🔧 Revisit: The Nearly Perfect Street Car — A Deep Dive into Integra’s History (Part 1)

Original – Honda誌 – JDM Car Fans Mag – Updated: 2025-04-02 05:18:15

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Some of the video content in this article comes from Honda Motor’s official video “Honda Collection Hall” and the internet. All rights belong to the original creators. We are merely re-sharers.

Having once sat in, driven, maintained, and reviewed the Integra from the perspectives of a passenger, car enthusiast, mechanic, and automotive media—whether it's the Honda-badged Integra or the Acura RSX, whether it’s the base ZC engine or the red-top K20A—I’ve more or less experienced them all.

The reason I describe the Integra as “nearly perfect” is because it satisfies two core qualities a car must have:
✅ It needs to be fast — and it really is, especially the 1998 DC2-R.
✅ It needs to be practical and comfortable to a degree — and no matter which engine it’s equipped with, the Integra gives you that feeling. Among Honda cars, it’s probably the one closest to achieving that balance.

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Nowadays, many domestic car fans and social media creators love to hype up their own so-called perfect cars. But if you stop and look closer, many of these “perfect” cars they dream about are things like Ferraris or Lambos.

To be honest, I’ve driven and tested plenty of these high-performance or supercars with very specific purposes. And I can say this: very few of them are suitable for daily driving. 🛠️

That’s a known truth in the automotive world. Unless you’re super young and full of vanity, try driving those bulls and horses every day to work, pick up your kids, do errands—before long, you’ll lose your mind. 💭

The core function of a car is a tool. Don’t talk to me about “emotional connection” unless it fulfills that first.

If a car can’t meet its tool function, it wouldn't have even hit the market when it was new. Car companies aren't stupid—their marketing departments have learned from many failures.
Which models can be sold, which can't—there's already a strict internal consensus.

As for whether a car can become “emotional,” that depends on your personal life experience.
Your nostalgia isn’t mine.
You might admire old Benzes; I like the 930.
He thinks it’s the Peugeot 505...

That’s why there’s no single answer for “nostalgia cars.”
They’re just physical embodiments of each person’s childhood memories. ✨

In my opinion, a car that’s truly perfect must meet these 3 criteria — in this exact order:

1. It must be practical

2. It must be reliable

3. It must have good driving dynamics

If any one is missing, or if you mess up the order, it’s not it.
Driving dynamics alone is for media reviews.
For a real user, it takes 2–3 years or even longer to truly experience a car.

But by then, if you’re leaking oil, how can you still call it a good car? 🚗

Many people think that slapping on a Type R badge makes a car a “supercar” for self-indulgent bragging. But that’s not true.

In fact, the meaning of Type R is “high performance for the street,” not just pure racing. Racing is simply an extension of its capability.

👉 What I value more is that Type R models are also highly practical and inclusive.

🔤 The Origin of “Integra”

The name Integra comes from the English word Integrate, meaning “integrated” or “complete.”
The only Chinese translation that ever existed was “Xing Ge” (形格), used early on in Hong Kong.
Ironically, just as the Integra name was about to enter mass recognition in the mainland Chinese car scene, it was discontinued (in September 2006).

This article is entirely based on Japan Domestic Market (JDM) Integras, with export models only briefly mentioned.

The name “Integra” wasn’t used by Honda for the first time on four-wheeled cars.

As early as 1982, the motorcycles CBX400F Integra and CBX550F Integra already carried the name.

The first time a car used the Integra name was in 1985, during the redesign of the Quint, called the Quint Integra.

That name remained until 1989, when the model was officially renamed to just Integra.

So if you consider the April 1989 release of the Integra as the “first generation,” then there’s technically a “half-generation” before it — with nearly identical chassis and engines.

In other words, the Integra lineage can be broadly seen as four generations, but more strictly speaking, only three and a half generations.

📘 First Generation Integra Type R (GF-DC2) 98’ Spec — Performance Specs

• Wheelbase: 2,570 mm (DB8: 2,620 mm)

• Track (F/R): 1,480 mm / 1,480 mm

• Curb Weight: 1,080 kg (DB8: 1,120 kg)

• Engine: B18C

• Displacement: 1,797 cc

• Bore × Stroke: 81 mm × 87.2 mm

• Compression Ratio: 11:1

• Max Power: 200 PS @ 8,000 rpm

• Max Torque: 19 kg·m @ 6,200 rpm

• Transmission: 5-speed manual

• Gear Ratios:

  • 1st: 3.230

  • 2nd: 2.105

  • 3rd: 1.458

  • 4th: 1.034

  • 5th: 0.787

  • Final Drive: 4.785

• Tires: 215/45R16 Potenza RE010

• Suspension: Double wishbones (front & rear)

Due to length, the story of the third generation (a.k.a. fourth overall) DC5 Integra will continue in the next article.

As someone who’s driven both the Type R and the regular 160 PS version of the DC5 extensively, I can say:
If the DC5 were still available brand-new and street-legal today, I’d still buy one as my daily driver.
That’s just how damn good it is. 🔧