1998 Acura Integra Type R 4 Door - White Heat

With the bodywork completed and the engine build rapidly coming to a conclusion, the next phase of modifications dealt with upgrading the suspension with high-performance aftermarket equipment. Progress Group coilovers have been bolted in place of the factory suspension damping equipment, and a Mugen upper strut tower brace now bridges the gap between the front shock towers. The brakes and axle hubs were upgraded to ITR-spec 5-lug assemblies, which incorporate slotted Brembo replacement rotors and AEM calipers front and rear. Goodridge braided stainless steel lines and Motul DOT 4 fluid provide push for the upgraded binders. Loterina's wheel and tire package consists of 17x7.5-in. Advan RGs shod with 215/40R17 Yokohama Parada rubber.

For the final phase of the project build, Loterina and crew wasted no time installing the freshened motor and new transmission. With the major components in place, the team began work on a suitable forced induction system to boot his engine's performance into the stratosphere. The turbo setup is based on a Drag Gen 3 kit which encompasses a Turbonetics T3/T4 turbocharger and Drag front-mount intercooler core. Loterina added a Tial wastegate in place of the supplied Deltagate. With help from Mack Sunthonlap of M1 Development, he also fabricated a stainless steel downpipe, wastegate dump tube and a full complement of aluminum intercooler plumbing. Other goodies hung from the engine include an Edelbrock intake manifold and 65mm throttle body, AEM fuel rail and adjustable cam gears, and a 3-in. Thermal exhaust. Fuel enrichment is facilitated by a Holly in-tank fuel pump, B&M pressure regulator and 660cc Blitz injectors.

With the engine bolted in and the turbo system in place, Loterina drove his four-door ITR to Autowave, Inc. in Huntington Beach for final dyno tuning. Here the final Hondata engine management software was installed and fine-tuned over the course of around a hundred dyno pulls. The end result was 377 hp and 290 lb-ft. of torque.

With the engine spitting fire-figuratively speaking, of course-and tuned to perfection, Loterina's next stop was the racetrack for some real-world quarter mile numbers. "Many weekends we've taken the car to the track for testing, and we've broken an axle or two," he confessed. To date, the car's best quarter-mile run stands at a low 12.23 seconds at 120 mph, and its owner remains optimistic about the future.

"I'm sure we can get it into the 11s with bigger slicks and stronger axles that will withstand the power," Loterina said.

Loterina and four-door ITR have attended such notable events as Battle of the Imports, the NOPI Drag Wars, HIN and various NHRA-sanctioned drag events. Probably the most fun he's had with the car, however, are the Street Legal Drags at Fontana's California Speedway where recently he and his four-door sleeper trounced an 8.0-liter Dodge Viper-all of which was captured on live video. To enjoy clips of this rare import-vs.-domestic coup d'etat, log onto Island's Web site listed below.