Dare We Dream Of A New Honda Integra That Looks This Good?

At Monterey Car Week, Acura dropped something of a bombshell: the Integra name is coming back. Currently, though, we don’t know much more than that. Honda‘s luxury division has merely said that an Integra-badge car “will rejoin the performance brand’s product portfolio as a new compact premium entrant next year”.

There’s little to go on at this stage, but we’re keeping our expectations in check. Honda’s most likely move lies in transforming the next Civic coupe into something more distinct and given it the Integra name, which could still result in something quite interesting, especially if there’s a version with the Type R’s powertrain. What we almost certainly won’t get, sadly, is a car that looks like the one in these stunning images.

The work of designer Jordan Rubinstein-Towler, this vision for a future Integra Type R was actually posted a few days before Acura made its announcement. Since the brand hit send on the press release, Jordan’s created further images and posted them on his Instagram account.

He’s been working on Integra renders for a little while now, and this Type R is based on a “production-spec” Integra concept he made earlier in 2021. To our eyes, it looks like a thoroughly modernised facelift JDM DC2 (the one without the quad headlamps), with shades of the DC5. We dig it. A lot.

Jordan has even come up with a spec for his Integra. Any future Integra Type R would almost certainly use the 2.0-litre ‘K20C1’ turbocharged inline-four, but since this one doesn’t need to worry about realism, it has a 2.4-litre, naturally-aspirated unit. This develops 276bhp at 8600rpm, breathes through a titanium exhaust system, and powers the front wheels via a close-ratio six-speed gearbox and a mechanical limited-slip differential.

The 18-inch forged wheels are from Enkei, and they’re shod in Bridgestone Potenza semi-slicks. The whole package is said to weigh 1170kg, thanks in part to a carbon fibre bonnet, roof and boot lid.

We’ve only scratched the surface with the images we’ve posted here, so be sure to head over to Jordan’s page on Behance to see the Type R in multiple colours and environments, along with his previous Integra designs.