Most people know Francis Bourgeois as the trainspotting guy, the one who lights up every time a diesel engine rolls into view. That enthusiasm is a huge part of why people love him. But there’s another side to Bourgeois that runs just as deep.
He is seriously into cars.
Not just driving them, either. Bourgeois builds them, modifies them, and seems to genuinely enjoy hiding real performance underneath cars that look completely ordinary. His Honda Jazz might be the clearest example of that habit yet.
Before handing the keys to his new co-hosts, Thomas Holland and James Engelsman from Throttle House, Bourgeois gave them a handwritten list of rules. Then they got behind the wheel and found out the little Jazz was hiding a lot more than either of them expected.
A Pink Jazz That Means Something
The Honda Jazz has never been the kind of car people associate with performance, and Bourgeois’ example doesn’t do much to change that impression at first glance. The car is finished in a shade called Iris Red Metallic, a color he chose because it’s his girlfriend Amy’s favorite color, on her favorite car. He even added graphics to the side just for her.
When Bourgeois bought the Jazz, it had plenty of rust. Instead of covering that up, he restored it properly, treating an ordinary hatchback like something worth keeping for the long haul. What he didn’t do was make it look like a serious performance car. The scratches are still there. So are the dents. From the outside, it looks like an old Honda that has simply lived a normal life. That’s exactly what makes it interesting.
The Rules Before You’re Allowed to Drive It
Before Holland and Engelsman could get anywhere near the car, Bourgeois handed them a list of instructions.
Some were oddly specific, like the warning not to touch the position of Amy’s seat. Others were more practical: the ride gets lumpy when the engine is cold, there’s a heavy drone on long drives, and headphones are recommended. Reverse needs a firm pull to the right before it engages, and if the car is going to be driven hard, the rear seats need to be folded down first.
Then there was the rule that made both of them laugh. Never call it a Honda Fit.
It sounds like a strange thing to insist on, but once they started driving, the reason became obvious. The warning light flashes to tell the driver when to shift, because the redline has been raised to 8,600 rpm.
What He Actually Built
The answer is that Bourgeois never left the original engine alone. He swapped in a K20A, the same engine used in the Honda Civic Type R EP3, along with that car’s transmission and engine management. The result is 215 brake horsepower, roughly double what a standard Jazz produces.
That alone would change the whole character of the car. But Bourgeois went further. The shift linkage came from an Acura Integra, modified so it could sit in the same spot it would in a normal Jazz. The car also rides on coilovers and runs a limited-slip differential.
Those additions matter, because this isn’t just a more powerful Jazz. The rest of the car was rebuilt to make that extra power usable.
Once the revs start climbing, the difference is impossible to miss. The engine comes alive near the top of the rev range, delivering the kind of VTEC punch that makes the K20A such a fun engine to wring out. The little Honda suddenly feels like a completely different car.
Why He Kept It Looking Ordinary
That might be the most telling part of the whole build.
Bourgeois could have made the Jazz look as fast as it actually is. Instead, he did almost the opposite. The scratches stayed. The dents stayed. Nothing about the outside gives away what’s sitting underneath. That means the car can still pass for an ordinary, slightly worn Honda Jazz right up until the engine starts climbing toward 8,600 rpm.
And that’s what makes the whole thing work. The car was never trying to look fast. It didn’t need to. The surprise is the point, and Bourgeois built a Honda Jazz that delivers it in a way very few people would ever see coming.
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