Integra Type R Battles Spoon S2000 on the Drag Strip

Integra Type R and Spoon S2000 have stock power, but these legendary models are far from stock.

It could be argued that the Integra Type R and the S2000 are two of the greatest performance models ever offered by Honda Motor Company. They may not offer the power and technology of the modern performance models like the Civic Type R and the NSX, but the ITR and S2000 offer a raw driving experience that is hard to replicate.

That being said, neither of these cars were designed to be great drag cars, but in a new video from the Hoonigan YouTube channel, the Integra Type R and S2000 compete in the latest series of This Vs That. The idea of This Vs That is to pit two very different cars head-to-head and see who wins a series of 1000-foot drag races and although both of these cars are built by Honda, they are pretty different from one another.

Tale of the Tape

The video begins with channel host Vin hanging out with his “Honda boys”, who go buy the names Nads and Suppy. The vehicle introductions begin with the Integra Type R, which is presented by Chris from KW Automotive. He explains that it was the SEMA booth car for KW in 2018 and it served as the model for a Hot Wheels item, with the passenger’s side of the car decorated to match the 1/64 scale toy.

The U.S.-spec Type R has a stock engine and transmission, a mostly- stock interior with a racing style driver’s seat and a long list of KW Automotive suspension upgrades. It is powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder with 197 horsepower being directed towards the front wheels by means of a 5-speed manual transmission.

This Integra weighs around 2,600 pounds, sitting on 17-inch aftermarket wheels and the owner points out that it is a daily driver with working air condition.

The S2000 is presented by Aaron from Spoon USA, so it should come as no surprise that this Spoon demo car is outfitted with the “whole U.S. catalog”, along with a concept roof. He points out that the engine has been built with full, stock Honda components for reliability, explaining that the engine in a Spoon car would be an “OEM+ motor”, likely offering power numbers on the upper end of the stock spectrum.

This Spoon S2000 is powered by the stock 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, sending 240 horsepower towards the rear wheels by means of a 6-speed manual transmission. It weighs around 2,800 pounds with the unique top and the 17-inch wheels.

In short, the Integra Type R weighs less, but the S2000 has more power, more aggressive transmission gearing and better weight transfer for a drag strip launch thanks to the rear-wheel-drive layout. As a result, four of the guys in the video expect the S2000 to win while only two pick the Integra.

Integra Type R Vs Spoon S2000

In the first 1000-foot race from a dig, the Integra Type R and Spoon S2000 start side-by-side. The S2000 gets out a little better on the launch and pulls away, winning by multiple lengths.

It really wasn’t much of a race, so for the second matchup, they gave the ITR some advantages. The Integra got to leave a car length ahead and he got the hit, meaning that the S2000 driver launches when he sees the Type R launch.

Finally, the S2000 had to carry extra weight in the form of a passenger. The Type R seemed to get a decent launch while the S2000 looked a bit slow at first, preventing the Spoon car from closing the gap. In the end, the ITR won by about a half-length.

Finally, the third race saw the Integra Type R get a car length lead to start and the hit. This time, the S2000 got off of the line really well, quickly closing the gap and cruising to an easy win.

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Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com