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The Honda Civic series certainly has a wide and varied lifetime, starting from as far back as '70s.

It might seem quite strange for one to obsess over an economy car, but where the Honda Civic is concerned, it’s certainly earned the respect of many car enthusiasts. When it made its first appearance in 1972, Americans were still listening to records the size of the Civic’s first wheels. It was a strange decade to say the least, but in a time of flared bottoms and roller skates, along came a Japanese hatchback, and it came along with a transversely mounted 1.2-liter engine.

The very first Civic seemed to be everything that other small cars during that era were not, so it certainly stood out from the rest of the crowd. The once popular Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega were living on borrowed time due to a doomed international fuel crisis, but the small and efficient Civic came at what seemed like the perfect time. Looking back, it seemed almost too good to be true.

The first Honda Civic was also described as extremely fun to drive, something that’s still true and lives on today. Enjoy this brief history of the legendary Civic line, from its humble beginnings to its high-performance adolescence.

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Although it was difficult to tell the exteriors apart, Honda offered the first-generation Civic as both a three-door hatchback and a sedan. Its wheels were 12 inches in diameter, radial tires, air conditioning, a two-speed automatic transmission, along with a rear hatch wiper were the only available options. Quality and optimism were in short supply in the early 1970s, and the Civic had both in buckets full.

In 1974 Honda added a larger engine which measured 1237 cubic centimeters. Horsepower was increased by two, which raised it to a total of 52 hp, which is pretty impressive given the minuscule increase in displacement. 1974 saw the Civic line sell a whopping 43,119 units, but it was the arrival of the CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) engine in 1975 that established the Japanese maker as a credible threat to its popular competitors.

A new five-speed manual transmission and wagon body style came onboard as well, and the Civic was ranked number one on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first list of America’s most fuel-efficient cars in 1977.

It was worth the effort, as sales of the Civic topped 100,000 units.

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By the time the second-generation Civic debuted in 1980, Honda held an impressive status as a popular automaker. Both available engines, a 55-hp 1.3-liter and a 67-hp 1.5-liter, now held the CVCC design; and a Civic Wagon was also added to the series in 1981.

Moving onto to the GL trim brought an interior clock, an enhanced trim, radial tires, and a rear window wiper on the outside of the motor. To celebrate the final year of second-gen Civic production in 1983, Honda swiftly dumped the 1500 GL and replaced it with the Civic S model. It featured a firmer suspension, a rear stabilizer bar, and larger 13-inch Michelin tires.

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Available in hatch, sedan, and wagon body styles, the wheelbase grew by a huge five inches, with the sedan and wagon now sharing a wheelbase with the ever popular Accord and Prelude. The 1.5-liter four-cylinder with a three-valve head became standard across the whole lineup. The third-generation Civic wagon became known as the “Tall Boy” due to its extra height and larger rear-window area. In 1987, the wagon would receive a slight update and was offered with four-wheel drive.

Related: Here Are The Best And Worst Honda Civic Models Ever Made

The fourth-generation Civic was unveiled in 1988, bringing a new engine family to the scene, airier greenhouses, and a softer shape which almost completely avoiding the creases that defined the previous two generations.

The DX hatchback, sedan, and the new LX sedan and wagon received the new fuel-injected, 92-horsepower, 1.5-liter 16-valve engine.

1990 brought revised bumpers and taillights, and the EX sedan arrived to wipe the LX sedan off the top of Civic mountain. In 1991, the fourth-gen Civic finished its run and was virtually unchanged.

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Here we start to see more trim and engine options than ever before, the fifth-generation Civic approached the model's 20th anniversary with a hint of a price creep that its earlier offerings so efficiently avoided.

A driver’s-side front airbag became standard across the line, the wagon was dropped, and sedans came in the familiar DX, LX, and EX trim levels. The popular Si received an engine which produced an impressive 125-hp engine and a standard sunroof to its list of niceties.

Safety features led the way for the 1994 model year, with the Civic receiving a passenger-side front airbag across the lineup. Anti-lock brakes became a choice for the owner to make on the top-drawer EX coupe, Si hatchback, and the new-for-’94 LX sedan, which fitted itself into the lineup between the DX and the top-dog EX. Throughout the fifth generation series, drivers were also lucky enough to receive cruise control!

Related: https://www.hotcars.com/2006-2011-honda-civic-si-costs-facts-and-figures/

After being re-designed for the 1996 model year, Honda continued its growing theme, with its civic's length increased by two to four inches - of course this depended on the specific model. 1997 and 1998 saw an exciting addition of the natural-gas-powered GX.

2001 saw the birth of the seventh generation. With this generation, out went the Civic’s control-arm front suspension, and it was replaced by a strut setup, and the 1.6-liter four got another bump in displacement, now coming in 1.7 liters. Producing 117 horsepower in DX and LX trims, the Civic got an extra 10 horsepower from the engine for duty in the EX.

A couple of years later, we saw a hybrid hit the markets in 2003 - keeping very in with the times.

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After years of unadventurous and logical updates to the Civic, Honda veered off the beaten path with the introduction of the eighth-generation. The short hood and steeply raked, and expansive windshield yielded to a more traditional profile that had not yet been seen before.

The Civic became slightly heavier, likely due to the additional airbags required to improve safety ratings over its predecessor. A new Civic Si also debuted as a 197-hp coupe with a six-speed manual.

In 2011 the Ninth-generation sadly left many people underwhelmed. This was mainly due to its softer suspension and less controlled body motions. In addition, steering response was slowed in an effort to improve linearity, while road feel and feedback were reduced in the process.

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The tenth generation 2013 Honda Civic saw a 158-hp 2.0-liter inline-four become standard along the line—with a manual transmission! Critically, every version of the new Civic drove with a great feeling of enthusiasm and sharpness which was lacking from the previous model, and the turbocharged iterations were surprisingly quick.

The 11th generation saw the return of the iconic Si series. A 200-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four with a six-speed manual was the sole powertrain to these motors. The Si accelerated to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds during testing and reached a quarter-mile in 15.1 seconds at 94 mph - impressive!

We also have the all-new 2023 Type R to look forward to, that of which we have only seen prototypes for - it’s certainly one we can’t wait to see more of!

Related: 9 Reasons Why The 10th-Gen Civic Type R Is The Best Hot Hatch On The Market

The Honda Civic line has certainly treated us to some amazing motors through the years; paying respect to them all was certainly overdue. But for some reason, it definitely doesn’t seem like the end of the road for this series just yet.

Sources: Hemmings, Car and Driver, Motor Dreams

Hi. My names Alysha and I’m a new writer for HotCars. I’ve always held such a passion for the automobile industry and exploring up-and-coming cars as well as looking back at some classics is exactly what I want to be doing. I can’t wait to start some amazing article writing!