsport Civic Si Design Contest brought from the virtual world to the real world at Chicago Auto Show
One-of-a-kind Civic Si Coupe is the first vehicle to feature a design from the Forza Motorsport community
New Honda Legends Car Pack with 2014 Civic Si now available for Forza Motorsport 5 on Xbox One

Honda teamed up with Forza Motorsport, the world's hottest racing game franchise, to unveil the winning entry of the Forza Motorsport Civic Si Design Contest at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show. Selected from nearly 170 entries, the winning 2014 Civic Si Coupe design was created by Forza gamer Tiffany Labedz of Phoenix, Arizona and was selected as the top design by more than 17,000 members of the Xbox Forza community. This one-of-a-kind Civic is among the first vehicles from the Forza Motorsport community to be brought from virtual world to the real world.

"At Honda, we love meeting our customers where their passion lies, and the racing and custom car design in Forza Motorsport is definitely a passion for so many Honda and Civic enthusiasts," said Tom Peyton, assistant vice president of advertising with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Taking an immersive gaming experience like Forza and bringing it to life here at the Chicago Auto Show will make for an exciting exhibition and a real-life demonstration of how cars and gaming are increasingly intertwined."

In addition to the custom Civic on display, Chicago Auto Show attendees can be among the first to play the new Honda Legends Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 5 on Xbox One. The new car pack features the redesigned 2014 Civic Si Coupe, the 1984 Mugen CRX and the 1994 Prelude, all available for download on Xbox One. This is the second straight year that Honda and Forza Motorsport have teamed up to bring gamers exclusive Honda-branded content.

"The passion and creativity of Forza Motorsport fans is a continuous source of inspiration to us," said Alan Hartman, studio manager for Turn 10 Studios, the makers of the Forza Motorsport series. "Seeing cars like the design contest-winning Honda Civic come to life on stage at the Chicago Auto Show is a testament to the power of the Forza Motorsport franchise to fuel creative expression among car lovers and videogame fans."

For more information on the entire 2014 Civic lineup, customers can visit www.automobiles.honda.com/civic.

About Honda
Honda has been making reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive automobiles for American car buyers for more than more than 40 years. Honda has the highest fuel economy1, the most top safety-rated2 vehicles and the longest-lasting cars3 of any mainstream automotive brand in America. Honda has also been producing automobiles in America for more than 30 years and currently operates 14 major manufacturing facilities in North America, In 2013, more than 95 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America.

By Brandon Turkus