Acura Integra Type R 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.

Autoblog's Editors' Picks: Our complete list of the best new vehicles

It's not easy to earn an “EditorsÂ’ Picks” at Autoblog as part of the rating and review process that every new vehicle goes through. Our editors have been at it a long time, which means weÂ’ve driven and reviewed virtually every new car you can go buy on the dealer lot. There are disagreements, of course, and all vehicles have their strengths and weaknesses, but this list features what we think are the best new vehicles chosen by Autoblog editors. We started this formal review process back in 2018, so there's quite of few of them now. So what does it mean to be an EditorsÂ’ Pick? In short, it means itÂ’s a car that we can highly recommend purchasing. There may be one, multiple, or even zero vehicles in any given segment that we give the green light to. What really matters is that itÂ’s a vehicle that weÂ’d tell a friend or family member to go buy if theyÂ’re considering it, because itÂ’s a very good car. The best way to use this list is is with the navigation links below. Click on a segment, and you'll quickly arrive at the top rated pickup truck or SUV, for example. Use the back button to return to these links and search in another segment, like sedans. If youÂ’ve been keeping up with our monthly series of the latest vehicles to earn EditorsÂ’ Pick status, youÂ’re likely going to be familiar with this list already. If not, welcome to the complete list that weÂ’ll be keeping updated as vehicles enter (and others perhaps exit) the good graces of our editorial team. We rate a new car — giving it a numerical score out of 10 — every time thereÂ’s a significant refresh or if it happens to be an all-new model. Any given vehicle may be impressive on a first drive, but we wait until itÂ’s in the hands of our editors to put it through the same type of testing as every other vehicle that rolls through our test fleet before giving it the EditorsÂ’ Pick badge. This ensures consistency and allows more voices to be heard on each individual model. And just so you donÂ’t think weÂ’ve skipped trims or variants of a model, we hand out the EditorsÂ’ Pick based on the overarching model to keep things consistent. So, when you read that the 3 Series is an EditorsÂ’ Pick, yes, that includes the 330i to the M3 and all the variants in between. If thereÂ’s a particular version of that car we vehemently disagree with, we make sure to call that out.

Acura TLX Type S PMC Edition reservations open tomorrow

The good news: If you decided you must have the 2023 Acura TLX Type S PMC Edition, Acura would like you to know the reservation system opens tomorrow at 1 p.m. Eastern time, 10 a.m. Pacific time. The not-exactly-good news: Acura doesn't yet want you to know the price. All the automaker would say about MSRP is that it's "expected to be in the low-to-mid $60K range." That doesn't strike us as an unreasonable premium in relation to the standard sedan's $55,000 starting price, when the PMC Edition is built like an NSX, comes in NSX colors and exclusive color combos, and is limited to 300 units. We have to admit, however, that the times we live in have warped all our reference points. Now for the bad news: Acura is releasing the run one color at a time, so today's reservations will only be for the 100 units of the Curva Red special model. Another 100 examples in 130R White can be reserved at an unknown time on November 9, the final 100 in Long Beach Blue can be reserved on December 8. In an age when mass-market makers can't build enough vehicles and buyers are paying 5% or more over sticker for a Honda or a Hyundai, we can already imagine the carnage headed to the Acura website when the horde moves in to fight for 100 spots. If you want this car and you have a lamp, now's the time to start rubbing the lamp.  All PMC Edition cars get a Berlina Black (also an NSX shade) painted roof, antenna, and door handles, the quad exhaust finished in black chrome instead of the bright chrome that comes standard. You get the same Y-spoke 20-inch wheels as the regular Type S, finished in a new copper paint. There's a carbon fiber lip spoiler in front, a carbon fiber decklid spoiler, a rear diffuser in the same weave, alongside glossy black side sill garnish and model badging.  Inside, carbon fiber trim keeps the cabin on brand, accessorized with illuminated side sills, unique Type S-badged floor mats with color-matched edging, and serialized plaques on the center console. The Curva Red sedan gets an Ebony black interior with red stitching. Long Beach Blue cars get an Orchid (cream) interior with blue stitching. The 130R White cars will get a red interior. Occupants recline in Milano leather seats with Ultrasuede inserts, driver and passenger able to adjust them 16 ways.  Similar to other Acura PMC cars, this one is put through the same quality control checks as the NSX, including a dyno check, rough road simulation, and paint inspection.