The Acura Integra is perhaps best remembered for the third generation’s high-performance Type R. But the first generation made a more significant historical impact. It pioneered the idea of a luxury Japanese car. A fine example of the ground-breaking first-gen was recently sold on eBay in Newark, Calif.
Upscale Honda?
Before Acura’s launch, Japanese cars were seen as fuel-efficient, reliable, and, most of all, affordable. Few enthusiasts considered them worthy of collecting or thought they would be classics one day. European manufacturers like BMW - opens in new window or tab., Jaguar - opens in new window or tab., and Mercedes - opens in new window or tab. ruled the luxury segment. Brands like Cadillac - opens in new window or tab. and Lincoln - opens in new window or tab. were available to those who wanted to buy American. The idea of an upscale Honda was dismissed.
However, Honda had quietly been building much better cars. In the early 1980s, its US lineup consisted of mainstream economy sedans and hatchbacks. Yet Honda didn’t want to build four-cylinder compacts forever.
By the mid-1980s, Honda was becoming a dominant engine builder for Formula 1. It regularly beat names associated with exotics and supercars—like Ferrari - opens in new window or tab., McLaren - opens in new window or tab., and Lotus - opens in new window or tab.—and high-end performance brands like Alfa Romeo - opens in new window or tab. and BMW.
Introducing a New Premium Brand
Honda was also developing a supercar, the NSX - opens in new window or tab., as well as five- and six-cylinder deluxe sedans. However, Honda’s market research indicated that these cars would have sales issues if branded as Hondas. The company debuted the Acura marque in 1986 to help consumers overcome the mental hurdle of paying premium prices for a Honda product.
Acura launched its brand with the Legend - opens in new window or tab. V-6 luxury sedan and the Integra hatchback. While Acura intended the Legend to be the flagship, the Integra found a strong following among buyers of sporty three-door runabouts. Due to its upscale positioning, the Integra was more refined and premium than similar Honda sportsters like the CRX - opens in new window or tab. or Civic Si - opens in new window or tab.. It was also larger and roomier.
Radio Delete
The car sold on eBay was a 1989 RS. This mid-grade model appeared well-kept, though dents on the passenger door are visible in the listing’s photos. However, it looks like it came from the factory without a radio. There’s an Acura-branded blanking plate where the stereo should reside. This is a rare part.
The car’s most significant drawback for some will be the automatic transmission, which saps some fun out of old-school Honda ownership. Its $5,999 asking price would have been an easy sell if it had a manual transmission, but purists may have had a hard time with the automatic. Still, the car had only 117,050 miles, and the costly timing belt - opens in new window or tab. replacement was done recently.
Key to Acura’s Success
The Integra went on to become a pivotal part of Acura’s success. It was the sporty side of the coin compared to the Legend’s luxury. It helped Acura maintain an affordable sports offering when it launched the history-making NSX sports car.
The Acura Integra, along with the Lexus - opens in new window or tab. and Infiniti - opens in new window or tab. models that followed, proved that America had an appetite for premium Japanese cars. It just needed to be nurtured.
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