2011 Acura Awd 4dr Leather Sunroof on 2040-cars

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New Acura Integra teased, and it looks good

We've been expecting a number of big announcements and debuts this week, like the two-row Jeep Grand Cherokee and Rolls-Royce's "historic" announcement about electrification, both happening tomorrow. What we weren't expecting was Acura to shock us again with another Integra tease. Honda's luxury arm posted a seven-second clip to Twitter flashing the new Integra's rear-three-quarter. That tweet came with a link to a landing page at Acura's site with the image you see above.  Although the ILX features the same design language, the switch to a hatch gives us late-model Hyundai Genesis Coupe vibes. That's not a ding on the Integra, and we have faith in what's to come. Other than realizing the teased Integra tailgate has a completely different shutline to the 2022 Honda Civic hatchback, the only info we have on the car came in the caption above the image: "Integra Returns In 2022. The fifth-generation Integra will be a premium sport compact with a striking five-door design. More details about the all-new Integra will be available closer to its 2022 introduction." Most of this we already knew from the first teaser that dropped in August. The single new addition to our knowledge is the word "sport." An icon, resurrected. #ReturnOfIntegrahttps://t.co/gfMmNbE298 pic.twitter.com/0tyLyOFZlK — Acura (@Acura) September 28, 2021 This is a fertile time for reborn nameplates, although not every attempt has stuck the landing — looking at you, Acura NSX and Lamborghini Countach. When the Autoblog staff mooted ideas for what they'd like a new Integra to be, this writer liked Road Test Editor and Integra owner Zac Palmer's wish for "a small, affordable car directed toward enthusiasts," the kind Acura hasn't had for a while. A commenter's note on that line suggested "The first-gen TSX could probably be considered that car." The first-gen TSX was special, and offered a manual transmission. We'd be happy with a return of the original Integra and TSX philosophies with modern underpinnings. Whatever we get, we hope Acura gets it bang on this time. It can't be that hard to re-create a legendary nameplate that lasted 21 years and still compels pining and lust, can it? Until the next digital hint drops, we'll go back to pretending not to wait for a surprise from Japan. Related video: 2021 Acura TLX 2.0-liter turbo-four soundtrack | Autoblog

Acura gives us a lightning-quick glimpse of the NSX Type S

Acura released a short preview film to give fans a fast-paced look at the limited-edition NSX Type S. Scheduled to break cover tomorrow, August 12, it's being boldly presented as the final evolution of the second-generation model. The eight-second flick posted on various social media channels provides us with a peek at the Type S' front end. It shows two cars speeding towards the camera down what looks like a race track's main straight. Acura wants to keep the Type S under wraps until its big debut, so the footage gets blurry as the cars speed by; that's why it's called a teaser. We nonetheless think we can squint and discern a redesigned front end with larger air intakes.  Acura might have chiseled bigger vents into the front bumper because the Type S needs additional cooling air. It's powered by a mid-mounted engine, but there are radiators located right behind the front bumper in the regular-production model. Of course, we're not discounting the possibility that the vents were merely added for show. As we previously reported, the visual changes will also include a red engine cover and black exterior accents. Additionally, the Type S will offer more power than the standard, 573-horsepower NSX and sharper handling. Acura will build 350 units of the NSX Type S, and 300 of those have been earmarked for the American market. The model will make its public debut on August 12 on the sidelines of Monterey Car Week, so we won't have to wait long to learn about the improvements the company has made. If you want one, act fast; if you want the first one, bid high. Serial number one will be sold to the highest bidder at Mecum's Monterey sale on August 14, 2021. The proceeds from the sale will benefit a number of charities. As for what's next, nothing suggest there's a third-generation NSX on the way, but the GT3-spec race car will soon receive a round of updates and it might continue racing until 2024. Related video:

The original Acura NSX: Development history and driving the icon

The original NSX, introduced in production form in 1990 by Honda and to the United States market under the Acura brand in 1991, is now officially 25 plus years old. Generations of car enthusiasts grew to love the original NSX over the 15 years it was in production and beyond, but as an fan and owner, I think it's important to fully realize just how monumental a shift the introduction of the NSX was in the art of making cars. So, retold 25 years later, this is the abridged story of the NSX, Honda's supercar. The Idea The NSX was an extremely risky project for Honda, a company that in the late 1980's was nowhere near the corporate juggernaut that it is today. Honda's eponymous founder, Soichiro Honda, was still involved in decision-making at the company during this time under the role of "Supreme Advisor," and it is debatable whether the NSX project in its infancy would have gone forward at all had he not still been pushing the company towards the spirit of technical achievement it had been known for in the prior decades. Mr. Honda was still so involved during this period, in fact, that when the first batch of 300 production NSXs were made with a version of the Acura badge he didn't like, he ordered all of the cars stopped at port in the USA, the new badges applied, and the offending incorrect badges sent back to Japan to be systematically destroyed. This was clearly a man who paid attention to the details, but I digress. Honda as a company devoted $140 million dollars to the NSX project ($250 million in today's money), half of which would go to developing the car, and the remainder of which would go to building a new state-of-the-art factory to assemble it. Honda's own goals for the NSX were actually exactly as most media stories portray the car today: to build a bona-fide exotic supercar, but one without the ergonomic and reliability penalties associated with that type of car. They didn't want to sacrifice the needs of the driver to the supposed demands of performance, demands that they felt didn't have to be there in making a truly top-level performance machine. The R&D team wanted a car that could hang with heavyweight exotics in a straight line, play with smaller and more lightweight sports cars in the curves, and cruise in serenity on the freeway. Essentially, they wanted it all, and the brief was to have a car that could do everything without compromise.