Building the Beast - Part 1

In January of 2005, Honda of North America began a new vehicle campaign-looking to showcase the newly remodelled 2005 Acura RSX Type-S to the general public while keeping close tabs on the youth of the import tuner market. Scouring the top automotive publications within the industry, Honda approached Import Tuner Magazine with car keys and the expectation that 2NR had the skills and backing to build an RSX that would kick some serious ass. Faced with unlimited access to an orgy of companies who were willing to join forces with the magazine, the 2NR staff took into consideration that the build should appeal to our readership, and took the steps necessary to turn this mild-mannered sport compact into a streetable racecar. After months of deliberation, the final decision was made and it became apparent that the "King of the K-motors," Skunk2, was the logical choice.

Skunk2 Racing of Norco, California, has etched themselves deep into the import industry as the premiere import performance manufacturer of the last decade. Skunk2 has set numerous track records for the "Fastest All-Motor Vehicle," the first taking place in March of 1998 when their silver DC2, known as "Project Beta," clicked off a 12.8-second pass in the quarter mile at Sacramento raceway. Today, Skunk2 currently holds world records in NDRA, IDRA and NHRA with sub 9-second passes at 141 mph in their K-powered all-motor RSX dubbed "Project Delta." It doesn't take a genius to recognize these guys have done their homework over the years and have what it takes to accompany us in building one serious street machine.

Seven-hundred "streetable" horsepower. That's the magic number we're attempting to accomplish as you, the readers, will follow our journey from beginning to end. Over the next few months, look forward to our grand finale when the RSX-T will pound the Buttonwillow Raceway tarmac as we attempt to break the official front-wheel drive track record. Did your eyes deceive you? No... let me repeat that for you again...700 hp! An incredulous power number for any four-banger import engine and a challenge both Skunk2 Racing and Import Tuner will push to create as we team up and venture into the world of forced induction. You heard it first! Skunk2 has officially sold their souls to the devil and will fabricate their very first custom turbocharged project car.

Planning the first steps of the build took both teams to the brink of insanity. Numerous scenarios were laid out on the table while each option was carefully weighed and the RSX's fate lay firmly in our hands. "We wanted to do something different. Everybody was expecting us to build an NA car, so we said 'Hey, let's get these people to wet their pants and build a turbocharged car,'" says Skunk2 Owner and perfectionist Dave Hsu. With the plan complete, the K20Z1 powerplant was plucked from the engine bay and disassembled. The first item thrown into the scrap heap was the factory crank. Hsu and his head engineer/mechanic, Jeff Giovino, envisioned a custom K20 engine setup that would handle the rigors of road racing while delivering a mind-blowing 700 hp.