Silver 1997 Acura Integra Ls on 2040-cars

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Clarion Builds 1991 Acura NSX Review | Restored to greatness

Few automobiles garner as much mystique as the original Acura NSX. I worshiped this car from afar, consigned to the fact that the closest I was ever going to get to the steering wheel was a Playstation controller. When I got the email inviting me to drive Clarion Builds' restored and tuned 1991 NSX, I thought it was spam, a chain email with some generic header sent to a dozen or so people to garner some press coverage. Surely this wasn't a real invite where I get to drive a real NSX using my real hands and feet. Some people say don't meet your heroes. Some people are wrong. I knew the car by reputation. In roughly 10 months, Clarion Builds, a division of the Japanese electronics company mostly known for high-end audio systems, worked with partners like AEM and AutoWave to transform a '91 NSX with nearly a quarter-million miles on the clock into what you see here. Everything, from the engine to the bodywork to the leather on the seats, has been upgraded and restored with a mix of both OEM and aftermarket parts. The final product is a stunner. It's tuned, but not slammed, stanced or any other adjective that describes a car with compromised performance and questionable looks. It's simply a tastefully tuned NSX. The NSX, especially an early car with pop-up headlights, is one of the all-time great car designs. There are no unnecessary lines or curves. It's all purposeful. As expected with something with 230,000 miles, this NSX had a number of dings and dents. Clarion Builds has fixed those, replacing the hood and spoiler with carbon-fiber parts from an NSX-R. The fenders are slightly wider than stock, helping cover the staggered Rays Engineering VOLK ZE40 wheels, 18-inch up front and 19-inch out back. After seeing it in the flesh with the blue paint, black roof and bronze wheels, I don't think there is a better fit for this car. The original but tired 3.0-liter V6 and five-speed manual have been swapped for a 3.2-liter V6 and six-speed manual from a 2004 NSX. Stock, this engine is a wonderful ode to the internal combustion engine. It sings a sweet song all the way to a sky-high 8,200 rpm redline. Still, it wasn't enough. The engine now wears a Whipple-style supercharger, pushing roughly 9 psi of boost. Other modifications include a one-off carbon-fiber intake, a hand-built exhaust and a new ECU, all from AEM. All in, Clarion Builds says this NSX makes 403 horsepower and 296 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. God, it feels good to push this thing.

2024 Acura Integra Type S First Drive Review: Have we got news for you!

If you were expecting the 2024 Acura Integra Type S to be a more comfortable, better-equipped and less-aggressive Honda Civic Type R, well, have we got news for you. As it turns out, that’s exactly what it is. You pretty much nailed it on the head. The Integra Type S is exactly the car we all expected after looking at the specs, seeing how closely its enhanced componentry mirrored that of HondaÂ’s halo car, and then extrapolating what a bit of polish, a bunch of equipment and slightly cushier suspension tuning might mean. If the latest Type R has been hailed for growing up in just the right ways, the Type S takes that concept further, sacrificing some go-fast potential for everyday drivability. If you like the Honda, thereÂ’s a chance youÂ’ll like the Acura even more. ThereÂ’s also a chance youÂ’ll like it less. Now, not surprisingly, the folks at Acura would rather shine the spotlight on how the Type S differs from the Integra A-Spec, which was previously the highest rung on the Integra ladder and the only way to get one with a six-speed manual transmission. Very well. Somehow, the visual jump between A-Spec and Type S seems much greater than Civic Si and Type R. When put side-by-side, the A-Spec Integra looks almost naked and a bit pedestrian. The 3.5-inch-wider front track wrapped in muscular fender flares stamped directly into the sheetmetal up front is the biggest difference. The rear track is 1.9 inches wider, and although it too gets widebody fenders, they are a shmish-shmosh of plastic pieces on the door, fender and bumper. But back to the front. The face is more aggressive in appearance, but the changes are as much functional as aesthetic. The shield grille is larger and fully open (versus partially sealed) to allow 170% more air to pass through on its way up a new vent in the aluminum hood that creates downforce. The large intake-looking areas forward of the wheels donÂ’t actually take in anything, but hidden openings on their inboard sides adjacent to the lower airdam channel air through three canards located behind those dud intakes. Air then exits behind those flared fenders, creating air curtains around the wheels. There is also a unique splitter up front, an almost-smooth floor and an enlarged diffuser, plus a lip spoiler that quite obviously wonÂ’t be creating as much downforce as the Type R's wing. That would be performance-oriented demerit No. 1, but also, grown-up point No. 1.

Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.