The 2023 Acura Integra's First Race Will Be Pikes Peak
Photo: Acura
The 2023 Acura Integra is a very good car, but one thing it isn’t is a purpose-built, all-out racer — it’s a comfortable, smooth sport sedan that can still tear through a twisty road when asked. But Acura wants to prove that the Integra truly can be a performance machine, and it’s taking the car to one of the most grueling races in the world to do so: The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
For the 100th running of Pikes Peak, Acura is bringing six cars to ascend the mountain. One of those cars, an NSX Type S, will serve as the race’s official pace car with Renée Brinkerhoff behind the wheel. Three more cars (the Integra, a TLX Type S, and another NSX Type S) will run in Pikes Peak’s Exhibition class, out to show off their capability rather than gunning for a specific course record.
Photo: Acura
For true time attack competition, however, Acura is bringing yet another NSX Type S and TLX Type S, both built for the race’s Time Attack 1 class. Acura hopes the NSX will beat the climb’s class record for hybrid powertrains, and it’s brought record holder James Robinson on board as a driver to see the effort through.
Our of those six cars, though, only one is brand-new: The Integra, which hasn’t yet seen use in motorsport. The car is in near-factory trim (aside from obvious safety requirements like a roll cage, seats, and steering wheel) but wears a slew of Honda Performance Development parts — its brakes, suspension, differential, and wheels all come from HPD. In a bit of Jalop-relevant lore, the Integra’s retro-inspired livery will be running the same number that both I and Adam Ismail use in real-life and virtual racing: 41.
Photo: Acura
Intriguingly, beneath the livery (you can catch a glimpse beneath the vinyl on the hatch release in the photo above) the car appears to be yellow. Since that color isn’t available on factory Integrae, it’s possible this is the same Integra Prototype chassis first revealed way back in November. Whether that’s true, or it’s just a painted-up production car, it’ll be interesting to see it ascent the twists and turns of Pikes Peak next weekend.
