HOT ROD Honda; The new Si looks fast just sitting still.

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

The new Civic Si could return Honda to the glory days of the late '80s and early '90s when it ruled the sport compact scene, or at least bring it back as a front-runner in what has become a fairly crowded field of sport compact superheroes.

Honda all but created the modern sport compact scene with the Civic S in 1984, the Si in 1986 and the iconic CRX Si soon after that. (We still love that CRX Si.) Those early subcompact performance Hondas, simple, stylish cars that were lightweight, agile and fast, remained fun to drive long after they depreciated into inexpensive used cars. Granted, there were sport compacts before the Civic Si (the Mini, Volkswagen GTI, etc.-we know, please don't write letters). But the Si created the fast and furious hubbub still with us today.

Then in the mid-'90s Honda began to drift away from the spiky-haired, budget boy racer who loved it, toward the mainstream, mass-market buyer. Honda even identified this buyer (we are not making this up) as a 24-year-old named Jennifer. Other manufacturers stepped in to fill the subcompact performance void.

Honda entered an Si in the market recently, but with this new concept, the company is making a loud statement that it is back. Can this new Civic Si return Honda to glory?

Some preliminary specs of the car torn from Honda two weeks before the Chicago show suggest it can, especially since the concept is "90 percent of what the production car will be,'' according to a company source. Of course, we're months away from a production version, and the proof is in the piloting, but the numbers look good.

First, consider the 200-hp dohc i-VTEC engine, six-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential. The current Si offers only 160 hp, a five-speed manual and an open diff. So the concept is a better car right out of the box. The European Civic Si already has 200 hp, so if we want to get miffed about that, we have every right. But no other U.S.-market Civic-Si or otherwise-has ever offered as much manufacturer-supplied power or as many gears as this concept promises. And that limited-slip diff means power won't be wasted spinning the inside tire in corners. Top it off with a suitable exhaust note, and Honda is halfway there.