Photography by Lee Vermont (@photobycereal2k)
Jeremy Dotson is no stranger to building cars of all shapes and sizes. With a checkered history of building luxury cars, fast cars, lowriders, and everything in between, he still found himself with a soft spot in his heart for Japanese imports. After convincing his wife that he needed a new daily driver, he drove from him home in Jefferson, Georgia out to North Carolina on a rainy night to pick up a JDM 1997 Honda Prelude.
After bringing the car home, the transformation was already starting in Dotson’s head. Before he went too crazy, he had to address a couple of small issues with the body work, which meant it was time to see his friend Ka-han Paul at Mad Creations. What started off as a simple refresh quickly snowballed. Before long, the door handles were shaved off, and a color-shifting Triton Pearl paint job. From there, a set of Work VS-XX wheels were introduced, alongside air suspension, and some custom lighting.
After attending some shows in 2017, Dotson met the guys from the Georgia chapter of NvUS, and he has been part of that family ever since. With his acceptance into the club, he knew he wanted to take the Prelude even further. It was time to go back to Mad Creations. With his engine pulled out, they were able to paint-match the engine bay to the rest of the car, as well as add a Wilwood big brake kit. From there, his friend Vinny Silvestri helped him drop in a Euro R H22 engine mated to a JDM LSD transmission.
After a long history of building cars and attending shows, the labor of Dotson’s love is finally complete - or at least as “complete” as possible before the next modifications. Dotson is already planning a new interior layout, an air tank setup from Superstar Customs, a finished trunk setup, and some other surprises. We’ll be watching!
Jeremy Dotson's 1997 Honda Prelude is featured in PASMAG #153. Click HERE to order.
ESSENTIALS
Owner: Jeremy Dotson
Vehicle: 1997 Honda Prelude
Location: Jefferson, GA
Engine: Honda H22A 2.2L I4
Horsepower: 235 whp
Club: NvUS
Tuner Battlegrounds Award Winner
Event: Tuner Evolution
Location: Charlotte, NC
Popular Vote: 84%
SOCIAL
Facebook: /jeremy.dotson.963
Instagram: @jdotbb6
ENGINE
- JDM Euro R H22A engine swap
- ARC intake retrofitted
- AEM (fuel rail, Tru-Time cam gears)
- Hondata S300 V3
EXHAUST
- Hytech headers
- Stainless steel 2.75-inch piping
- Mugen twin loop muffler
DRIVETRAIN
- JDM (LSD, transmission)
- ACT (clutch, flywheel)
WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES
- Work VS-XX wheels - 17x8 (f), 17x8.5 ®
- Falken Ziex ZE512 tires - 215/40/17 (f), 215/45/17 ®
- Wilwood super light BBK
- Brembo 350Z drilled/slotted rotors
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION
- Airtekk bag-over-coil system
- Air Lift Performance 3H air system
- Explicit Speed Performance (traction bar, T-bracket)
- Neuspeed front strut bar
EXTERIOR
- Shaved door handles
- Aerocatch hood pins
- JDM Type S (hood spoiler, rear spoiler)
- Triton Pearl color shift paint
- Custom (headlight retrofit w/ honeycomb etched lenses, VIP style tail light retrofit)
- Morimoto RGBW demon eyes
- Starry Nights halos
- Ghostz Lighting module
INTERIOR
- JDM Type S (two-tone dash, rear seats, digital climate control)
- Evo VIII Recaro front seats
- Blox harness bar
- Takata 4-point cam-lock harnesses
- LED interior lighting
AUDIO / MOBILE ELECTRONICS
- Kenwood Excelon DNX-817HD head unit
- Alpine Tyoe X front component speakers
SPONSORS
- Mad Creations
- Stage Motorsports
- Dressedbolts.com
- Mishimoto
- Braum Racing
- OP Detail