Honda’s premium vehicle brand Acura has announced bringing back the first-generation Integra coupe. It won’t be a mass-produced car, though: a single restored and modernized example will greet the attendees of the company’s 51st Grand Prix in Long Beach, California on April 17, and that will be it.
Acura is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and the original Integra played a major role in building the image of the brand, so this is why it is making a comeback. The car wears a fresh coat of Rio Red Metallic and rides on 14-inch Mugen wheels with Carbotech brake pads and Tein coilovers.
The coupe’s original 1.6-liter, naturally aspirated D16A1 four-pot continues to provide the power to a five-speed manual transmission. A modern Monsoon ECU, an upgrade exhaust system including a new manifold, an overhauled ignition system with individual coils and other performance parts should help it output a fair bit more than stock, but there has been no mention of any specific numbers. The original was only good for 115 PS (113 hp / 85 kW).
Back in the late 1980s, Acura teamed up with Honda Racing Corporation and Comptech to build an Integra race car that proceeded to bring home multiple IMSA championship awards. It wore the grid number 48 and helped make the new brand recognizable in the United States.
