syrinx

Hey ya'll I was searching through my hard drive and found these. I don't quite recall where they all came from (maybe here) but I thought I'd share with those that either A: don't remember, or B: are new and have never seen these.

Good stuff.


Honda/Acura Integra Type R World Press Commentary

“Once every generation, one car stands out for using advanced technology to provide a new peak of driving pleasure. Our aim was to make the Integra Type R the outstanding car of our generation.” Hisao Suzuki, President, Honda Research and Development, Europe.

“Some car makers talk about building cars for road and track… but Honda went ahead and did it. It’s laid the sauce on thick, too, so the Type R won’t be to everyone’s taste.” Wheels, March 2001

“The weighting of the steering is glorious, the feel of the wheel rim superb and the chassis absolutely intuitive. It practically implores you to rip in and join the fun, allowing the driver to be an integral part of the experience. It’s simultaneously, a tool and a toy, singing its song for you alone.” MOTOR, January 2001

“Toss the Type R into even the slightest bend and you’ll feel it rotate about its axis like a true racecar. Once out, the tail is easily balanced with the throttle just as the automotive gods always intended. Absolutely awesome.” Josh Jacquot; Sport Compact Car, April 2001

“The Type R is a finely honed tool for driving fast, a car engineered in almost every detail not to coddle or insulate, but to communicate. If driving a Type R doesn’t make the petroleum in your blood boil, you should collect your pushrods and go home.” Dave Coleman; Sport Compact Car, April 2001

“The Acura Integra Type R is designed for autocrossers and road racers who revere performance and handling above all else. This car makes no pretense of being a car for the masses. The Type R was designed by racers for racers… It’s an exclusive cult car.” Grassroots Motorsports, April 2001

“The Honda Integra Type R, though, is no normal front-driver. While the bodyshell is starting to look dated (and outrageous with the Type R’s wing), the interesting stuff is all underneath. It’s virtually a road registerable club racer, with braces inside and underneath the boot, as well as across the engine bay; there’s the rock solid race spec suspension, the gun Recaro seats, the thick leather steering wheel and, the secret weapon, a limited slip differential.” MOTOR, October, 2000

“The Honda is really something to savour on a good bit of road. There’s the sensational engine note, full of menace, purpose and anger, the wonderful shift action and the instant throttle response. It’s easy to drive quickly in any weather and it gets its power to the road amazingly well. It’s a furiously busy weapon built to charge over racetracks and mountain passes time and again… if it’s reputations you want to cut down, get yourself a Type R and go hunting… It’s gallant. It’s fast. And it’s a winner.” MOTOR, October, 2000

“A really awesome car. Plenty of bang for your bucks from behind the wheel. The engine sounds fantastic and revs all the way to 9,000 rpm and the power is still there. The chassis surprised me. For a front driver it’s so user-friendly. It turns in superbly and doesn’t understeer or get tailly. It’s quite neutral. It gets a little bit nervous at the rear in the high speed stuff, but it’s very, very hard to make a mistake and get it to do anything drastic. One of the favorite for sure.” MOTOR, October, 2000

“Raw, uncompromising driver’s car that’s too much for some, but so taut, so well set-up and with such a terrific engine, you’ll be gasping for superlatives.”
Wheels, December 2000

“The way the Type R’s shifter is literally perfect in throw and action are unmatched anywhere else. Shifts at redline are rewarded with immediate power delivery in the next gear, steering speed and precision are awesome and seats that actually hold you in place go a long way towards making the Type R a real driver’s car.” Sport Compact Car, November 2000

“The Type R’s chassis and power combination tends to be untouchable when tested under [winding mountain road] conditions, (at least at this price point).” Sport Compact Car, November 2000

“The Integra Type R, however, is a focused, concentrated, near-racecar environment at ten-tenths. It involves the driver more in the business of going fast, supplying keen feedback and amazing control sharpness… We like to think Sport Compact Car readers understand the merits of balance, precision and thorough sorting of a car’s chassis and engine – all of which the Integra Type R exhibits in excess.” Sport Compact Car, November 2000

“The VTEC power delivery is addictive, the chassis is razor sharp, the interior has just the bare essentials, and its one of those cars you need to drive before you die … [the Integra Type R] is one of Japan’s best kept secrets.” EVO Magazine, September 2000

“Bury your preconceptions about front wheel drive and you’ll find Honda’s Integra Type R is one of the world’s ultimate driving machines.” EVO Magazine, August 2000

“The original feisty front-drive coupe, with a jewel-like 1.8 litre VTEC ‘four’ and benchmark handling. The Type R concept at it’s very best. You would never believe a front-drive car could possess as much poise and adjustability as the Integra Type R… Honda must be smiling. It also makes the best noise of any four pot in production.” EVO Magazine, May 2000

“This [car] is the business. This does it all properly. This is a car which someone has taken the time to refine for track work. It does everything terrifically from its direct and exact gearshift to its gear ratios. Honda has done its homework with a sharpened pencil… From the form-fitting winged bucket seats, you’re very much a part of the car. It feels really solid like a real racing car. And it sounds fabulous.” Wheels, February 2000

“The Honda Integra Type R is immensely rewarding, provided you drive it with a purpose. Treated like a daily driver, the bone-jarring ride and booming cabin noise will batter you into submission. But driven hard, as its maker intended, the Type R is the ultimate drug-free high.” Wheels, December 1999

“The Integra Type R is much more than the sum of its parts. Response and reaction to driver input is almost instantaneous, endowing the pedals and steering wheel with a delightful communication. Lightning quick throttle response places a massive strain on the Bridgestone Potenzas as they attempt to disperse the power.” Wheels, December 1999

“The Integra Type R demands attention. Become distracted and you risk losing everything… This is a focused car for serious drivers; posers apply elsewhere… Every little flick of the wheel and stab on the pedal is rewarded with an immediate accurate response.” Wheels, December 1999

“If you want the closest thing to a race car for under [Australian]$30,000 then the Integra Type R is for you.” Wheels, December 1999

“With the race goggles firmly in place, issues like ride quality become almost irrelevant.” Wheels, December 1999

“The Type R surprised us with its aggression on turn-in and with the incredibly tight lines that could be held through the corners.” Wheels, December 1999

“Rewriting the rules of automotive performance, the Type R makes no excuses for its extraneous rear seats, its traditionally suspect drivetrain layout, or its quasi-utilitarian styling. Despite these “handicaps,” the Type R proudly stands out from the crowd as a brutally effective weapon of single-minded purposefulness. The Type R is a giant-killer on the track, taking on cars much more expensive. By all appearances the Type R is untouchable.” Sport Compact Car, April 1999

“Currently the car to have in this sector and a truly spectacular drive. Stripped of all creature comforts, this is a true sports car with a superb, free-revving 187 bhp engine, amazing levels of roadholding and grip with the sharpest steering of any mass-market coupe. Very tough and well-built but lacks any pretense of refinement.” What Car?, August 1999

“… I’d found it was indeed an admirable work of steely Japanese engineering.” CAR, February 1999

“Fundamentally the Integra feels like a simple, rudely mechanical car, but it’s very clever with it. It pares driving down to its raw materials – instant engine response, and a noise to match; fantastic turn-in and feedback (road surface through your seat, grip through the wheel). It takes a few miles to cut through the Integra Type R’s superficial showiness, which is all rawness and racy pretensions, but beneath that, it is an awesome driver’s car. Like the way it drives, its appeal is elemental – that back to basic, deeply psychological pleasure in pointing and squirting in a car, down roads that rip and roar like the winding ribbon of a rollercoaster… This is the pure way.” CAR, February 1999

“The truth is, though, the Integra Type R remains an enigma, titanium gear **** and all.” CAR, February 1999

“… like the off-duty competition car it is, it’s an impossible car to drive absent-mindedly without looking very amateur indeed.” CAR, February 1999

“Limited numbers. Perfectly focused. Marginal business for a major carmaker, true. The kind of product that driving evangelists drool over and marketing saps witter on about as a ‘halo product’ which ‘strengthens the brand proposition.’ ” CAR, October 1998

“… the Integra Type R is pure-bred Japanese – as seductive a reflection of Tokyo’s obsession with the mad, bad and dangerous-to-resist bits of driving as Nissan’s Skyline GT-R.” CAR, October 1998

“There are faster cars than the Integra Type R, sure enough. But few that are as unashamedly emotional in their appeal.” CAR, October 1998

“The Integra Type R encourages you, you sad car purist, to listen for the onset of serious good stuff.” CAR, October 1998

“The Integra Type R feels like it was painstakingly honed as a statement, to reposition Honda as a creator of adrenaline-soused cars.” CAR, May 1998

“The Integra Type R, more than anything else, is defiant narrow casting. You either get it or you don’t.” CAR, May 1998

“…you feel the Integra Type R; there’s an irrefutable mechanical quality. Plunge hard and late into a corner and this car adjusts through neutral to understeer, poised, sharp, accurate.” CAR, May 1998

“There’s cleverness, too, in the way the Cocker Spaniel-on-sulphate alacrity of the engine ties in with the alertness of the limited slip differential, the fabulously tough brakes with Porsche pedal feel and perfectly weighted steering to allow you, quite simply, to get the jollies, big time.” CAR, May 1998

“…the Integra Type R propounds a strictly emotional appeal. There’s nothing rational about a loud, firmly sprung car that will annoy eight passengers out of ten. The Integra Type R exists at one remove from rational. It’s selfish.” CAR, May 1998

“The Integra Type R propounds a strictly emotional appeal… The Integra Type R is emotional like the Blues is emotional… Should you ponder if the Integra Type R be less demanding, you miss the point.” CAR, May 1998

“The Integra Type R appeals to the racing driver in you, the suppressed sliver in your soul which is obsessed with tricky bits of engineering that the person in the street is genetically resistant to, the chunk of your heart which beats faster when you’re on a satisfying road in a satisfying car, the part of you which says you will never, ever, drive a Vauxhall Vectra by choice.” CAR, May 1998

“No European car, irrespective of price, matches the sheer intensity of the Integra Type R. This car re-defines middle-management performance machinery as a product light on deportment and heavy on thrills. But beware. Integra Type R is, above all, addictive. And definitely raw.” CAR, May 1998

“The Integra Type R is as extreme a car as you can buy, irrespective of price. There are days when you will hate the noise, the rort, the big rear wing masking the rear view, a literally uncomfortable relationship with zitular road surfaces, times when the ownership effort seems too damned wearing. But those moments will be outnumbered tenfold by the sheer bonkers perfection of the thing, the way it delivers pleasure – raw, demanding, self-obsessed, techno, laugh-’til-you-burst delight – at a level other car makers don’t understand.” CAR, May 1998

“Like every great lightweight, Honda’s Integra Type R is a brilliant drive because the engineers dispensed with unnecessary luxury items, concentrating instead on honing the mechanical package to maximize the car’s performance, handling and roadholding.” Performance Car, April 1998

“In short, its one very special motor, turning even the shortest journey into a qualifying lap.” Performance Car, April 1998

“Driven as it’s intended the Integra Type R is a blisteringly quick real-world car.” Performance Car, April 1998

“The chassis is a gem, too, with amazing levels of grip and traction but retaining equally brilliant levels of feedback and throttle adjustability.” Performance Car, April 1998

“Its a magical combination of Peugeot 306 GTI 6 fluidity, Ford Puma feel and [Renault] Clio Williams balance but with an infinitely adaptable cornering attitude, from steady understeer through neutral four wheel drifts to tail-out lift-off oversteer without ever feeling twitchy or unstable. All of which goes to make the Integra Type R the most focused, best handling front wheel drive car we’ve ever driven.” Performance Car, April 1998

“Put simply, the Integra Type R is the most enthralling front drive car we’ve ever had the luck to get our sticky mits on. It’s a race-sharpened road car with a hand finished motor, stiffened body shell and Recaro interior…” CAR Performance Car of the Year, January 1998

“Amazingly, the engine isn’t the highlight of the Type R. The chassis is simply spectacular. Whether you’re on the road or racetrack, you can do almost anything with it. Understeer isn’t on the agenda, even in the wet, and with a little fancy throttle work you can vary the cornering attitude from delicious four wheel drifts to lurid oversteer with a lift of your right foot.” CAR Performance Car of the Year, January 1998

“The wonderful thing about this is the forgiving nature with which it lets go. With a little practice you can drive straight to 100% and then start to play.” CAR Performance Car of the Year, January 1998

“Think of the Integra Type R as a sports coupe and you’ll be sorely disappointed. However, regard it as a front drive Lotus Elise with a roof and you’ll be just about spot-on.” CAR Performance Car of the Year, January 1998

“… there is a deftness and dialogue between the steering wheels and the road that’s almost Lotus Elise in its purity.” CAR, November 1997

“Push your luck and the Integra Type R will let go, but it is so informative that you’re never kept in the dark about what’s coming and you can with fine steering inputs.” CAR, November 1997

“… the Integra Type R is one of those cars that you don’t want to get out of. Even after 200 odd miles, deep into Sunday night, I’m still seeking out empty back roads whacking the lights onto full beam and listening to the sound of roadside stones bouncing off of the sills, doing a Colin McRae, just driving and driving fast. This little Honda with the so-what shape has gate crashed a very select club where the only criteria for membership is unalloyed driving pleasure.” CAR, November 1997

“The Integra Type R disguises its front wheel drive layout with sensational track-bred handling.” CAR, December 1997

“Wrist-flick through the gears and extend that marvelous engine to the sort of revs that sends cranks through the blocks of most rivals and you’ll reach nirvana that you would have thought well beyond a front drive car.” CAR, December 1997

“On a racetrack the Integra Type R is the best handling FWD car any of us can remember. It steers more like a race car than a road car, turning in with a sharpness and élan that bely its streetcar disguise. And once committed through a bend, it hangs on with amazing grace… It doesn’t scrabble and scream and drift and porpoise, like many front drive cars on the edge of their abilities. It just powers around the bend in a nicely controlled drift.” CAR, December 1997

“On the track the Integra Type R kisses goodbye to understeer and marks a new benchmark for front drive precision. If it had a little more life at 7/10ths on the road, we’d be hardly able to contain ourselves.” CAR, December 1997

“If you want to know what real top-end power feels like, the Integra Type R will get you closer to [Team Honda Sport Touring Car race driver, Gabriele] Tarquini’s weekend car than anything this side of a Ferrari F355.” Autocar, August 27, 1997

“The Integra Type R is actually closer in character to a Ferrari F355 than the NSX is. If this doesn’t make it the best car ever to come out of Japan, I’m not sure what does.” Autocar, August 27, 1997

“Brilliant. Absolutely and utterly brilliant. The Integra Type R is a supreme driver’s car at a price that makes sense…” Performance Car, November 1997

“Some cars feel fast. Some cars are fast. Some cars, like the Integra Type R, are both at the same time.” Performance Car, November 1997

“Its extraordinary performance combined with its excellent chassis dynamics give the Type R enough point to point potential to embarrass supercars and makes you question the need to spend more than £20k on a sportscar.” Performance Car, November 1997

“The sensation you have is that of being in a racing car, in terms of reaction speed and aggressive driving position.” Gabriele Tarquini, Team Honda Sport Touring Car race driver.

“Incredible. The best road car engine I’ve ever driven on a race circuit.” James Kay former Touring Car Champion.

Flux

Awesome.. thanks for posting those up.

My favorite (and why I love this car): "The Type R is a finely honed tool for driving fast, a car engineered in almost every detail not to coddle or insulate, but to communicate."

Bbasso

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by syrinx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">“The Integra Type R is as extreme a car as you can buy, irrespective of price. There are days when you will hate the noise, the rort, the big rear wing masking the rear view, a literally uncomfortable relationship with zitular road surfaces, times when the ownership effort seems too damned wearing. But those moments will be outnumbered tenfold by the sheer bonkers perfection of the thing, the way it delivers pleasure – raw, demanding, self-obsessed, techno, laugh-’til-you-burst delight – at a level other car makers don’t understand.” CAR, May 1998

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I like this one, And yes I remember most of those

1GreyTeg

Thanks for posting those up.

Not just another car.

Jon D

n0ic3

canuckr

Reading all those quotes makes me want to ditch work, go home, fire up 163, drive down to VIR, enjoy every minute getting there, and every minute spent on the track...... I love my kaa...

Chris93Si

Great post

b19coupe

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by syrinx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Good stuff. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Very good stuff.

BlueR

iTrader: (10)

luckily, this thread is up now...

do it 2 weeks b4 expo and half these guys will have to buy new helmets

Haleiwa-Brando

Interesting.....

*highlight/copy/paste....

Big Phat R

Awesome find

kepani

thanks for the post robert! :rekindled_love_for_the_itr:

kepani-who can't wait till the "end of work bell" rings.

p nut

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kepani &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thanks for the post robert! :rekindled_love_for_the_itr:

kepani-who can't wait till the "end of work bell" rings. </TD></TR></TABLE>

People actually work in Hawaii?

Good post, BTW.

jordanitr

Loved reading these... back from the dead yo!

pogeeboy27

iTrader: (3)

Whoa haven't seen these names around in a while.

Here we are almost 20 years later and we're still marveling at the ITR. I wonder if any reviews of newer FWD cars can match these comments.

itrdave

No.

itrdave

Good stuff...

My favorite quotes:

Call it a Honda or an Acura, this is one of the best handling cars ever made. Forget that it's front wheel drive, it just isn't a factor.

Anyone that hasn't driven an ITR in race-mode, cannot possibly make the mental leap necessary to comprehend its brilliance.

itrdave

One more:

There's an overwhelming sense that this car was built to be brutally caned (Top Gear)

slooogsr

These quotes really make me want to go jump in my R and go for a back road blast..... soon.jpg