The Honda Civic cult is real. And it's known to worship the EG model from the mid 90s, with rare units of the hatchback commanding steeper prices in the used market than many of its successors. In popular culture, appearances in the Need for Speed and Fast & Furious franchises only went on to cement the EG's status as a Japanese tuning icon. The 'Dolphin', as some call it, was already a big hit regardless of those cameos. And the car that started out as a humble hatch has been revisited in an impressive render that imagines what it would look like if Honda had kept to the same, compact formula in 2021. 

These images are the work of Andrew Guerrero of Top Gear Philippines. Using the 11th-generation Civic as a benchmark, Guerrero shortened the wheelbase, lowered the beltline, repositioned the wing mirrors to the window frames and designed an EG-inspired clamshell hatch from scratch. In true EG fashion, the front grille has disappeared too. And while we aren't typically fans of 'tooth-less' front ends usually sported by EVs, there's certainly a strong retro vibe here that's hard to dislike. 

Guerrero was surprisingly scientific in his illustration. He estimates the dimensions of his creation to be 4,536mm x 1,801mm x 1,372mm, making it quite compact by today's C-segment standards. A targeted curb weight of 1,250kg is also mentioned, with the use of an aluminium hood and composite tailgate making it possible. Top Gear Philippines envisions three engine options during the imaginary launch of its 2022 Civic EG Hatchback; a 144hp 1.8-litre i-VTEC mill, a 180hp 1.5-litre turbo and a 200hp version of the 1.5-litre mill for the range-topping SiR variant which will only be offered with a six speed manual. A Hybrid e:HEV model will also be added for good measure for the Japanese and European markets. 

We reckon Malaysian buyers will form a queue for any flavour they can get their hands on. Now where's that imaginary order sheet?