Last December, I did a little bit of “show and tell” about one of my latest toys: a 1996 Honda Integra Type R. It’s a car with uncanny handling prowess – and one that helped put Honda on the map in the performance car arena. Before the Type R existed, the highest-performance Integra you could get was a GS-R. And I couldn’t help but stop to admire a clean, unmodified example when I was scrolling through listings recently.
The Pick of the Day is a 1995 Acura Integra GS-R listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Anaheim, California. (Click here to view the listing)
“This is a one-owner, original SoCal Acura Integra GS-R that is in very good and all original condition,” the listing says. Finished in Granada Black Pearl, the car is miraculously unscathed – somehow, it survived the last three decades without getting souped-up or lowered. Even the factory AM/FM cassette stereo remains installed.
The Integra was one of two pioneering models that debuted when the Acura Division was created by American Honda back in 1986. By 1994, the Integra was in its third generation and could be ordered in three-door hatchback or four-door sedan configurations. The GS-R hatchback tipped the scales at 2,667 pounds and had a 64/36 front-to-rear weight distribution. The car’s independent double-wishbone suspension at both the front and rear was the key ingredient that helped optimize handling both on the highway and at the track.
But the real magic of the GS-R was found under its hood. The B18B DOHC inline-four was praised in automotive media for its high-revving eagerness and efficiency. Even though the motor developed just 170 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque, it was sufficient to give the car sprightly acceleration. Car and Driver said, “Its 1.8-liter VTEC four charges full-tilt for 8,100 rpm at the slightest provocation, burning only 7.1 seconds as it claws to 60 mph on its way to an unfettered 134 mph.”
The selling dealer has provided nearly 50 photos of the car, and a few specific niceties stood out to me, particularly on the interior. Notice the leather-wrapped steering wheel, the well-kept leather seats and the clean carpeting – even inside the cargo area. Also, anyone who has owned a vintage Honda or Acura knows how special it is to find one that has been California-kept and features a rust-free body. This car checks all those boxes.
The selling dealer concludes, “It only has 114,109 well-cared-for miles, and everything works, including the air conditioning.”
The asking price is $13,475. Will you keep it stock or use it as a blank canvas for modification?
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
