Introducing: Project Type R

October 01, 2009 | Project Cars | Project Type R | Andrew Wojteczko | Comments (0)

"It's not a hot car if not a Type R!"

The US market DC2 Integra Type R is a special car for many reasons. It represents the first and only Type R designation ever sold by Honda/Acura in North America. It pushed the limits of performance with a focus on lightness and stiffness with little concern for NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness). Additional chassis bracing and no sound deadener helped to set apart the Type R from the regular model Integra. Power came from a 1.8L inline four cylinder code-named B18C5 that produced 195bhp @ 8200 rpm and was mated to a close ratio 5-speed gearbox with a helical LSD. Breaking the 100 hp/liter mark was pretty much unheard of at the cars introduction in 1997. The Type R is so legendary that there’s even a song about it, recorded by Honda-Tech.com member Type Wah. (Here's a YouTube video featuring the song)

While many newer cars have surpassed the output of the Integra Type R, few have been able to capture the driving experience and at-the-limit handling balance the Type R provides. Driving a Type R on the track makes the driver feel like a hero; the car communicates almost intuitively and when you surpass its handling limits it offers a gentle warning and keeps on going. What is even more impressive is that Honda achieved this type of balance with a front-wheel-drive platform. Some say that the helical LSD or larger rear anti-sway bar is the magic ingredient to the R's perfect balance, but it isn’t any one thing. By focusing a manufacturer’s level of resources and engineering towards designing an affordable track-ready yet streetable car, the Type R achieved what most project cars dream of being.

Because the Type R is track-focused and such a capable machine, many of them have spent a large portion of their lives on race tracks and at continuous high RPM. Consequently, when shopping for a used Type R it can be difficult to find an example that hasn’t been well used or even abused. Our Project Type R was no different and what was originally thought to be just a rough idle turned out to be excessive cylinder leakage caused by a hack valve job. Fortunately the Type R engine is relatively easy to access and removing the cylinder head for a rebuild was a reasonably straightforward task. Once reinstalled, our Type R put out a healthy 160WHP on the U2NDyno.com Dynapack (this particular Dynapack produces horsepower and torque estimates that are a little on the conservative side compared to many of the other dynos we’ve tested on).

We enlisted O'Brien Motorsports to weld in a 4-point 4130 alloy steel half cage and fitted a Bride Zeta 3 Type S driver seat to improve driver precision and safety while on track. With the car mechanically sound and some basic safety upgrades fitted, it is now ready for some performance improvements with a focus on track performance while maintaining street legality and the ability to travel to and from the track with a reasonable amount of comfort. With these goals set, we have begun the careful selection of components that we feel will raise the already high performance capabilities of the Integra R. Back-to-back testing will prove if we’ve made the right choices.

Current Market Value (November 2009, prices in USD)

Low Price: $8 000

High Price: $24 000

Average Price: $13 000

US market Type R Specifications
(available in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001)

ENGINE

CHASSIS

October 01, 2009 | Project Cars | Project Type R | Andrew Wojteczko | Comments (0)