Anyone who has spent some time around the emerging class of collectible import vehicles knows that the Acura Integra Type R has been an extremely wise investment for many years. The Type R was one of the finest front-drivers ever sold in the U.S., backed by near-legendary Honda reliability, limited production, and a lofty redline that rewarded drivers of every skill level – a cocktail that practically guarantees collectibility. Oh, they were also HUGE theft magnets, so the buyer of this low-mileage specimen here on eBay better have a good home security system.
There are just 33,780 miles on the odometer of this highly preserved Type R, which in and of itself is somewhat rare to find. Now, plenty of collectors saw the potential this car had and kept theirs under wraps, but many others went straight to the track or were destroyed at the hands of young (or just bad) drivers and “tuners” who couldn’t leave a good thing alone. I fondly remember the Realtime Racing team hustling these and the legendary NSX around Lime Rock back in the early 2000s.
Now, the first run of Type Rs was available only in Championship White paint and with matching white wheels. Later models came in your choice of black or yellow. While I greatly prefer the initial production run models, essentially every year the DC2 Type R was offered is highly prized by enthusiasts. These cars were nothing like the standard-issue Integra it was sold next to, despite sharing the same sheetmetal. The Type R featured unique suspension tuning, chassis reinforcements, close ration manual gearbox, upgraded brakes and hubs, and a 1.8L DOHC VTEC motor packing 195 b.h.p.
Because of all those features – and the ease with which they could be swapped into lesser Integras – the Type R was a theft target since new. The tuner crowd knew that a B18C motor from a Type R would look like it was installed in their base model Integra straight from the factory. This example has obviously survived this threat with its numbers-matching drivetrain intact, but the next owner – who will likely pay very close to the $37,900 asking price – is likely going to have secured, indoor parking and be very mindful of where this Integra Type R spends it time when not under lock and key.
The price will be a true test of whether or not these are desireable collector cars. Please provide a follow-up article if possible. Thank you.
Incredible cars. I bought a non-Type R model in ’91 as a young Private and it was among the best driving cars I’ve owned. The smoothness and desire to rev was truly amazing for what these cost..and in those days they were not commonly found. I would love to have a 1st gen GSR, as that body style is dear to my heart…but this one would be equally welcome in my garage.
This is one of the very few Gen X collectibles that bring in any money. I’m surprised the price is as low as it is. I wonder if there’s accident damage or something?
Did I miss something in the description? The odometer shows 18 thousand miles.
I wish I could FIND a car like this in a BARN.
Was described by many car magazines at the time as the best handing FWD sports ever tested…
A black one is especially prized to us canucks. Type R’s were only available in white and yellow north of the border for some reason.
Eight comments is a good indication collector interest is not quite there yet.
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/10/01/1997-acura-integra-type-r-auction-63800/
Very low mile Type R sold for over $60K this year.
10+ have sold on Bring A Trailer for over $30K in the past two years.
Yes, collector interest is there. “Barn Finds” is not where the interest for these cars is.
Very fittingly, the Gen X collector car market is a lot like what’s happened in the country over the past 25 years. There are a very few cars that enjoy all the wealth and the rest of them get the scraps.
This, the Mark IV Toyota Supra TT, BMW M coupe, Mitsubishi Evo VIII, and Subaru WRX STIs bring in huge dollars. Cars in the next tier might be worth 25 percent of what these top dogs are worth, at best.
Mint low mileage Type Rs sell for well over $50,000. They built very few of them and even fewer escaped theft, tuning, and racing. So the supply is very low and the demand is very high.
That’s why I’m suspicious of this price. it seems too low to me for an example in this purported condition with this purported mileage. I’d make sure it had a clear traceable title and no accident history or damage.
I’ve owned 2 Integra’s. Handled like a go cart and quiet. Nice find !
These are fun cars. They are like a skateboard as far as handling goes. I consider myself an old school musclecar guy but was looking for a commuter car that was still fun. About 10 years ago, I picked up a CLEAN 91 Integra RS with a B18 and an auto trans with a little over 100k miles and what I thought was a blown head gasket for $400. It was what I would call a “stripper”, with manual windows and locks and no sun roof. It turns out the threads for at least one head bolt were stripped out in the block. I found a JDM Civic SI R front clip in Abilene, Tx, of all places, for $700 and swapped the B16A1 and 5 speed manual into it.(I sold the front clip to a kid for $200 who wanted to make his CIVIC RHD (!) The Integra was OBD0 and the B16 was OBD1, but I was able to figure out what I needed to swap to get it running, with no CEL’s even, and even got the VTEC wired up to work (couldn’t tell much LOL) I left the stock steel wheels with oem plastic hubcaps and stock muffler, although I did install a CAI I came across while looking for parts. It was a lot of fun. I drove it for a few years but sold it outright after I bought a new Cobalt SS turbo. (It was faster, but didn’t handle as well and obviously not as well built as the Acura/ (Not to mention it wouldn’t kill you by shutting off if you hit a small pothole in the road like the Cobalt, if you recall that debacle/ controversy…) Ralph Nader where you when we needed you?!?!