Acura is celebrating 40 years since its North American launch by unveiling a tribute build to its first-ever race car, an IMSA championship-winning 1986 Integra. Built in-house by the US factory Honda Racing Corporation, the Acura Integra 40 Racer is set to make its debut this coming weekend. Acura Integra 40 Racer Pays Tribute To Brand’s First US Racer AcuraDubbed the Acura Integra 40 Racer, the tribute build features an original, first-generation Acura Integra sedan chassis as its starting point. Each of the body panels, however, have been built from scratch to replicate the original 1986 race car, and are finished in period-specific Rio Red Metallic paint (sorry, that's not available for the updated 2026 model). The tribute also includes a replicated front splitter and tail-lip rear spoiler, plus the original #40 race number down its flanks.AcuraThe cabin has also been fully restored, complete with a stripped-back dashboard, ‘Acura’ three-spoke steering wheel, and pleated red door pulls. The racing seats, meanwhile, which are twinned with six-point endurance racing harnesses, are OMP, and a custom roll cage built by Blackbird Fabworx has been mounted behind them. The rebuilt package rides on lightweight 14-inch wheels from Honda subsidiary Mugen. These are clad with Yokohama ADVAN - A050 semi-slick tires.Under the hood, the 1.6-liter ‘D16A1’ DOHC four-cylinder, which produced 113 horsepower and 99 pound feet of torque in the original 1986 road car, has been fully rebuilt. It's been upgraded, too, with a Monsoon ECU, new headers, and a custom Borla exhaust. Though it has not been confirmed, it’s believed the original ’86 race car’s horsepower and torque rating remain changed. We've reached out to confirm that, but regardless of the power rating, it's all handled by a rebuilt five-speed manual sending power to the front wheels via a new Torsen‑type limited‑slip differential.AcuraTuned by California-based racing team Comptech, the original race car secured Acura’s first motor racing crown in 1987, when the Integra won the first of three IMSA International Sedan Series Drivers’ titles (a Manufacturers’ crown followed in 1988). The Integra 40 Racer, meanwhile, will make its debut at this coming weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach. Acura has confirmed to CarBuzz that the tribute racer will complete several demonstration laps before the event, and will be driven by former Formula Drift champion, Dai Yoshihara. 1986 Was A Special Year For Acura AcuraOfficially born on April 1, 1984, and known internally at the time as Honda’s ‘Channel 2,’ Acura’s goal was a daring one: become the world's first Japanese luxury carmaker, and pry a growing number of US customers away from established European brands like Mercedes and BMW, never minds domestic luxury from Cadillac and Lincoln. Daring, indeed.Nevertheless, Acura, the name for which was drawn from the Latin root ‘acu’ meaning 'sharp' or 'precise,' hit the ground running on March 27, 1986. Among its launch models was the top-of-the-line Legend sedan, and the arguably more significant, sporty Integra. Offered both as a three-door hatchback and/or a five-door sedan, the Integra was light, nimble, surprisingly practical, and, much as Nissan/Datsun had done in the late 1960s, put many homegrown automakers to shame with its superior build quality.AcuraUndeniably though, Acura’s earliest crowning achievement was the launch of the NSX in 1990. With a high-revving mid-engined V6, beautifully neutral balance, and development input from a Formula 1 legend, the NSX not only blew public perception of this young Japanese brand into the weeds, but even put established names like Porsche and Ferrari on notice. Acura had categorically arrived in the United States, and hasn’t looked back in the 40 years since.Source: Acura
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