Okay, what the hell is going on here, exactly? We have a European-looking cityscape, with signage in French, but all the people walking around seem to be dressed in stereotypical German clothing? And there’s a 1975 Honda there? Where is this, exactly? Is it supposed to be confusing? Oh, that upper image doesn’t show all the signs, but I promise they’re in French. Here, look for yourself:
See what I mean? It’s a strange melange of Europe with a Japanese car smack dab in the middle. The whole Honda brochure has dudes wearing lederhosen. Is this because there’s some festival? Is this Oktoberfest in France? It’s a beautiful mystery.
You know what else is a strange detail? Look on the trunk lid there – by the way, that trunk lid as an option instead of a hatch is something that’s always baffled me but I’ve talked about that before – look on the lower right there. See those two holes? That’s strange, right?
I’m pretty sure those are badge mounting holes, as many, or even most versions of the Civic had some kind of badges there, though I have seen other Civics that lacked badges and just rocked a couple of holes: 
What other new car had empty badge holes in its own brochure shots? That’s weird, right? I can’t believe this was once thought of as okay, but here we are. It’s Honda, too, hardly crap, right? Also, what’s up with the strange taillight treatment on that Civic on the right, with its huge tacked-on rear indicators?
But still, holes. In a trunk. Why?
The bizarre amber turn signal indicators on the Canadian Civic are none other than the ones that you can pick up at Pep Boys or Canadian Tires and attach to the body. They look so much like the ones you would find on Peterbilt trucks and countless RVs from the 1970s and 1980s. The owner actually painted the black bezels as to give it a “OEM” look.
There are regions along the borders of France, Switzerland and Germany where French is spoken but the population identifies as Germanic. The boundaries moved between the two world wars, but not always the people. And as for the two holes, another post explained most likely that it was for the two letter plate designating the country in which it was registered. Having paper plates, this car was obviously not registered yet.
okay, but I think we can all admit that the green lederhosen are fire
Okay, I lived there so I can clear this up. There is indeed a portion of Switzerland where French is spoken, people wear lederhosen and import Hondas are sold as Switzerland has no domestic car industry. The two holes and the oval shaped shadow indicate that a metal country plate was riveted or bolted to the panel.
Are we sure they didn’t have PhotoShop in 1975? Or ChatGPT? Something about the depth of field almost makes it feel like it was created versus shot. Those people sure are happy.
CVCC
Why, it’s Main Street EuroMerica, of course!
Do we left them get away with it being right hand drive too?
I recognize this. It’s The Village. You’re not allowed hatchbacks because they offer enough room for someone to stow away and avoid detection. The trunk is deliberately too small for that. The holes are for you to attach your assigned badge number.
The lights? You got me there, not a clue…
It amuses me they picked a photo where reflections make it look like the quarter panel has a huge dent.
The license plate area won’t fit a European plate, either. Only plates from North and South America.
Nope. The numberplates issued in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay have different height and width (400 mm x 130 mm) than ones issued in the United States and Canada. They are called “Mercosur numberplates”. French Guiana uses the European numberplates as it’s a French overseas territory (the only place in South America where Euro currency is used). Don’t get me started on Caribbean islands…
I’m guessing Walt Disney World in Orlando circa 1975. You know It opened in 1971 well before Desantis spat.
This short-lived Civic ride was to provide visitors a glimpse of new area in Euro-Town including lady selling plastic flowers for $9 each.
And like the bumper cars, you had to taller than 4’5” to drive this ride. Only lasted about 3 months until all the cars rusted out.
Good guess on Disney.
Another explanation might be Strasbourg in Alsace on the French border with Germany. That explains the mixture of French signage and German attire. However, There’s no good way to explain away the decidedly Bavarian Lederhosen.
Where ever they shot it, I think the main takeaway is that Honda was trying to sell Civics on both sides of the Rhine.
Would have voted Alsace as well, but I agree with the comment above – there’s no space for a French plate between these two lights.
I owned a 1976 Civic 5-speed hatch, which was a different model from the base 4-speed version. On the left side of the hatchback was a “CVCC Civic” badge; on the right – where the plugged holes are in the photo – was a “5-speed” badge. The right side location was also where automatic-equipped Civics would have a “Hondamatic” badge.
(For the curious, the 5-speed Civic model enhancements included a tachometer, wooden steering wheel and shift knob, bigger wheels with radial tires, different upholstery, a rear window defogger, and an AM radio, all in addition to the larger 1.5 liter CVCC engine – the base engine was 1.2 liters.)
The first-generation Civic had remarkably effective use of interior space but it was a very small car. So, while competitors’ cars had popular license plate frames that read “Do It In A Datsun” or “Try It In A Toyota,” mine had a frame that read “Forget It In A Honda” (which wasn’t entirely true – where there’s a will there’s a way).
“You meet the lithest people in a Honda”
Also, what’s up with the strange taillight treatment on that Civic on the right, with its huge tacked-on rear indicators?
Sir, it is YOUR job to tell us what’s up with the taillights. I hereby now formally and with the full force of my authority as an Autopian member (which is to say, none, and to be read more as a “pretty please”) demand that you find out and tell us in a future post.
I formally second this motion.
This is the problem with this whole user generated content model. We have to do all the work!