A Civic being awesome and a project car? Hummm, not my taste.

Figure you'll be in the 6 figure range i'd look into some of these real cars that can actully be made fast and already look good....

C4 Vette w/ LS1 swap
C5 Vette modded up a bit, very fun!
3rd Gen Camaro with an LS1 Swap + suspen upgrades (Fun even without a mullet)
4th Gen Camaro (endless possibilites)
05-06 GTO Endless potential with more room than a Camaro
Fox Body Notch back Stang is fun too.
86/87 Buick Grand National

Theres a list of REAL cars for you to choose from......