- The modified Integra Type S DE5 will need to snatch the record from a 500 hp TLX.
- Honda Racing Corporation engineers upgraded both the engine and aerodynamics.
- Coupled to the 360-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four engine is a 6-speed sequential.
There are few motorsport events as gloriously absurd and punishing as the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, so naturally, Acura is heading back up the mountain to try and break a record. This year, it’s bringing the Integra Type S to the challenge, aiming to set a new front-wheel drive benchmark.
The specially prepped Type S DE5 race car will compete in the Time Attack 1 class, taking aim at the current FWD record of 10:48.094, which was set by none other than an Acura TLX.
A Familiar Driver, A Sharpened Car
The new Integra Type S DE5 has all the right ingredients to set a new FWD record. Behind the wheel will be IndyCar and IMSA racer Katherine Legge, who drove the same car at Pikes Peak last year, setting a best time of 10:51.359. Then there’s the car itself. While it shares many similarities with the production Type S, the DE5 has undergone extensive modifications and currently competes in the SRO TC America championship.
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Like the road-going model, the DE5 rocks a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine known as the K20C8. With a few upgrades, the engine now delivers 360 hp, 40 hp more than the regular Type S. The standard transmission has also been ditched in favor of a six-speed sequential ‘box with paddle shifters. Honda Racing Corporation also added unique suspension and braking components.
There’s plenty of aero in play too, including a huge rear wing and a new front splitter designed to keep the car planted through the mountain’s ever-changing conditions. Inside, the creature comforts are long gone. The interior has been gutted, fitted with a roll cage and a single OMP racing seat, because luxury doesn’t win hill climbs.
Legge’s Integra Type S DE5 won’t be the only car Acura brings to the event. The flamboyant, bright yellow Integra Type S HRC Prototype will be used to pace the field and be driven by US Olympic bronze-medalist Rusty Smith. While Smith doesn’t have an affiliation with Pikes Peak, Honda has been announced as a founding partner of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
