Acura has a new performance offering on sale in the form of the 2024 Integra Type S, and to prove the car's mettle the automaker plans to enter one in this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Acura isn't taking a stock version to Colorado Springs, though. Acura has tapped HPD to develop a custom racing version. It will be entered in the Exhibition class, with Loni Unser set to hop behind the wheel. The Unser family has been competing at Pikes Peak since 1926 and Loni made her debut in 2022, finishing second in her class.
Her car's mechanicals will mostly be stock, with the list of modifications limited to a Borla exhaust, 19-inch Titan 7 wheels, Yokohama Advan A005, and a carbon-fiber front splitter and rear wing.
The Integra Type S, which retails for $51,995, including shipping, is powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-4 that's rated at 320 hp and mated exclusively to a 6-speed manual transmission. Drive is to the front wheels only.
Loni Unser and the 2024 Acura Integra Type S HPD race car
Loni Unser and the 2024 Acura Integra Type S HPD race car
Acura will also have an NSX Type S on the mountain, even though the second-generation supercar is no longer in production. Acura is bringing a highly modified example with aerodynamic elements designed to boost downforce while reducing drag.
It was developed by HART, a skunkworks racing team made up of volunteer Honda staff, and features an active rear wing, an extended front splitter, and a large diffuser. It also features enlarged turbocharged and weight savings of around 200 pounds.
The stock powertrain in the NSX Type S consists of a turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 and trio of electric motors generating a combined 600 hp. The motors are arranged two at the front and one at the rear with the V-6.
Acura NSX Type S Active Aero Study
Driving the NSX, which is known as the NSX Type S Active Aero Study, will be Pikes Peak regular James Robinson, who in 2020 scored a class record time of 10:01.913 behind the wheel of another NSX.
This year's Pikes Peak is scheduled for June 25.
Acura will also enter a custom Integra and TLX Type S, to be driven by Paul Hubers and Jordan Guitar respectively. A 2023 TLX Type S PMC Edition will also serve as the official pace car.
