Acura Integra race plans hinge on Honda marketing

The 2023 Integra has largely unsuccessful to create the stir from lengthy-time enthusiasts that Acura had hoped it would. Nevertheless, all is not misplaced Acura could maybe regain some avenue cred if they took the Integra racing, like they did with the Integras of the 80s and 90s. Brand head Jon Ikeda wants to choose the ‘Teg to the monitor, but it all relies upon on regardless of whether the leadership at the American Honda mothership permits it.

“We want to race this point, but perhaps the Honda PR and internet marketing men might have unique thoughts,” Ikeda instructed Street & Monitor. That is for the reason that the Integra is mostly a 2022 Civic Si with a hatchback type issue and new sheetmetal. Honda already sells a Civic Sort R race auto in a number of tunes for numerous courses in the TC America touring auto sequence. That was based mostly on former-generation Civic, but in all likelihood will keep on the software with the most recent gen. A racing Integra, then, would feel redundant.

On the other hand, Acura has been remarkably lively in motorsports, from 24 Several hours of Daytona-profitable IMSA DPi prototypes to NSX GT3 race automobiles to Pikes Peak hill-climbers. Even Honda’s F1 automobiles ended up re-branded with Acura livery at very last month’s U.S. Grand Prix in Austin.

And it really is not like the Integra isn’t going to have a lengthy record in motorsports. The nameplate as competed in numerous North American sequence from SCCA Professional Rally to IMSA sedan to the Import Drag Racing Championships. Most likely the most properly-recognised Acura Integras to race, although, ended up Peter Cunningham’s white and neon orange RealTime Racing Sort Rs that dominated the SpeedVision Entire world Challenge championships all-around Y2K.

Ikeda has reported in advance of that he wants Acura to be the performance brand name of Honda, and a rumored Integra Sort S is in the is effective with a extra powerful engine, perhaps a variation of the forthcoming Civic Sort R’s mill. “We’re the performance division of Honda,” Ikeda emphasised to R&T, “So we are not likely to shy away from Honda, you know? We’re likely to just have a very little bit extra enjoyable.”

Although an admirable target, the brand name will wrestle if it really is merely the performance arm of Honda. It has to be about performance automobiles, interval. That was component of Acura’s magic in the 90s it provided items that, even though sharing components with Honda, ended up distinct and had their have personalities. The Integra was Civic-based mostly, but it had noticeably much better dealing with, extra energy, and one of a kind structure. With the NSX driving off into the sunset soon the Integra will be asked to have a major load, but if Acura can discover a way to ship the Integra into fight with out stepping on the Civic’s toes, perhaps it has a shot.

Similar Video