The Acura Integra Type S provides plenty of thrills with its rorty turbo-4 power and agile moves. It even performs well on a racetrack, but now it appears Acura wants to give its compact pocket rocket more performance and style.
On Thursday night before its public debut on Friday at Monterey Car Week's The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, Acura introduced the Integra Type S HRC Prototype, a car chock full of aerodynamic, suspension, engine, braking, and weight-savings performance parts upgrades that could be offered through Honda Racing Corporation.
"Every spec of the Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype screams performance," said Jon Ikeda, senior vice president, Honda Racing Corporation USA. "Everything is functional—if it doesn't add performance it isn't on the car."
Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype
Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype
Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype
The parts, which were developed by HRC US race engineers using their experience working on the Acura Integra Type S TCX race car, are aimed at improving performance on the street and track. Aero elements include a new front fascia with a larger splitter and cooling ducts, larger hood vents, the addition of side splitters, and an adjustable carbon fiber rear wing with aluminum uprights. The prototype is painted Indy Yellow Pearl, which was used on the second-generation NSX, and it sports custom aluminum HRC badges on the front fenders, grille, and trunklid.
Inside, the car gets black Alcantara upholstery and yellow seat belts, stitching, and trim.
Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype
Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype
Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype
Several carbon-fiber items help save weight. They include the hood, rear door panels, and Recaro bucket seats. The rear seat has been removed and replaced by a carbon shelf designed to mount four wheels and tires to transport to the track. A total of 200 pounds can be saved with the optional air conditioning delete.
Acura didn't share how much extra power the 2.0-liter turbo-4 makes above its standard 315 hp, but the company said that output, response, and cooling are all improved thanks to a larger intercooler, twin oil coolers, and a lightweight cat-back exhaust system. All of these components were developed for the Type S HRC TCX race car.
Handling gets a boost as well by lowering the suspension 0.6 inch with coilovers, and using an adjustable rear anti-roll bar and adjustable front and rear camber plates. The car sits on lightweight forged 19x9.5-inch wheels with increased negative offset that widens the track by 1.2 inches. Those wheels mount sticky 265/30 Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires. The tires' 60 treadwear rating indicates they're good for a few track runs before they wear out.
The structure is stiffer, too, thanks to a rear bulkhead reinforced with an X-brace to act as a mounting point for a multipoint harness. The brace is painted the same color as the body.
The brakes are also upgraded with 15.0-inch two-piece front rotors and 6-piston Brembo calipers versus the stock car's 13.8-inch rotors and 4-piston pinchers. The rear uses two-piece rotors to reduce unsprung weight. Brake cooling is improved thanks to larger ducts in the front fascia.
Don't look for Acura to offer a production version of the Integra Type S HRC Prototype, but it's likely many of these components will be offered through HRC. Stay tuned.
