The Integra Prototype shares a design detail with old-school Ferraris
A new generation of Acura performance is here and, to give the motoring world a look at what’s to come, Acura unveiled its Integra Prototype to a handful of lucky journalists and influencers at a Los Angeles warehouse.
One of those insiders invited was Jeff Palmer, the lead behind Temple of VTEC, a Honda and Acura enthusiast site that was around when the previous gen Integra was still being made.
Palmer got an exclusive walk around of the Integra Prototype with Acura’s Vice President Jon Ikeda and, in TOV’s 9-minute video, Ikeda dropped a couple of details not found in their press material or in their official video.
Here’s what Ikeda clued Palmer in on.
4. Old school Ferraris were the design inspiration behind those yellow exhaust tips.
One of the most obvious design details that will not make it to production are those yellow inner exhaust tips. So, where exactly did Acura come up with that?
“It was one of the things I really wanted to do,” Ikeda said
“I don’t know if anybody had a Monza exhaust tip back in the day. You know? Chrome on the outside…(old-school)Ferraris also had it.”
“It was yellow on the inside, and it really popped. I said if we make it black it just doesn’t pop.”
It seems color on and inside exhaust tips was a popular stylistic choice for OEM and aftermarket exhausts on Euro cars.
Pacesetter Monzas with yellow tips were a common aftermarket add-on.
And it looks like Ferrari outsourced their exhausts to Ansa, yellow inside tips seen in this vintage ad.
Ikeda admits they’d eventually turn black.
“If we kept running with it, it’ll be black after a while.”
3. How close is the Integra Protype to the production model?
Almost everyone knows Acura and Honda prototypes are near production ready so, how close is this Integra Prototype?
According to Ikeda,
“This is extremely close to what you’re going to find in the dealership. What’s important for us to let everybody know is that it’s so close.”
“Yes, it’s a little lower. Yes, we have the 19-inch rims, “Ikeda continues
“…but you see the potential.”
Raise the ride-height by a couple of millimeters and throw on 18-inch wheels with beefier tires, and you essentially have the production version of the 2022 Acura Integra.
2. Will there be a 2022 Acura Integra Type S?
What I love about Ikeda is, when journalists ask insider information, Ikeda neither confirms nor denies anything official but, in his own way, unofficially confirms what someone asks.
When Palmer asked Ikeda about Integra Type S plans, Ikeda said,
“I’m not ready to talk about any of that right now but…we have a lot of Type Ss right now. Okay?
“So, that’s all I’m saying about that.”
“All I’m saying is there seems to be something that can be done there,” Ikeda continues.
“Yeah, I think there are things that we could do…definitely.”
Add the fact Acura already trademarked Type S for apparel, and it sounds a lot like the Acura Integra Type S is all but inevitable.
1.Will the Integra side graphic on the Integra Prototype be available for purchase?
Ikeda just about confirmed the Integra side graphic is not an official accessory but did mention that,
“If you (Palmer) got enough tweets (social media traffic) we might have to talk to our accessories group guys and say, hey, we need to do something about that.
“We have the data.”
Personally, I think that Integra graphic is a bit too loud for an Acura product.
If anyone reading this wants to get an official graphic package, it’s going to take a lot of Facebook shares, Instagram likes, and Retweets on Twitter to get their attention.
So there you have it, the Integra Prototype is the official salvo marking the fourth gen Integra’s arrival.
The official production model and its press release will reveal what we really want to know, including just how much HP above the Civic Si we can expect and what the interior looks like.
We’ll probably see the production model in the first quarter of 2022.
