--- title: "Acura Built a 1986 Integra Race Car for Its 40th Birthday and It’s Just Sublime" description: "It's time to light 40 candles for [Acura](). [Honda's]() luxury brand launched in the United States on March 27, 1986, with the Legend and Integra. Instead of a cringeworthy \"guess you're old\" card, Acura is celebrating the big 4-0 with…" date: "2026-03-28" modified: "2026-03-28" authors: - name: "Stephen Edelstein" job_title: "Weekend Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stephen-edelstein" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/acura-built-a-1986-integra-race-car-for-its-40th-birthday-and-its-just-sublime" categories: - "Acura News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Integra" --- # Acura Built a 1986 Integra Race Car for Its 40th Birthday and It’s Just Sublime ![acura integra race car interior dashboard]() *\Acura\* It's time to light 40 candles for [Acura](). [Honda's]() luxury brand launched in the United States on March 27, 1986, with the Legend and Integra. Instead of a cringeworthy "guess you're old" card, Acura is celebrating the big 4-0 with a tribute to its first-ever race car. Unveiled Friday on the brand's official 40th birthday, the Acura Integra 40 Racer is a tribute to the Comptech number 48 car that won consecutive IMSA International Sedan Series manufacturers' and drivers' championships from 1987 to 1990. Built by Honda Racing Corporation, it will make its public debut at the Acura-sponsored Long Beach Grand Prix the weekend of April 19. The Rio Red Metallic hatchback is powered by the period-correct D16A1 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, upgraded with a Monsoon ECU and coil-on-plug conversion, and breathing through a stainless steel 4-2-1 long-tube header and Borla exhaust system. It's bolted to a five-speed manual transmission and Torsen limited-slip differential. ![Acura Integra 40 Racer]() *Acura* ![Acura Integra 40 Racer]() *Acura* ![Acura Integra 40 Racer]() *Acur* ![]() *Acura* The suspension features Tein coilovers and an adjustable panhard bar, while the steering and brakes are all manual. In stark contrast to today's performance cars, this race car replica has 14-inch wheels, with Yokohama Advan-A050 semi-slick tires. The interior is fitted with a roll cage and racing seats with six-point harnesses. Internally known as Channel 2, what would become Acura was announced to the public on April 1, 1984. But Honda's decision to launch a luxury brand for North America was no April Fool's joke. Acura beat rivals [Infiniti]() and [Lexus]() to the punch, and while those brands focused exclusively on the traditional luxury market exclusively, Acura adopted a two pronged approach with the Legend and Integra. ![Acura Integra 40 Racer]() *Acura* Small, sporty, and wearing racing numbers nearly from the get-go, the Integra set a template. The 1990s [Integra Type R]() and NSX became performance icons, giving Acura a more defined and less stuffy image than its Japanese luxury rivals. [Today's Integra]() remains one of the few bright spots in a shrunken market for fun-yet-practical cars, and Acura remains involved at the top level of IMSA racing. Today, though, Acura is in a holding pattern. Honda [cancelled its next-generation EVs](), including an Acura crossover that [would have revived the RSX name](). Acura was [lowering EV expectations]() before that, but it's now [pausing RDX production]() with a replacement years away, sacrificing a lot of potential sales. It's not the best start to Acura's next 40 years. ## Author Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he's not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read. ### Author social links [Twitter]()