Rule #8 of Speedhunting: If unexpected gems pop up during 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, like the liquid metal pieces of a T-1000 Terminator.
Rule #6 of Speedhunting: Always ask what you are looking at. Unless you are a tuner culture expert, the most special or unique cars sometimes fly under the radar. At first glance, this could easily be mistaken for just another DC Integra.
But while Masa was installing the hood on his Civic, I pointed my camera at the sun and started circling the Integra. Masa-san shouted: “That’s a special DC2,” and owner Kiyo-san started sharing the car’s story.
This Integra was Outdo Japan‘s very first demo car, which the brand launched in 2017. Since then, Exceed has made a name for itself through blending kanjozoku influences with USDM aesthetic.
Exceed Japan’s founder and director, Yasutaka Shimomukai, has spent a lot of time in the US West Coast Honda scene, bringing that unique energy back to Japan and into his builds. It’s the little 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 Japanese tuners can take from the US. This one is tucked, shaved and fitted with a Rywire Motorsport Electronics harness.
Kiyo-san later said he had to rebuild the Integra’s K-series engine twice in the four years he owned the car. The underbody was rebuilt by Lair Factory, but the polished cam cover from California remains with the car as a piece of history from the original Exceed engine. Many of the components are 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 is a car with a real soul.
Toby Thyer
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