CarBrandLogos archive · Acura · 1986

AcuraIntegra

The small Honda that taught America a luxury badge could also be quick.

Photo: IFCAR · Public domain

The story

A defining chapter in Acura history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Acura Integra, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Acura opened for business in the United States in 1986 with two cars: the Legend, which supplied the credibility, and the Integra, which supplied the fun. In Japan it was simply the Honda Integra, a replacement for the Quint, and it ran in one form or another from 1985 to 2006 before the name returned in 2021.

1993-1997 Honda Integra GSi coupe 02 · OSX · Public domain

Design and engineering

The formula stayed remarkably steady across those generations: a front-engined, front-drive compact with a twin-cam four, a precise gearchange and steering that rewarded a driver willing to carry speed. Body styles moved between three-door liftback coupe, four-door sedan and five-door liftback, but the appeal never changed - a small car engineered with an unusual degree of care.

1st Acura Integra sedan -- 11-26-2011 · IFCAR · Public domain

In production

The high point was the Type R of the mid-1990s. Built around a hand-ported B18C, a helical limited-slip differential, seam-welded and lightened bodywork and gearing chosen for a driver rather than a commuter, it became the reference for what front-wheel drive could do, and it is still the car people mean when they talk about Honda's engineering peak. In North America the Integra name gave way to the RSX in 2001, with the ILX later filling the entry-level slot.

1995-1998 Honda Integra Type R rear · TTTNIS · CC BY-SA 3.0

Legacy

The 2022 revival brought the name back as a five-door liftback built at Marysville in Ohio, sharing much with the Civic and offering a manual gearbox and a Type S at the top of the range - a deliberate appeal to the people who remembered the first ones. Early Integras have gone from cheap used cars to sought-after ones, which says something about how well the original judgement has aged.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1985–2006

Body

3-door liftback coupé

Technical specification

The Integra, in detail.

Production: 1985–2006; 2021–present (Chinese market: Honda Integra); 2022–present (North American and Japan markets)
Class: Compact car (C)
Body style: 3-door liftback coupé (1985–2006); 4-door sedan (1985–2001, 2021–present); 5-door liftback (1985–1989, 2022–present)
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel drive; Front-engine, four-wheel drive
Assembly: Japan: Suzuka, Mie (Suzuka Plant, 1985–2006); China: Guangzhou (Guangqi Honda, 2021–present); United States: Marysville, Ohio (Marysville Auto Plant, 2022–present)
Manufacturer: Honda