Fun Stuff

AutoTrader Find of the Week: 2000 Acura Integra Type R is Officially a Classic

Front-wheel drive (FWD) is an inherently flawed idea, especially when it comes to driving fun.

FWD cars can be prone to understeer, torque steer, weight distribution issues, brake fade, and difficulty translating horsepower to the pavement, all obstacles to both performance and the traditional factors that make a performance car engaging.

It’s a little like the Porsche 911’s rear-engine design: it’s a physics no-no that really shouldn’t work and a flaw to be engineered around. But in a supreme irony, front-wheel drive not only widely democratized performance, but has maintained its relevance.

The highly touted Hyundai Elantra N is front-wheel drive, just like the Mini John Cooper Works, and the granddaddy Volkswagen Golf GTI. These are all highly regarded performance cars that have earned loyal enthusiast fanbases.

But no one has out-engineered the front-wheel-drive problem quite like Honda. The latest Civic Type R’s driving dynamics feel like they were accomplished by black magic and not mechanical prowess. I don’t think there were blueprints. Just instructions for a demonic ritual.

So it makes sense that the genesis of over-achieving front-wheel-drive sport compacts is the iconic Acura Integra “DC2” Type R.

And there’s a mint 2000 model year example in Phoenix Yellow for sale right now through Jet Motors in Richmond, B.C., listed on AutoTrader.

After a brief hiatus in 1999, the 2000 Integra Type R returned with dark silver aluminum wheels, a titanium-finish shift knob (which would become a Type R staple), and carbon fibre-style vents and trim. While Championship White was no longer available, buyers had two options in Phoenix Yellow and Flamenco Black Pearl (rebranded Nighthawk Black Pearl the following year).

This was also around the time the Type R had become a darling of automotive journalists. Sure, you had to delete luxuries like leather and air conditioning for the Type R trim, but those are small sacrifices for an 8,000-rpm redline and a 6.5-second zero-to-60-mph time. The Type R’s real trick, however, was its ability to be easily driven at the limit. Its narrow gear ratios, limited-slip differential, suspension, and chassis tuning were the real reason to sacrifice comfort.

“Provided you're driver enough to play the close-ratio gearbox like a virtuoso to keep the forged crankshaft spooled up, this white-hot sports missile will give you a double shot of Honda/Acura race-car energy,” Motor Trend wrote of Type R at the time.

This version of Type R was even a rare instance of the U.S. market getting the “good one.” A beefed-up 1.8L B18C VTEC four-cylinder engine under the hood produced 195 horsepower, eight more than the JDM market version. That’s not much, but we’ll take it.

The only problem with buying a Type R these days is that there are a lot of fakes and clones out there.

If you want to be sure you’re looking at a real Integra Type R, check the VIN. The first eight digits should read JH4-DC2-3-1.

The “JH4” tells you that Honda/Acura of Japan manufactured the car. “DC2” tells you the engine is the coveted B18C (a reason why the original Type R is colloquially known simply as the DC2), “5” signifies a five-speed manual transmission, and the “1” indicates the “vehicle grade” Type R.

So, this Type R is the real deal. But there are more interesting tidbits in this vehicle’s VIN.

“YS” confirms a 2000 model year from the Suzuka factory in Japan. There is nothing earth-shattering there, but the serial number starts with an eight and not a zero, which means this Type R was initially destined for Canada and not the U.S.

While 4,000 examples made their way to the states, in 2000, Honda sleuths estimate only about 220 units were earmarked for the Canadian market. While this unit’s serial number is 000362, those same Honda gumshoes theorize the serial numbers are worldwide per year rather than market-specific. At any rate, it's a pretty rare car.

The market for DC2s is only getting hotter. A year and a half ago, a perfectly preserved 1997 example sold for over $150,000 USD. Some early JDM DC2s regularly trade around $50,000.

This particular one is mostly original, save for a period-correct AEM cold-air intake and Kenwood audio head unit. And you can have it for just under $30,000.

That’s not bad considering this car is now 25 years old, which means it’s an indisputable classic car.

Think about it. We’re as far removed from the DC2 arriving in North America as it was from the last Hemi Barracuda. This little sports compact Acura isn’t the stuff of future car shows. It’s perfectly appropriate now.

Some have called it the best front-wheel-drive car ever made. But that’s not because it can outrun the cars it spawned. The current Integra Type S can run circles around it, and it has air conditioning. The DC2 is the best front-wheel-drive car of all time because, more than anything that came before or since, it proved FWD as a viable performance platform. It made a bad idea work exceptionally well.

This is a significant car. And the market is already beginning to appreciate that, so it’s only a matter of time before every Integra Type R is out of reach.