srt4mike

Does anyone know if the first and last USDM ITRs made are still in existence? It would be interesting to know their stories.

SlapSmak

97 001 was owned and used by Real Time Racing I think.. dont know about the last one.

98ITR747

I talked to Pierre Kleinubing a couple of weeks ago and asked him what happened to the cars that are NOT in the Honda Museum. I.E the one's that were driven by Hugh Plumb, Fred Meyer, Michael Galati, etc. He told me they are in Panama but wouldn't give specifics.
I think they're being raced there possibly.

Jon D

I've got to ask. You have had some interesting posts recently for being a Mopar fan. Why the unique questions for someone who isn't an owner?

get RIGHT

One of those cars was still being used as a race car in Canada. It was painted blue but you could still see the old RTR colors under it and it still had the correct markings on it. Heres the thread https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...light=Realtime

Another old link with some good info https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...light=Realtime

Doespike

I'm curious (so if anyone talks to RTR peeps again ). Were the '97 ITRs actual USDM production ITRs that filtered through a dealer? Meaning did they have a full USDM VIN and outfitted with full interior like the showroom kaas or were they pre-production, non-DOT caRs given/sold to the teams by Honda?

I suspect they were not production caRs and therefor would not have a badge. Just my thought..

<--waiting for the last USDM '97 to come up for sale First one has a salvage title :rollseyes:

CDUB

I was wondering the exact same thing.

andyt

I could've sworn the RTR cars were not numbered/production ITRs.
I even recall some talk about whether or not they were just converted RS's.
Fairly certain they were not purchased through a dealer....
Chances are good they were pre-production cars.

get RIGHT

Taken from the first link I posted.
The RTR cars definately where not production assuming they where like this one.

srt4mike

A little history is needed here, so bear with me. I come from a complete Mopar family. My dad owned a ton of muscle cars in his life and I grew up in a ONLY Mopar environment (with one special exception ). I drove a 98 Neon R/T back in the day and always drooled at the SRT concept they showed around 1998 or 1999. I worked for a Chrysler dealership for awhile as well. I ended up getting an 2005 SRT-4 ACR. In a way it was my dream car. Remembering the SRT concept in 1999 really made it seem like the SRT was my dream car, but I had always dreamed of getting an ITR. I used to look for ones for sale every day at my work (teaching at the time). I would look for them whenever I had a free moment. I could never find an R close or a deal that would work financially at the time. I got so frustrated, so I ditched the ITR deal altogether. There were plenty of cars I almost bought. The closest was a 99 EBP EM1 (always had great respect for Hondas). I actually was upset for quite awhile for not jumping on it, but the SRT just worked out better. So despite what I thought on the surface, my true dream car has always been an ITR. My heart belongs to the R. I am someone who appreciates rare things and keeping them pristine. My friends always give me crap about how obsessive compulsive I am about keeping things flawless. I guess my Dad gave me this supreme respect for vehicles. Despite being a Mopar fanatic, his pride and joy oddly enough is a 72 Corvette (454 4-speed manual). It has around 33,000 original miles! He kept that car through all the rough times no matter what. It's not perfect, but it's all original (except exhaust) and still looks damn good. I kind of embody his hardship in caring for that car through all the rough times with my SRT. When I got it I immediately threw on Mopar Stage 3, Big FMIC, 3" Exhaust, and a bunch more mods. Right after getting it finished up for the most part I ended up getting a divorce. I had to live on next to nothing in order to keep the car. I couldn't afford to even drive it, so my legs, 2 bikes (one got stolen LOL), and later a rusty 93 Jeep got me where I needed to go. Now I am in a MUCH MUCH better financial situation now and in a wonderful relationship with a fellow Honda enthusiast. My SRT is nearly paid off and still sits with 1,600 miles (EXACTLY) awaiting my vision for it to be complete (got some turbo porting and loose ends to tie up). We actually just bought a BEAUTIFUL 99 MR EM1 a few months ago. I have two of my near dream cars! I am finally nearing a point where owning an R is going to be a reality. I'm not really sure what I want at this point (Spotless low mileage? JDM w/K20? Shell rebuild project?). To be honest it will be awhile (maybe even a couple years). There is much more research to do and plenty to get ready. All I know is that my meticulous nature is perfect for owning a true gem of automotive history. The day I finally own my true dream car will be indescribable! I love preserving things that are rare. My love of this vehicle and all things rare is why I have posted what I have. The R has always been my true automotive love and I want the ITR thread to be a tool and resource for keeping them around for long as possible. The end . . . sorry for the world's longest off topic post, but you asked

Doespike

Werd, I responded in that thread too Just covering all the bases. Firewall VIN would be the best to get. Also, weren't there 4 '97 RTR ITRs? Not sure. Wonder if they were all prototypes...or maybe 2 were, 2 were dealer, etc. :curious:

IBriaIN

thats as nice *** vette! I hope one day our ITR become classics...so even 30 yrs from now...people would double take on a integra haha.

srt4mike

Thanks for the links. Some really interesting stuff there!

Outrun

So what numbers are the earliest clean 97s (I remember Doespike informed me of one that could be #6 or #7) and the last clean 97s?

racebum

these should come with every ITR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee3L9BQQ4Gs

98ITR747

Sorry didn't mean to jack the thread really with all the Realtime stuff.. Anyway, it's unlikely that whoever owns the LAST ITR is even aware that they do because there is speculation about exactly how many were made each year, what the badge numbers were, and whether or not the badge number correlates to the assembly line at all.

srt4mike

No worries. It's really good info. It's just funny how much mystery there is around this car. Makes me wonder why. Is there a reason they have never given production numbers? We'll probably never know.

Doespike

The best read on this matter. We do have all 3,850 USDM ITR VINs...so the actual #s are known.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/acura-integra-type-r-8/how-many-itr-were-sold-usa-1492748/

More on what I've been up to..especially concerning badge distribution.
http://itrca.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10138

srt4mike

Never knew the #'s had been figured out that way! Such an awesome link! Also, I love what you are doing regarding the badge distribution. I respect your efforts greatly!!

Steady R

we need more guys like you in our community

dropkneeyoungin

ahahaha i agree.

thirdgod

I'm not sure about the last '97, but as far as I can tell from the VIN thread I've got the last '98, 98-1199, which should also be the last USDM Championship White car....

andyt

The last 98 would be the one whos VIN ends in 4826.

98ITR747

Right on! Maybe since Doespike and team have cracked the algorithm they could tell us what the VIN is for the last 01.

thirdgod

Yup, thats mine!