2002 Acura Integra - Accelerating Acura

The United States is replete with drug dealers and other baddies who are constantly getting nicked smuggling illegal substances across the country. They inevitably speed or drive drunk even though there are 80 kilos of dope in the trunk. When they do finally get sent off to the clink their worldly possessions have to go someplace, and it's usually off to an auction.

At an auction is where David Nguyen picked up this Integra for a mere $16,000. There was only one catch: it had major front and rear-end damage. Rumor had it the trunk was smashed after a cross-town chase in which the hooligans driving threw a gun out the window before they were forced off the road.

Previously, the Integra sported a two-tone paint job and a slew of stereo components and was on its way to becoming one of the illest Integras in Denver. Then one day David was on his way home from work at Circuit City when he saw an unpleasant sight. There in the lot was his half-finished project with the windows smashed out, and the entire body keyed. To add to the pain, somebody had spray painted "Don't mess with OGs" on the side. In addition to the posted warnings about original gangsters, presumably the ones who first owned the car, the culprits also nicked the stereo and the shifter knob.

Disappointed but not defeated, David went straight to Saul's Body in Denver for repair. Saul's crew fit the C-West Type R body kit and JDM front headlights on the Integra before respraying the entire thing with seven salubrious coats of Frosty Irish Pearl with a dash of silver to brighten things up a bit.

Next, David took the Acura to D-Town's local speed shop, Speed Image. The chaps there ported and polished the head and installed JE Pistons and Crower rods. They also hooked up the 100-shot direct-port nitrous system, along with a DC header. With these mods, David was able to polish off the 1320 to the tune of 13.2 sec. Rapid movement comes at a price though, and David paid cash up front for bent valves.

After blowing his motor three times, David decided to take the turbo route. Long, Hoang and Son from Speed Image linked up the T304 turbo with a Rev Hard manifold. It took them three straight days to complete the install.

David then decided to have his steed suited up for the next IDRC event, which was a week and a half away. Although the body was sorted, the interior was about as bone stock as can be. To remedy this bland situation, the fellas at Sips interior coated the seats, dash and door panels with oceans of purple and white.

David was about to have a rest before the show when he realized that no matter how good the body and interior looked, it needed a new stance. But just lowering it wouldn't do. It needed the full treatment, including Tokico shocks and Skunkworks coilovers. The Integra now squats down with an air of pure bellicosity over the Pirelli P7000s, which in turn wrap 18-in. chrome Dazz Matiz rims, the first of their kind in the U.S.

Oh yeah, and if you're wondering what that little iridescent hoop of light is around the rim, it's called a Tyrefly. Dave likes to mount the little glowing valve stems on Friday nights, giving the Downtown crowd something to really gawk at.

For the icing on the cake, David got busy on the trunk. What was once a vast expanse of stock blandness is now covered by a custom trunk enclosure holding a pair of 12-in. Boston Pro subwoofers. An amalgam of ICE fills the rest of the ride, including JL Audio mids and tweets, X-Tant amps and a Lightning Audio capacitor.

With this Integra's fully built motor undergoing test and tune at Speed Image even as you read this, Dave hopes to be running 11s by the first IDRC event. Keep an eye out for this accelerating Acura. It was once a victim of vandalism and robbery. Come June, it may just steal the show.