The main thing you'll see with a ZC, any ZC is technology ahead of it's time. AKA, for the technology you get out of a ZC, you will find much updated stuff with just as much or more power. The ZC VTEC engine is very similar to the SOHC VTEC's we're familiar with in this country in the likes of the 5th gen Civic EX and such. So similar in fact that the power output is near identical, however, the ZC VTEC is MUCH older, not to mention a lot more rare. I've been lucky enough to see one first hand, but I won't hold my breath on ever seeing another, let alone ever getting a photo opportunity to have as definate proof for years to come . The story is simliar with everyone's favorite ZC, the DOHC version. You can find at least as much performance from an Integra LS engine, but when you realize that the ZC is nearly a decade older than the LS, it becomes pretty apparent [at least to me] what the ZC designation has always meant.

IMO, it seems that the ZC designation was given to "factory hotrod" engines that some engineers at the factory were playing around with. After getting some decent performance numbers out of them, they were able to still put them in production cars, albeit in limited numbers. The ZC engines have always been the grandfather guinea pig type engines in the Honda performance stable, just as the B series engines served as testing and production proving grounds for the H series and now the K series engines. The other supporting arguement I offer for this theory is that all the ZC's are right around 130HP in output, coincidence? I think not, more like seeing how many different ways the engineers could play around with to get the same power goals from the same displacement. Production R&D, very .