1996 Acura Integra Special Edition Hatchback Green1.8l on 2040-cars

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The original Acura NSX: Development history and driving the icon

The original NSX, introduced in production form in 1990 by Honda and to the United States market under the Acura brand in 1991, is now officially 25 plus years old. Generations of car enthusiasts grew to love the original NSX over the 15 years it was in production and beyond, but as an fan and owner, I think it's important to fully realize just how monumental a shift the introduction of the NSX was in the art of making cars. So, retold 25 years later, this is the abridged story of the NSX, Honda's supercar. The Idea The NSX was an extremely risky project for Honda, a company that in the late 1980's was nowhere near the corporate juggernaut that it is today. Honda's eponymous founder, Soichiro Honda, was still involved in decision-making at the company during this time under the role of "Supreme Advisor," and it is debatable whether the NSX project in its infancy would have gone forward at all had he not still been pushing the company towards the spirit of technical achievement it had been known for in the prior decades. Mr. Honda was still so involved during this period, in fact, that when the first batch of 300 production NSXs were made with a version of the Acura badge he didn't like, he ordered all of the cars stopped at port in the USA, the new badges applied, and the offending incorrect badges sent back to Japan to be systematically destroyed. This was clearly a man who paid attention to the details, but I digress. Honda as a company devoted $140 million dollars to the NSX project ($250 million in today's money), half of which would go to developing the car, and the remainder of which would go to building a new state-of-the-art factory to assemble it. Honda's own goals for the NSX were actually exactly as most media stories portray the car today: to build a bona-fide exotic supercar, but one without the ergonomic and reliability penalties associated with that type of car. They didn't want to sacrifice the needs of the driver to the supposed demands of performance, demands that they felt didn't have to be there in making a truly top-level performance machine. The R&D team wanted a car that could hang with heavyweight exotics in a straight line, play with smaller and more lightweight sports cars in the curves, and cruise in serenity on the freeway. Essentially, they wanted it all, and the brief was to have a car that could do everything without compromise.

Acura Integra is reborn, so here's a look at its past

The Acura Integra is officially making its return in 2022. No joke! We’re stoked, too. ItÂ’s a return to the nameplate for Acura — we havenÂ’t seen it grace any cars in the U.S. since 2001. Although the Acura RSX (that was sold here) built 2002-2006 was named the Integra everywhere else but America. Now that we know “Integra” is coming back after 20 years off, though, itÂ’s time to take a stroll through Acura Integra history. That history begins with the launch of Acura as a brand, because the Integra was one of the first two models that Acura came to America with — the Legend was the other. 1986-1989 — First generation The first Integra didnÂ’t see a long model run, as it lasted for just four model years. It was too early to incorporate HondaÂ’s soon-to-come VTEC engine technology, but that doesnÂ’t mean it didnÂ’t come packed with awesome features and tech. Acura actually offered two hatchback options — a three-door and a five-door — and a traditional four-door sedan. The only engine option was a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with a DOHC design that revved out to an impressive 7,000 rpm. It made 113 horsepower and just 99 pound-feet of torque for the first two model years, but a mid-cycle refresh saw output increase to 118 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque for the 1988-89 model years. Both a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic were available. It was a sportier car than the Civic at the time, and since Acura is the luxury arm of Honda, it featured a slightly nicer interior. ItÂ’s a rare sight to see first-generation Integras on the roads these days, as rust and time have slowly removed them from AmericaÂ’s highways. No matter, as this Integra kickstarted the sporting and fun-to-drive spirit that would be found in those to come. It was a lightweight, high-revving compact car that helped Acura get off the ground. 1990-1993 — Second Generation Just like the first generation, the second-gen Integra saw just four model years of production. Acura dropped the five-door hatchback offering, instead opting to limit the car to a three-door hatchback and four-door sedan. The styling saw some fairly big changes, as the pop-up headlights were dropped, and the hatchback looked more like a two-door coupe in its silhouette. Performance got a big boost, as Acura upgraded to a 1.8-liter four-cylinder that made 130 horsepower and 121 pound-feet of torque.

Acura races into anime with 'Chiaki's Journey' web series

For the twelfth year in a row, Acura is a presenting sponsor and the official vehicle of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Acura created a four-part anime series called Chiaki's Journey combining the medium Sundance celebrates, Japanese anime, the automaker's fuller Type-S lineup, and the new Acura Integra hatch. Unlike most of the films at the festival, however, Chiaki's Journey runs a total of four minutes and 12 seconds, each episode lasting just over a minute. The story centers on Chiaki, a young Japanese woman from a family of racers who knows how to hustle a car around a track, but who has a temper that runs faster than her vintage Integra can rev. The villain is Erich Kang, the same rich and insufferably arrogant hotshot from every video game and car movie, piloting a non-descript blue hot rod. He's clearly the guy everyone would like to beat, and he knows he's that guy. When Chiaki gets behind the wheel to teach Kang a lesson in lap times, her uncle Noboru steps in to teach her the lessons she'll need to need to win.  Being so condensed, each installment plays like a trailer for a longer episode. Acura managed to fit in all the cars, though: Spot the 2022 MDX Type S, NSX Type S, TLX Type S, and 2023 Integra. The car brand got the obligatory Japanese rock anime intro as well, thanks to the all-female metal band NEMOPHILA doing the song "Raitei.” You can see the first episode above and the rest at Acura's dedicated Type S site.  Related video: