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Acura pulled the wraps off its new Integra Type S HRC Prototype Thursday night, proving once again that it still loves us. No, seriously, look at this thing. This extra-feisty, bright-yellow hatchback demonstrates what Acura can do when it exploits what it’s learned on the race track and applies it to street cars. Dubbed the HRC Prototype due to Honda Racing Corporation‘s involvement with the car, the baddest Integra yet showcases a “potential” new line of track-focused performance parts.
Even better, these enhancements are not just cosmetic but actually improve the car’s performance in various ways. There are obvious body add-ons including that massive rear wing to enhance aerodynamics and increase downforce, but there are also improvements in the engine and the handling department. A lot of these, in fact, are derived from the Integra Type S TCX race car that competes in the SRO TC America championship.
Starting at the front, there’s a noticeably more aggressive front fascia with a considerably larger front splitter and cooling ducts. The new carbon fiber hood also gets reworked with larger vents for better aspiration, while the side splitters are also new and functional. The elephant in the room is the enormous, adjustable carbon fiber rear wing with aluminum uprights, of course. It looks like it means business.
It’s a similar story inside, with lots of new parts adorning the Integra’s cabin, though in this case, you’ll also notice some parts missing. Lots of carbon fiber has been employed to reduce weight, but the biggest weight savings can be found in the backseat, where you’ll notice there’s no backseat. It’s been thrown out in favor of a neat carbon fiber shelf that can be used to transport track-day tires or other weekend racer stuff when needed. The rear door panels have also been replaced with carbon fiber units, and perhaps the most obvious of all, the two front seats have been replaced with one-piece Recaro bucket seats with carbon fiber shells. All in all, the HRC Prototype weighs 200 pounds less than its production counterpart. Heck, Acura claims there’s even an AC-delete option.
The cabin is dominated by an HRC-branded X-Brace, which provides an attachment location for multipoint harnesses. Of course, its second-best quality is that it looks incredible. The fit and finish on all these components are absolutely first-class.
Acura did not initially divulge any performance figures for this prototype, though it’ll be my mission to find out during its reveal at Monterey Car Week. However, it does say that “output, response, and cooling performance” have been improved courtesy of a larger intercooler, twin oil coolers, and a tuned, lightweight cat-back exhaust system—though it did not share exactly by how much. Like with the exterior bits, these improvements have also been borrowed from the TCX race car.
As far as more tangible stuff, a track-ready suspension with tuned coilovers, an adjustable rear anti-roll bar, and adjustable front and rear camber plates dramatically improve handling while also lowering the car by 15 mm. It rides on 19×9.5-inch wheels with increased negative offset, which widen the front and rear track by 30 mm. These are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R ultra-high-performance tires. Fifteen-inch, two-piece rotors and Brembo six-piston calipers replace the stock units for better stopping power.
Overall, the Integra Type S HRC Prototype is an Acura lover’s dream. Even if it didn’t enhance the stock car’s performance in any way, it’d be an extremely desirable look—but the fact that HRC has made sure that the upgrades are also functional is pretty darn awesome. If you were already a fan of the Type S but liked the edginess of the Civic Type R better, this should fix that.
I would speculate that HRC will likely gauge interest from the car community and decide whether this is something they’d like to offer. I sure hope they do, because as I often say, Honda/Acura could do more to strengthen its bond with American enthusiasts as it does in its home country of Japan. Offering the Civic Type R for two generations now, plus the Integra Type S, and now cool projects like the HRC Prototype are certainly steps in the right direction.
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