- Acura celebrates 40 years with a one-off race-inspired Integra.
- The build draws from a championship-winning IMSA sedan.
- Upgrades include rebuilt engine and classic tuning parts.
It’s been 40 years since Acura first landed in the United States with the Legend and Integra back in 1986. Instead of blowing out candles, the brand is celebrating the milestone the only way it really knows how, by building a car. And not just any car, but a first-generation Integra reimagined as a tribute to a race-winning, championship-proven machine.
This one-off has been built by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) and is inspired by the No.48 Comptech Integra that won multiple IMSA International Sedan Series Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Championships from 1987 through 1990. Fans of the brand will be able to see the car at the 51st Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 17-19.
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The special Integra is now bathed in Rio Red Metallic paint and sits on a set of lightweight 14-inch Mugen wheels. HRC has also turned to several well-known aftermarket specialists from the JDM scene, including Tein coilovers and Carbotech performance brake pads. There’s also an adjustable panhard bar, a manual steering rack, and braided stainless steel brake lines.
Some exciting modifications have also been made under the hood. The original D16A1, a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, has been rebuilt along with the five-speed manual transmission. HRC has added a Monsoon ECU, stainless steel headers, a custom Borla exhaust, and a coil-on-plug conversion.
There’s also a Torsen limited-slip differential, so this Integra should bite into the pavement like some of Honda and Acura’s best front-wheel drive performance cars. The updates continue with a custom-built roll cage, OMP racing seats, and six-point harnesses.
Acura’s Legacy
While it’s now almost expected for mainstream car manufacturers to launch an in-house premium division, the industry looked very different when Honda decided to create Acura. Noticing a shift among baby boomers toward luxury brands, the Japanese automaker was eager to prove it could compete, first announcing its plans in early 1984.
The Acura Legend and Integra landed together on March 27, 1986, arriving three full years before Toyota even got Lexus off the ground. Just four years later, Acura doubled down with the NSX, a car that didn’t just enter the supercar conversation, it rewrote parts of it.
From that point, Acura found its footing and got on with the business of filling out its range, adding sedans, SUVs, and crossovers that resonated with buyers. It has also started looking inward again, pulling familiar names from its back catalog, most notably bringing the Integra back for a new era. As for what the next 40 years bring, that part is still unwritten, though it will matter just as much as everything that came before.
