A couple of years ago I published the first post in the Exclusive Coverage category, and that was the introduction to a Fiesta ST which was about to undergo some work. I was very pleased to have received the opportunity to not only follow along with the project myself, but also be able to photograph it and share it here so that others could watch it progress as well. The series of posts received a lot of positive feedback and I was pleased to see that so many people enjoyed it.
Today I am very happy to be able to start a new series of posts documenting the build of another local project, one that will be quite different to the FiST. Whereas that was a brand new car receiving some carefully selected modifications that wouldn’t hinder its ability to serve as a daily driver, this Integra will be serving a different purpose and will be a bit more extreme, to say the least.
From the moment I first saw a photo of this car I wanted to know more. As some of you will know, DC2/4 Integras are very special cars to me. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to build one, so whenever someone I know picks one up I immediately take notice and enjoy following along with the project. I had mentioned that I was working on getting some new content lined up for the site and this is one of the things I was hoping I’d be able to share with you all. I hope you enjoy!
While the Integra is a common platform to use as a project car, there are a few details about this particular car that should make it pretty unique and help it stand out against the other local Integras. For starters, Balance Auto Garage – Jackie’s shop which opened its doors in August of this year – is building it with one purpose in mind; Time Attack. There will be car shows in its future as well, but the primary focus of the build is to set fast lap times.
Second, they are starting with a great base to do this with as well. While there’s no shortage of lower-model Integras on the used market, Balance Auto went for the best – a real Type R!
Oh, and did I mention it’s RHD? Until I found out that the steering wheel was on the opposite side, I thought this was actually Jackie’s old ITR, as he previously had a Championship White example.
Yesterday I made my way over to Balance Auto Garage and grabbed the first set of photos, for this post. As you’ll see some work has already been carried out but there’s still lots more to come! As the Integra progresses further over the coming months I’ll do my best to document all of the updates and work carried out, so that you all can see how the project comes together as it gets ready to hit the track. For today the exterior will be the focus, and I will turn my attention to the other areas of the car as they all progress and receive more work.
Upon arriving, I found the ITR sitting outside since it wasn’t being worked on at the moment. It wasn’t crazy cold (at least not by our standards) but the shop certainly wouldn’t have been as comfortable if the doors were open!
Out back the only addition is a carbon fiber diffuser, but up front a lot more has been fitted.
For starters, the stock front bumper was replaced with a C-West item – one of my personal favourites for these cars.
Obviously it needs to be repainted to match the rest of the body but there was more to attend to before it could be sent off.
On either side sit a pair of rather large canards from Top1…
…and quick releases have been installed as well. Underneath the bumper sits a sizable splitter, which is securely fastened to the chassis.
Beneath the vented hood a B-series still resides for now, but it will be removed to make way for a K-series. If you look through the windshield you can just make out a Bride seat on the driver’s side, but again, I’ll save the other areas of the car for future posts.
For increased grip the ITR wears a fairly wide set of tires (255s, for now?) so the fenders have been pulled out a bit for clearance. Lastly, a set of fender cut outs have also been installed.
As mentioned I will be coordinating with Jackie and stopping by Balance Auto as work on the Integra continues. One thing I made sure to check with him when discussing my documenting of this project, was what I’d be allowed to talk about – he shared with me his plans and details of what’s to come, but I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to keep any of the future modifications a secret. He explained that I could relay everything he had told me but you know what? I think I’ll opt to keep some things a surprise. To find out what’s in store, you’ll just have to check back and follow along with the future updates on the ITR!
To close with today, here are some extra photos that I grabbed while at the shop. I want to say thanks again to Jackie and the guys at Balance Auto Garage for allowing me the access to photograph the Integra! I’m very excited to see it come together and I hope everyone reading this is too. Watch for this thing in 2016!
-Bill