In the preparation for its fiftieth anniversary, Honda decided that the time had come to launch a line of stripped out high performance versions of ordinary road cars. In a similar vein to BMW’s M Series and Audi’s S types, Honda’s new range would be dubbed Type R. The result, in the form of the Integra, was one of the finest mainstream performance cars ever sold, and one that was little more expensive than a high spec family car. Starting with the basic three door coupe body shell, Honda beefed up certain areas by using thicker panels, but saved weight by removing the sound proofing and fitting a thinner wide screen. The chassis got beefier wish bones, strut braces in both the bonnet and the boot, and a limited a slip differential, but the real detail effort went into the engine. The 1.8 liter V TEC unit boasted hand finished ports in the cylinder head, light weight pistons, inlet valves and fly wheel. Even the valve springs were made of special oval section wire. Inside, the cabin got bright red Recaro racing seats, aluminium pedals and a titanium gear knob. The result was an exhilarating and beautifully built car that didn’t have a hint of slack in the chassis, and a searing drive train that would rev to 8900 rpm. It also had that rare quality, charisma, by the spadeful.
Double wish bone front and rear suspension, top speed was 145 mph (232 km/h). It reached 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in just 6.9 seconds. In a decade that was failed to produce great amount of classic cars, Honda’s Integra has the potential to compete for that tag. The most excellent in manufacturing is matched with quality, creating it a immense way for Honda to rejoice its anniversary.
