I find myself loving the build process of a new car every time I do it. I know it makes no sense to ever build a race car from scratch when you can get so much value for your money by purchasing a pre-raced car and configure it for your needs but there is something satisfying to me to take an idea and go through the project phase to completion. (Even though it is an utterly frustrating process at times and always over budget)
I grew up around all the Golden Era Honda’s (1980s-1990s) and as a graduation present from high school my parents sent me to college with a 1995 Honda Civic Si in 1998. That sealed the deal for my lifelong interest in not only the sport compact market but the performance aftermarket and racing world. No matter how much I try I can’t shake wanting to toy around with these old Honda’s that I grew up with. As we get older our priorities change, families grow and time becomes our most important resource so picking and choosing my battles has become the norm. I can’t shake the need to go to the race track and enjoy cars in both a high performance driving environment and in door to door competition. Enter the 2001 Acura Integra Type R.
These cars are on the rise as evident by all the recent auction transactions. When people with the disposal income and desire to relive years past collide prices get crazy. Not to mention anytime the economy is good the Collector Car market goes a bit awry. With that in mind and my lack of owning a race car that I was passionate about back in March of 2019 I pulled the trigger on a 2001 Acura Integra Type R that I had known about for a couple of months that would be a perfect platform for a race car build. The idea for the car is to build a safe, reliable, do it all type race car. With the SCCA STL rule set in mind we will target those criteria as that will allow the car to fall into all sorts of different classes and events to enjoy.
The car came with some nice suspension bits so that got me ahead of the game on what I needed to purchase and in conjunction with things I already owned and the vast knowledge we have of this platform and the Honda B Series Engine the project has started to take shape. The interior was completely stripped and the car was sent to Piper Motorsport in Leesburg, VA to have the safety cage installed. Their reputation speaks for itself. If you haven’t had a chance to check out some of their work go do it, it is worth your time to fawn over their projects. Knowing that I could drop the car off and come back a couple of weeks later and it be done exactly as I expected and envision in my mind goes a long way. Mitch and the crew didn’t disappoint. They were responsible for the full roll cage featuring FIA door bars, custom seat mount and left/right side window nets. It came out great and the car was trailered back to Florida to continue along with the project.
Currently in house constructor Tom Creen is working on the roll cage paint job. There is still a long road ahead to complete this project but it is a priority around IPGparts right now so we should be making quick headway over the next couple of weeks.
Being passionate about road racing and track days is what continues my desire to play with cars. High performance street cars and drag strip horsepower wars don’t motivate me, the car life for me is on a race track. Give me Sebring Intl Raceway, Road Atlanta, Barber Motorsports Park and the list can go on any day of the week. Having a race car that I enjoy owning and running is what will keep the passion going. Having an authentic Acura Integra Type R race car should fuel that for some time to come. I can’t stop but think about all the cool events that I have wanted to run that this will perhaps be my chariot to participate in. I am just dreaming here but ever heard of Targa Newfoundland? SCCA Runoffs? Hill Climbs? 25 Hours of Thunderhill? Who knows if I will ever make it to any of those but at the very least I know I will have a special car to use if the opportunities present themselves.
The overall rundown of the project is a 2001 Acura Integra Type R built to SCCA STL Rules. The engine will be the OEM B18c5 freshly rebuilt with Supertech Pistons and Carrillo Rods using stock camshafts and Supertech valvetrain in the head. C&R was commissioned for a custom radiator with integrated oil cooler and an Accusump will go along with the engine installation. The transmission will contain an MFactory Clutch Type 1 Way LSD and Final Drive and revived utilizing a Synchrotech Master Rebuild Kit. The engine will be controlled by a Hondata S300 working with an AIM Solo DL for GPS Data Logging functions. Suspension bits include Koni 3011 Coilovers with Eibach Springs, Kingpin spherical control arms, SPC Camber Kits and all being stopped by the OEM Integra Type R Brake system with Raybestos ST43 brake pads and Castrol SRF Brake Fluid. Interior work features the Piper Motorsport Roll Cage, Sparco race seat, harness and steering wheel as well as the Fire Sense fire suppression system.
Piper Motorsport - Piper Facebook
- James InnesÂ