Acura Integra Type S Stuns Pikes Peak, Sets FWD Record

Dust, altitude and a road that chews up mistakes. On that jagged ascent to Pikes Peak, the Acura Integra Type S rewrote expectations for front-wheel-drive cars by posting a blistering 10 minutes 33 seconds.

Close kin to the Civic Type R, this Integra arrived not as a warmed-over street car but as a purpose-built hillclimb contender prepared by HRC. The 19.9 kilometre climb was soaked in engine noise, smoke and mechanical intensity. When the timer stopped, the HRC Integra Type S DE5 had not only set a new FWD benchmark but also finished sixth in the Time Attack 1 class—upending a record that had stood since the TLX A-Spec ran a 10 minutes 48 seconds eight years earlier.

Turning a street car into a hillclimb monster

How do you shave nearly 15 seconds off a mountaintop time? You start with the engine. Honda engineers pushed the 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder well past showroom figures, nudging output to north of 360 horsepower. The result is immediate and raw. Also notable: the swap from a manual gearbox to a sequential transmission, chosen for quicker, more consistent shifts under race stress.

But power is only part of the story. HRC’s build list reads like a race-prep checklist. Yokohama Advan A005 tires bite the tarmac. Suspension components were stiffened and retuned for the constant camber and compression changes of the climb. Bigger brakes front and rear give confidence under extreme deceleration. Intake plumbing was enlarged, an upgraded PRL intercooler keeps temperatures in check, and a custom Borla exhaust frees the engine to breathe.

Weight savings played a starring role too. The race car lost creature comforts—roll cage installed, all sound deadening, seam sealers and underbody covers removed—so every unnecessary gram was binned. Then the aero department added new elements to generate more downforce, helping the front wheels stay planted when the road pitched and turned.

Officially the car competes under the HRC Integra Type S DE5 name. It’s also SRO TC America eligible and assembled in the United States, which makes the program all the more grounded: this is not a one-off showpiece but a homologated, race-ready derivative of a production model.

Curious what the racing sibling costs? The TCX race car carries a base price around €116,250. For buyers who want the street-legal thrill, the 2026 Integra Type S starts at about €50,127 and comes standard with high-performance tires and Brembo front brakes.

Acura offers a modest palette of personalization. Lightweight 19 inch wheels in a shark-gray finish are available, along with six exterior colors and three interior themes—black, red and orchid—each trimmed in dark metal. For those who want to push the look further, options include copper-colored wheels, a carbon-fiber rear spoiler, carbon mirror caps and an Alcantara steering wheel.

Pikes Peak is a harsh judge. It rewards careful engineering, brave driving and machines that refuse to compromise. Acura’s Integra Type S answered with speed, focus and a reminder: front-wheel-drive cars can still surprise you when built the right way.