1994 Acura Integra on 2040-cars

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Acura Integra's racing hopes hinge on Honda

The 2023 Integra has mostly failed to create the stir from long-time enthusiasts that Acura had hoped it would. However, all is not lost; Acura could perhaps regain some street cred if they took the Integra racing, like they did with the Integras of the 80s and 90s. Brand head Jon Ikeda wants to take the 'Teg to the track, but it all depends on whether the leadership at the American Honda mothership permits it. "We want to race this thing, but maybe the Honda PR and marketing guys might have different ideas," Ikeda told Road & Track. That's because the Integra is largely a 2022 Civic Si with a hatchback form factor and new sheetmetal. Honda already sells a Civic Type R race car in several tunes for various classes in the TC America touring car series. That was based on previous-generation Civic, but in all likelihood will continue the program with the latest gen. A racing Integra, then, would seem redundant. On the other hand, Acura has been highly active in motorsports, from 24 Hours of Daytona-winning IMSA DPi prototypes to NSX GT3 race cars to Pikes Peak hill-climbers. Even Honda's F1 cars were re-branded with Acura livery at last month's U.S. Grand Prix in Austin. And it's not like the Integra doesn't have a long history in motorsports. The nameplate as competed in various North American series from SCCA Pro Rally to IMSA sedan to the Import Drag Racing Championships. Perhaps the most well-known Acura Integras to race, though, were Peter Cunningham's white and neon orange RealTime Racing Type Rs that dominated the SpeedVision World Challenge championships around Y2K. Ikeda has said before that he wants Acura to be the performance brand of Honda, and a rumored Integra Type S is in the works with a more potent engine, possibly a version of the upcoming Civic Type R's mill. "We're the performance division of Honda," Ikeda emphasized to R&T, "So we're not going to shy away from Honda, you know? We're going to just have a little bit more fun." While an admirable goal, the brand will struggle if it's merely the performance arm of Honda. It has to be about performance cars, period. That was part of Acura's magic in the 90s; it offered products that, while sharing components with Honda, were distinct and had their own personalities. The Integra was Civic-based, but it had noticeably better handling, more power, and unique design.

2017 Acura Model Year Preview and Updates

In what would otherwise be a model change of modest updates, Acura rewrites the rules with its all-new NSX, a high-performance hybrid reconfiguring the exotic car template. Beyond the all-new NSX, 2017 is what we've come to expect from Acura: competence, efficiency and affordability in the near-luxury segment. ACURA NSX: The all-new NSX, with a mid-engined V6 supplemented by a hybrid drivetrain and front-mounted Twin Motor Unit, provides a performance and handling dynamic rarely seen on the street - and certainly not otherwise available for the NSX's $160,000 MSRP. With a unique blend of aggressively aerodynamic design and refined yet explosive performance, the NSX effectively resides in a class of one. ACURA ILX: Acura's entry-level sedan continues for 2017 with no real changes but the addition of Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic and San Marino Red exterior colors. ACURA TLX: The TLX continues into its third model year with only modest changes. New for 2017 are three new colors – San Marino Red, Lunar Silver Metallic and Modern Steel Metallic. Also, a GT package is offered for the first time. Designed to reflect Acura's ongoing interest in racing, the GT addition is a combination of Acura's underbody spoilers and your money. ACURA RLX: Modest changes on both the standard RLX and RLX Sport Hybrid. ACURA MDX: Acura's MDX enters its fourth model year with an aggressive freshening, standard front-wheel drive and AcuraWatch, a new suite of safety and driver-assistance technology available across all MDX models. Styling updates include a new grille, hood, front fenders and side sills, along with new front and rear fascias. Inside, an electric parking brake with automatic brake hold has been added. And on the top-of-the-line Advance, buyers enjoy both real wood trim and second-row captain's chairs. ACURA RDX: The 2017 model year introduces two new colors: Lunar Silver metallic and Modern Steel metallic.

New 2022 Acura MDX platform to underpin future Hondas

The 2022 Acura MDX introduces a new platform to the Acura and Honda lineup called the Global Light Truck Platform, and it's currently exclusive to the MDX. The new 2021 Acura TLX is also built on a totally new platform that isn’t shared with any other Honda or Acura. Going further back, when the redesigned 2019 RDX debuted, Acura said that model was built on “a new-from-the-ground-up, Acura-exclusive platform." ThatÂ’s three totally-new and Acura-exclusive platforms in a short time period, and it got us thinking. What is Acura up to here?  Most manufacturers these days are increasingly going in the exact opposite direction. VolkswagenÂ’s MQB architecture underpins everything from the hot hatch GTI to the gigantic Atlas. ToyotaÂ’s TNGA platform has multiple sizes/versions, but Toyota still considers them related and will tell you that TNGA is the basis of cars from the Corolla on up to the Highlander, plus the Lexus UX and ES. You can find similar stories all across the industry, in both luxury and non-luxury brands. Acura, on the other hand, appears to be taking a totally different approach. To get some clarity on strategy, we reached out to Acura. The answers are multifaceted, but Acura says it's spending money where it pays dividends for performance — but there's also more sharing between models than it might look like on the surface. “The definition of what constitutes a 'common platform' varies by automaker,” Acura exclusively told Autoblog during a wide-ranging e-mail interview involving the input of numerous engineers and product planners. “For us, the most fundamental value is to maintain the same carry points throughout production and enable us to produce different vehicles in the same manufacturing environment.” As an example, the TLX and RDX feature similar carry points in the chassis to enable their production on the same line, but thatÂ’s where the two diverge. “The TLX is different in that it has a bespoke platform that is not shared with any other Acura or Honda vehicle,” Acura says.