DC5 Integra Type-R makes up for lack of power with impressive aerodynamic package.
The video above comes to us from the Attack Official Days YouTube channel and it features an Integra DC5-R participating in the Attack 2018 Tsukuba Championship sponsored by Sunoco. The DC5 doesn’t get as much respect as the earlier Integra and Civic models, but as this video shows, a purpose-built race car based on the DC5 gets around a road course with the best of them.
The DC5
The car in the video above was marketed as the Honda Integra in Japan, but in the United States, the DC5 was called the Acura RSX. The RSX was a popular model, but it never quite achieved the level of high performance respect that the Acura Integra did. One of the reasons for that lack of high performance street cred comes from the fact that the mighty Type-R was not offered in the US, but Japanese buyers could get the highest performance version of the DC5.
In Japan, the Honda Integra Type-Rcame with 217 horsepower, so it was only slightly more powerful than the American RSX Type-S, but it also came with a close ratio 6-speed manual transmission, a helical limited slip differential, four-piston Brembo front brakes and unique interior appointments. As a result, it was quicker, lighter and handled better in Type-R form.
DC5 Race Car
The car in the video above is based on the Honda Integra, but it is clearly purpose-built for racing dominance. It has 300 metric horsepower, while the production version of the Type-R in Japan had “only” 220 metric horsepower. It also has elaborate aerodynamic upgrades, a 900 kilogram (1,980 pound) curb weight, and a set of Yokohama Advan A050 tires, allowing it to get around the track in a hurry.
To be exact, the driver gets around the Tsukuba Circuit in 58.226 seconds and it sounds great in the process, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
