Even before the papers were signed and the keys were passed over, Vince Minko already had a clear vision of how he wanted his '00 Integra GS-R to look like. He knew he wanted a one-off Minko Edition unlike any other DC2 on the road-a car that stood out in full spotlight effect upon judging eyes. What he didn't know was that it would take him three complete overhauls before he got it just the way he wanted it. The trials began.
With only 7 miles on the Acura's clock, Minko already felt behind schedule and put the car on jack stands. He lowered the car on 18-inch Racing Hart M5s and installed a complete Buddy Club body kit complete with a Honda Accord headlight conversion. His paint scheme of choice was a red-to-white fade that coincided with his custom interior of matching tones. Although unique at the time, it just wasn't what Minko was looking for. Luckily, fate hit him in the ass...literally.
Only days after driving off the set of 2Fast 2Furious, serving as an extra in the opening race scene, Minko was hit by a pizza delivery guy that was on his cell phone. Looking on the bright side, he decided to completely redesign the Integra instead of just having it repaired. This was Minko's second chance at creating his idea of a perfect DC2. This attempt was bold and edgy, consisting of a metamorphosis transforming the front end into a Nissan 240SX S14. Different wheels, fresh paint and a radical wide-body transformation also complemented the car. Although the Integra received much praise from car show judges and his crew Jade Motorsports, the car still proved to be just short of perfect in the eyes of Minko. The car was missing something...
Time proved that Minko couldn't be satisfied with his car's runway looks alone. It was much like going to a strip club and using his last $20 to get in: he could look, but he couldn't touch. Tired of not having it all and being heckled from the "all-show and no-go" haters, Minko stepped up to the plate and decided to go turbo for his third and final rendition. Consulting with the engine builders at Central Florida Turbo, a Turbonetics T3/T4 turbo was chosen as the weapon of choice.
Keeping the budget within reason and knowing very well the integrity of the factory parts, they decided to push the envelope with the stock block, head and crank combination. Stock slugs, however, were no match for the numbers that Minko longed for, so he consulted with CP Pistons and they sculpted him a set to achieve a 9.5:1 compression ratio. Stouter Eagle rods link the pistons to the crankshaft via an arsenal of ARP hardware giving Minko the confidence to occasionally venture into the "red" if need be. Finally, a slightly thicker Cometic head gasket was wedged between the block and the head to assist in achieving a lower compression ratio better suited for big boost.
With a solid rotating assembly serving as the foundation, it was merely a matter of accessorizing. Central Florida Turbo decided to go with a custom tubular exhaust manifold with precise equal-length runners. They sealed up the rest of the boost circuit with a TiAL wastegate, GReddy Type S blow-off valve and a Precision front-mount intercooler all using custom piping for fitment and minimal pressure-drop. It was decided that all spent gases would be expelled through a HKS Carbon Ti 3-inch exhaust. The boost alone would be ineffective without equally upgrading the other two vital parts to the equation-fuel and fire.