- Acura celebrates its 40th birthday by recreating its first race car, a Comptech Integra that won back-to-back IMSA championships in the late '80s.
- Dubbed the Integra 40 Racer, it features a reworked 1.6-liter four-cylinder, a heavily revised chassis, and a stripped-down interior.
- Acura was launched on March 27, 1986, as Honda's luxury brand, and it has produced memorable cars like the Integra sport compact and NSX supercar.
When most people turn 40, they're happy with an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner at the nearest Ponderosa Steakhouse. But chewing on an overcooked piece of meat in a restaurant oozing with outdated decor isn't how Acura plans to celebrate its 40th birthday. Instead, Honda's luxury brand is honoring itself with a rad Integra race car that recalls its early success in the IMSA racing series.
Let's rewind to March 27, 1986. That's the day that Honda launched Acura in the United States as the first Japanese luxury brand. Things got off to a hot start too, with the Integra sport compact making it onto our 1987 10Best list; the flagship Legend coupe joined the 10Best party in 1988. Meanwhile, Acura was also finding success at the racetrack, with the Comptech Integra (wearing No. 48) winning back-to-back manufacturers' championships in the IMSA International Sedan series in '87 and '88 as well as the drivers' title in 1990. That race car serves as the inspiration for the new Acura Integra 40 Racer you see here.
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Built by Honda Racing Corporation USA, the recreated race car—now wearing No. 40 for obvious reasons—isn't just a first-generation Integra with Rio Red metallic paint, eye-catching white 14-inch Mugen wheels, and a bunch of stickers. It's a highly modified machine that's outfitted with race-ready hardware. It's powered by a rebuilt version of the car's original D16A1 engine, now painted a dazzling shade of Quartz Silver. The new DOHC 1.6-liter four-cylinder exhales through a set of stainless-steel long-tube headers and a custom Borla exhaust. A five-speed manual routes power to the front wheels through a limited-slip differential.
The Integra's Honda Civic-derived chassis, which Car and Driver editors in the '80s lauded for its driving excellence, has been thoroughly reworked with Tein coil-over dampers and an adjustable panhard rod. HRC US also converted the standard power brakes to a manual system to match the steering rack. The car's stopping power is enhanced with stainless braided brake lines, race-grade brake pads, and semi-slick Yokohama ADVAN tires. So, yeah, this thing is the real deal.
Inside, there's a pair of OMP racing seats with red six-point safety belts. While the car's dashboard remains, the stereo has been removed along with the interior panels, carpet, and rear seats. Should things get hairy, the front passengers are protected by a custom roll cage.
So the next time you're having a birthday, remember to treat yo' self like Acura did. The automaker is even going to share its gift to itself with race fans who attend this year's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, as the Integra 40 Racer will make its debut at the brand's hometown race.
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Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual '97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a '90 Honda CRX Si.