Katherine Legge Unveiled the 2024 Performance Sport Compact to the Car-Savvy Crowd on Race Weekend
By John Oreovicz
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A car manufacturer couldn’t ask for a better showcase than the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to debut a new model – especially when they’re the title sponsor.
Attracting nearly 200,000 sun-splashed fans over three days with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series co-headlining a full slate of racing, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach represents Southern California car culture at its very best.
Acura gave that car-savvy audience an unexpected bonus at this year’s grand prix by pulling the wraps off the production version of the 2024 Integra Type S for the first time. The Type S introduces a host of performance upgrades to the standard Integra, which itself was a brand-new model for 2023 that claimed North American Car of the Year honors.
The modifications include dual axis front suspension with a 3.5-inch wider track, adaptive dampers and Brembo four-piston brakes. Power comes from a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine featuring Honda’s proprietary VTEC technology that produces 320 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. A short-throw six-speed manual is the only available transmission, driving through a limited slip differential.
The Type S is recognizable by unique sheet metal from the A-pillar forward, including flared fenders and a vented hood. The rear fascia features a diffuser and a three-pipe, center-exit exhaust.
The Integra Type S previously appeared in camouflaged form as the lead vehicle at the start of the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. At Long Beach, Katherine Legge, who drives the No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 in the WeatherTech Championship’s GT Daytona (GTD) class, demonstrated the potent new entry in the sport compact market in showroom trim prior to the start of Sunday’s IndyCar race.
“It was amazing to drive the Acura Integra Type S around the Long Beach course,” Legge remarked. “It does everything so well … it was a joy to drive. It put a great big smile on my face and evoked a lot of emotion.”
Taking Integra performance to its highest level yet. Introducing the all-new #Integra #TypeS, coming this June. Learn more at https://t.co/ZNLkicH6aW pic.twitter.com/8ndJvxqlBV
— Acura (@Acura) April 11, 2023
Legge, who posted the fastest GT lap in Saturday’s WeatherTech Championship race in the No. 66 NSX GT3, didn’t just cruise around the 1.968-mile Long Beach street course in the Integra Type S; she tested the dynamics of the Integra through the corners and down the long Shoreline Drive front stretch.
“We ran the curbs like we would in a race car,” she said. “It blips the throttle (automatically) on the downshifts and felt like a proper race car. We had it in Sport mode, obviously, and it took the turns immaculately.”
The Integra name holds historic significance among car enthusiasts. Along with the upscale Legend sedan, the Integra hatchback was one of the initial offerings when Honda launched the Acura brand in North America in 1985. Sharing key mechanicals with the Honda Civic, three generations of the original Integra were sold in the U.S. through 2001; a fourth generation in production through 2006 was rebranded in the U.S. as the Acura RSX.
Like its predecessors, the new-era Integra that debuted in 2023 features under-the-skin commonality with the Honda Civic. In effect, the Integra Type S is Acura’s interpretation of the renowned Type R version of the Civic, with a dash of extra power, style and refinement baked in.
Acura exclusive premium technology features include a head-up display and ELS STUDIO 3D audio with 530 watts of power and 16 speakers. Thanks to standard Comfort, Sport and Sport+ drive modes, the Integra Type S can function as a practical everyday hatchback or an extremely capable track car, complete with popping and banging from the high-flow exhaust system.
“The new Integra Type S puts turbocharged Type S performance and design at the gateway to our brand,” stated Emile Korkor, assistant vice president, Acura National Sales.
The Integra Type S is prominently featured in Acura’s anime series titled “Chiaki’s Journey.” The new season culminates with Chiaki driving the Type S to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado.
In a real-life parallel, California-based Honda Performance Development is assembling a race-prepared Integra Type S that Loni Unser will drive in the famed Pikes Peak Hill Climb on June 25. Loni, the daughter of IMSA driver advisor Johnny Unser, is the latest in the legendary family of racers to try to make their mark on what is often called “Unser Mountain.”
The Integra Type S will be built in Marysville, Ohio, with sales starting in June.
(Photos courtesy of Acura)