Rule #8 of Speedhunting: When unexpected gems show up at a shoot, always make time for them.
Like this 1996 Honda Integra Type R, which casually appeared during my recent shoot with a five-door-converted EK Civic Ferio sedan built by X-Point Import Co. in Chiba. Honda owners tend to gravitate toward each other, much like the liquid metal pieces of a T-1000 Terminator.
Rule #6 of Speedhunting: Always ask what you’re looking at. Unless you’re a tuner culture savant, sometimes the most special or unique cars fly under the radar. At first glance, this could easily be mistaken for just another DC Integra.
But as Masa-san was busy fitting the bonnet onto his Civic, I pointed my camera toward the sun and started circling the Integra. Masa-san called out, “That’s a special DC2,” and owner Kiyo-san began sharing the car’s story.
This Integra was Exceed Japan’s very first demo car, launching the brand back in 2017. Since then, Exceed has made a name for itself by blending kanjozoku influences with USDM aesthetics.
Exceed Japan’s founder and director, Yasutaka Shimomukai has spent a lot of time immersed in the US West Coast Honda scene, bringing that unique energy back to Japan and into his builds. It’s the small details that make this car what it is. The Hybrid Racing shifter paired with the original Battlecraft shift knob brings a taste of America to the Integra’s caged interior.
Show-style engine bays are probably the best thing to be adopted from the US by Japanese tuners. This one is tucked, shaved, and features a Rywire Motorsport Electronics harness.
Kiyo-san later shared that he’s had to rebuild the Integra’s K-series engine twice in the four years he’s owned the car. The bottom end was rebuilt by Lair Factory, but the polished cam cover from California has stayed with the car as a piece of history from the original Exceed engine. Many of the components were sourced from the US, with parts from Downstar Inc., Skunk2, and Hybrid Racing completing the USDM vibe.
I’m glad I had the chance to spend time with this Integra – a demo machine turned street racer. It’s a car with a real soul.
Toby Thyer
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