Could a modern Integra Type R be done?
Discussion
Just out of interest, with safety regs as they are these days, could a mainstream car maker ever produce something like the ITR again?
I was just thinking to myself how MG could do with something like this..... be it produced from the MG5 concept or from a shortened, 3 door version of the MG6 perhaps?
I was just thinking to myself how MG could do with something like this..... be it produced from the MG5 concept or from a shortened, 3 door version of the MG6 perhaps?
BlueTwo2 said:
Just out of interest, with safety regs as they are these days, could a mainstream car maker ever produce something like the ITR again?
I was just thinking to myself how MG could do with something like this..... be it produced from the MG5 concept or from a shortened, 3 door version of the MG6 perhaps?
How do you mean?I was just thinking to myself how MG could do with something like this..... be it produced from the MG5 concept or from a shortened, 3 door version of the MG6 perhaps?
What safety regs would prevent it?
Yes of course they could. It's not like the Integra Type R is a particularly wild car, or any huge feat of engineering. It's the bean counters who would be the main enemy, and whichever idiot decided not to sell the Integra Type R in the UK, instantly tranforming it into an import classic.
Sadly, times are such that I don't think Honda (or many other manufacturers) would be interested in making it. Honda seem to be sloping back to their stuffy roots and leaving their sporty cars behind.
Sadly, times are such that I don't think Honda (or many other manufacturers) would be interested in making it. Honda seem to be sloping back to their stuffy roots and leaving their sporty cars behind.
Probably not, but only because it wouldn’t be economically viable for a company to make such a car. Not enough people are willing to compromise on having all the toys, and I would hazard a guess that most people in the real world mistake lots and lots of grip and inert handling as factors that make a car good to drive. Something like the ITR which moves about on smaller, plumper tyres would probably not go down too well with most drivers. Also, the turbo brigade would moan about lack of torque and the emissions people wouldn’t like a N/A motor either.
Crusoe said:
A faster more ecconomical turbo hot hatch would make it a costly folly that would sell in tiny numbers. Think Civic Mugen v Focus RS
What I'd really like is a car with around 250bhp, around 1100kg, Coupe, RWD, under £25k for a raw drivers car whilst retaining an element of practicality. Problem is, not too many people would buy a car without a/c, cruise control, leather, loads of airbags, sound deadening etc.aspen said:
What I'd really like is a car with around 250bhp, around 1100kg, Coupe, RWD, under £25k for a raw drivers car whilst retaining an element of practicality. Problem is, not too many people would buy a car without a/c, cruise control, leather, loads of airbags, sound deadening etc.
Why buy that when you could have a E46 with 343bhp for £10kaspen said:
What I'd really like is a car with around 250bhp, around 1100kg, Coupe, RWD, under £25k for a raw drivers car whilst retaining an element of practicality. Problem is, not too many people would buy a car without a/c, cruise control, leather, loads of airbags, sound deadening etc.
A new Ginetta maybe or plenty of kit cars that could do that. Check out the GKD Evolution.Jammiedodger said:
Do you think the Toyota FT-86 will fit this bill in some way?
No, and I don't think it will be a patch on the original. It's too heavy, and not powerful enough. Even with it's adequate BHP figure, it's still overweight so it's down on power, running on massive tyres. It's not going to be the playful thing that the original was. One of the main issues to producing a modern Integra Type R is to remember that the original wasn't designed to be as succesful as it was, it was succesful because of the way it was designed.
The moment you try and replicate something, there is the danger of trying to make it even better and, as inevitably happens in the modern car making era, this means that the marketing departments get involved and throw in parts to sell the car to the public.
Remember that car enthusiasts make up a very small minority of the general driving population. In this modern era, people are more interested in other aspects of a car than how it handles and the feedback it provides.
The beauty of the integra was that it took a relatively mundane car and transformed it into something great because Honda were able to give their engineers artistic licence.
That said, part of the reason the Integra was so good was its lack of mass. As we all know, lack of mass = better fuel consumption (generally speaking) so there is every hope that with fuel prices as they are, some manufacturers will begin to push their designers to lose weight.
In my opinion, a new ITR is possible, but it won't come from a manufacturer who tries to produce one on purpose.
The moment you try and replicate something, there is the danger of trying to make it even better and, as inevitably happens in the modern car making era, this means that the marketing departments get involved and throw in parts to sell the car to the public.
Remember that car enthusiasts make up a very small minority of the general driving population. In this modern era, people are more interested in other aspects of a car than how it handles and the feedback it provides.
The beauty of the integra was that it took a relatively mundane car and transformed it into something great because Honda were able to give their engineers artistic licence.
That said, part of the reason the Integra was so good was its lack of mass. As we all know, lack of mass = better fuel consumption (generally speaking) so there is every hope that with fuel prices as they are, some manufacturers will begin to push their designers to lose weight.
In my opinion, a new ITR is possible, but it won't come from a manufacturer who tries to produce one on purpose.
Some good points.
I don't really care about the FWD/RWD thing in this discussion. Although I said "modern ITR", I could live with RWD if someone wanted to make something similar. The main thing really, was whether a regular manufacturer, i.e. not Lotus and the like, could make something so focused these days?
The safety regs I was talking about include things like having airbags in every conceivable place they can go! Side of the seats, the pillars, the dash etc. etc.
Will a manufacturer ever again turn over one of their regular, mundane cars to the engineers and say "Here you go lads, make this car fun"?
I don't really care about the FWD/RWD thing in this discussion. Although I said "modern ITR", I could live with RWD if someone wanted to make something similar. The main thing really, was whether a regular manufacturer, i.e. not Lotus and the like, could make something so focused these days?
The safety regs I was talking about include things like having airbags in every conceivable place they can go! Side of the seats, the pillars, the dash etc. etc.
Will a manufacturer ever again turn over one of their regular, mundane cars to the engineers and say "Here you go lads, make this car fun"?
BlueTwo2 said:
Will a manufacturer ever again turn over one of their regular, mundane cars to the engineers and say "Here you go lads, make this car fun"?
Yes, they will.The regs on having airbags and DRLs and who knows what else aren't going away (for volume manufacturers). But I imagine that whoever signed off the Fiat 500 Abarth Essesse was giggling at the craziness of it.
No reason why not, my dc2 has airbags aircon c/llocking etc the difficult part would be making a profit due to how much work went into this model driving so well including lots of testing/ developing it then
Hand built (balanced/completed) engine
LSD
Unique suspension
Other bespoke bits for that model
Supplied in low volume
It's about time someone made a new version like a more useable megane r26.
Hand built (balanced/completed) engine
LSD
Unique suspension
Other bespoke bits for that model
Supplied in low volume
It's about time someone made a new version like a more useable megane r26.
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