Famous 1998 Acura Integra Resurrected, Looks Better Than Ever
Decades after it first appeared on the scene, this amazing Acura Integra is back with a refresh and new powerplant.
Sometimes, we sell cars and never see them again. Other times, we part ways with them and they never really go too far, showing up all over town to remind us of the good times we used to have. Or, maybe all the headaches involved with wrenching on them. As far as this 1998 Acura Integra goes, well, it has serious staying power, having blown up across the internet back in the early 2000s after it was recused from a junkyard and thoroughly customized by Jay Smith of ONE Honda Specialist.
Eventually, the special Acura Integra had run its course, however, and Smith decided to part it out. His friend, Chris Lucero, coveted the car but simply didn’t have the money to purchase it, as he explained to MotorTrend. However, a friend of his did, though that buddy later sold it to yet another person. Years went by, the Integra disappeared, and Lucero was working on building a family rather than building cars.
But then, out of nowhere, the Integra popped up for sale once again, which Smith brought to Lucero’s attention. The latter jumped at the chance to buy it this time around, though not before securing the former’s commitment to rebuild it. Thus, Smith started out fresh with a K20A fitted with FD2-spec pistons, a ported ITR head and intake, upgraded valvetrain components, and a Kraftwerks supercharger.
Smith proceeded to go through the car’s underbelly and even repaired a poorly-installed ITR subframe before repainting everything down below. He spent many hours cleaning up the wiring and enhancing his original ITR clone look with OEM Honda parts that include the entire interior, front clip, and doors. Thankfully, the Laguna Seca Blue paint and Spoon carbon fiber front lip were still in great shape.
The result of all that work is a thoroughly modernized, somewhat of a restomod Integra with the sort of obsessive detail that’s become Smith’s trademark. Lucero now drives his teenage dream car as much as possible, and Smith is back to wrenching on cars for a very select group of folks, on his own terms. But when you crank out memorable masterpieces like this, you earn the right to do that sort of thing.
Photos: MotorTrend
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