Acura Integra Type S in Development, Could Make 300+ HP

Traditionalists wept into their VTEC systems when Acura brought back the storied Integra nameplate on a – gasp! – four-door hatchback on the auto show circuit last year. Those people, of course, conveniently forget that’s precisely the body style in which the original Integra was hewn, to say nothing of the relief felt by many to see Acura slowly moving away from the moronic whateverX naming scheme they’ve deployed for two painful decades.

They had a point about performance, however. Acura seems set to right that wrong with an upcoming Integra Type S, packing 300+ HP and a six-speed manual, for the 2024 model year.

According to the company, the Integra Type S will be powered by a high-revving 2.0-liter VTEC turbocharged engine producing "over 300 horsepower" and paired exclusively with a 6-speed manual transmission. This should make gearheads grin, as will the revelation that ITS will be available with a limited-slip differential. 

In case you need a refresher, the existing Integra utilizes a double overhead cam 1.5L turbocharged four-banger producing 200 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 192 lb-ft of torque at just 1,800 rpm. That is an impressive 133.3 horses per liter in terms of specific output; at that measure, your author’s Challenger should make 760 ponies (hint: it doesn’t). The first customer deliveries of the Integra began on June 2nd this year, and the newly announced Type S is slated to appear this coming summer.

Readers who have had their morning coffee will note the obvious powertrain similarities between the Integra Type S and the Civic Type R. That car deploys all the tricks listed above, good for 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of twist. Will the Acura top the Honda? Depends on how much sibling rivalry there is in the company, and how much chest puffing is happening at boardroom tables. Acura is mum on price, as you’d expect, but a quick glance at the Honda build and price tool shows Civic Type R wears a sticker of $42,895, markups by greedy dealers notwithstanding. A six-speed Integra A-Spec currently costs $35,800 if you’re wondering.

This is the right direction for Acura. We all knew the brand was unlikely to shoot its entire shot at Integra’s debut, so hauling the covers off a hotter model a few months after the initial launch makes a lot of sense. Now, if we can get them to bring back names like Vigor and Legend, we’ll be in business.

[Image: Acura]

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