Vehicle Description
If you're the kind of guy who says too much horsepower is never
enough, this 1999 Acura Integra might be the car for you. Subtle as
all get-out, silly fast, and beautifully engineered, it packs a
mountain of a motor wrapped in rather sedate bodywork that's bound
to catch more than a few guys sleeping.
At first glance, this looks like a fairly stock Integra, and that's
the entire point. These were already handsome cars, with their
distinctive headlights and smooth contours, and adding a wide-body
kit does nothing to change all that. It's so cleanly done that you
almost think it's factory-built; the nose fits cleanly, the body
lines are uninterrupted, and it gives the muscular little hatchback
a performance stance. It has been de-badged and repainted, a
glorious metallic burgundy that is almost too nice to risk on the
street. But that won't matter after you dip into the turbocharged
V8's torque reserves; sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. It's just
beautifully built, nicely finished, and obviously intended to be a
sleeper. It appears that the headlights have been upgraded but only
an expert will notice, while out back there are vents flanking the
taillights that give you the inkling that something is going on
back there. Oh, and the twin exhaust pipes under the license plate.
They're just plain cool.
Slide behind the wheel and you may not even notice that this Acura
has been so radically modified. Stock seats show some wear, but
they're stock, which is all part of the plan. The original steering
wheel, gauges, and dash are all in place as well. That big B&M
shifter in the center console is a dead giveaway, but the guy in
the next car can't see it and it works rather well. There are also
auxiliary gauges mounted down low on the console, keeping an eye on
the big V8's vitals. You will note there is no radio, but one
glance into the back seat area will tell you why, and that's where
the fun starts. Everything aft of the front seats has been heavily
modified for performance and speed, and the results are just
jaw-dropping.
That's a 500 cubic inch Cadillac V8 tucked back there. That's 8.2
liters of muscle. But in case that isn't enough, it's buffed by a
pair of high-mounted 65mm turbochargers blowing into a 950 CFM
carburetor on top. There are two intercoolers up front, complete
with their own fan, and, well, you can see the amount of work that
went into shoehorning that giant V8 in there. It uses a Cadillac
subframe and suspension to hold it all in place, as well as the
Eldorado's TH425 3-speed automatic transmission, since it's the
only transmission that fits AND can handle all that torque. Up
front where the Integra's engine used to live, you'll find a giant
aluminum radiator and a 17 gallon fuel cell, as well as a V1000
fuel pump. A custom exhaust system was fabricated to include the
aforementioned turbos as well as a set of O2 sensors for wide-band
tuning, and giant mufflers do their best to keep the beast quiet
enough to hunt its prey. As I mentioned, it's insanely fast but
thanks to the big Cadillac's inherent smoothness and the gentle
nature of the turbos, it is anything but tricky on the street. Lean
into the accelerator and the car lunges forward like it was
drop-kicked by God, but it doesn't get out of hand. Some of the
credit still has to go to Acura engineers for their rock-solid
suspension tuning, and the 4-wheel disc brakes deliver plenty of
stopping power, even for this monster. 17-inch Honda S2000 wheels
help with the illusion and carry 225/45/17 front and 245/45/17 rear
performance radials.
This isn't a car for just anyone but that's entirely the point. If
you're a special kind of crazy that loves speaking softly and
carrying a big stick, this Acura delivers in a very big way. Call
now!
