One to Buy: 71,000km Championship White 1998 Honda DC2 Integra Type R
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By applying the same Type R formula pioneered on the NSX to some of its more mainstream offerings, Honda created what has arguably come to be considered the ultimate line of high performance Hatchbacks and Saloons from the 1990s and early 2000s.
While several other manufacturers may have followed a broadly similar path, Honda’s Type R philosophy was the most extreme which, coupled with the company’s screaming VTEC power units, yielded a range of affordable sporting cars that punched well above their weight.
The first post-NSX Honda to undergo the Type R treatment was the third generation Integra which, on the face of it, was a wholly unremarkable basis for a hardcore driver’s car.
The transformation to Type R trim began with a reinforced bodyshell to which a re-tuned suspension system, uprated brakes and new super light alloy wheels were added. In the engine bay was a specially developed B18C version of Honda’s B-series engine that pumped out nearly 200bhp. Transmission was through a close-ratio five-speed gearbox and torque-sensitive limited-slip diff. Externally, the Integra Type R got an array of lightweight body parts along with a trick aero kit. Inside, racey new parts were combined with much simplified equipment.
Set to go under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s London sale on October 31st is this low mileage Japanese Domestic Market example of the DC2 Integra Type R: chassis 300800.
First registered in March 1998, it features the bigger 16-inch wheels, enlarged front brake discs, higher final drive ratio, updated exhaust system and vented rear bumper introduced for the 1998 model year. Painted the signature Type R colour scheme of Championship White with matching wheels, chassis 1300800 was also configured with special order Black upholstery.
Last registered in Japan in April 2022, the consigning owner acquired the car in 2024 and imported it to the United Kingdom. It is accompanied by “a history file encompassing service history and documents from the supplying Honda dealer in Japan” and, aside from an aftermarket Nardi three-spoke leather steering wheel and rear strut brace, remains in totally standard condition with a little under 71,000km showing on the odometer.
