Boasting a low curb weight, acclaimed handling dynamics, and rev-happy, high output four cylinders, from very early on, the Honda/Acura Integra was always a popular car for tuning and various other modifications, both performance and cosmetic. As a result, finding an unmolested, stock Integra, let alone one in such clean condition is not an easy task.
This particular 1991 Integra coupe is a mid-level LS model in Jasper Green, and about as mint as they come these days, in daily driver form at least (an almost identical 5,800-mile example I found on eBay two years ago is obviously an outlier). Talk about Integra integrity.
Photographed in Boston’s South End – Boston, Massachusetts – November 2017
Related Reading:
1990 Acura Integra LS sedan (COAL)
1991 Acura Integra GS coupe (COAL)
1994 Acura Integra RS coupe (COAL)
1994 Acura Integra GS-R coupe (COAL)
I still carry a small torch for these, and this light turquoisey-green turns things up a notch. How cool to see one of these still out carrying on, especially in the northeast.
Especially one that’s not a sedan; iirc those were almost if not fully as popular as coupes when new, and not as overlooked by the tuner crowd as four-doors were by previous generations, but still…
I Like These Alot.But I Don’t Want To Get Hit By Another Vehicle In One Of Those.About 5 Years Ago In My Hometown,I Saw One Of These Being Hit By A Hilux & 2 People In Integra Were In Real Bad Shape While Hilux Driver&His Wife Had No Injuries.
Very nice, I was (am) a big fan – I came very close to buying the exact came car as this except in the cranberry color as a two-year old used car. But this color is a close runner-up. It’s not nearly as “teal” as it appears at first glance, just a very pleasant bluish green with a hint of pine tree and maybe the waters off Tahiti if that narrows it down!
Either way, as nice as the first generation Integra was, this was a big step forward and they were all over NorCal. Much more attractive than the third generation with it’s little bugeyed headlights and bathtub-like seating position. Peak Acura!
Peak Acura for sure!
Even better, as Honda ruined the graceful 88-91 Prelude with the 92.
IMO, the 88-91 Prelude Si was PEAK HONDA!
Actually, I’d say 84-91 is Honda’s plateau
We owned one of these new in 1991; my wife’s car. It was a good car for the two years we owned it. The only thing disliked wasn’t really Acura’s fault – those darn ‘running mouse’ seatbelts.
I’d owned an 86 and an 88 Integra and I felt that the 88 was more to my driving taste than the 91. They’d changed the cams for more torque in the 91 so it was a bit less willing to wind to the 7K redline than the earlier cars, and the car felt a little heavier on winding roads. I guess you could say that the 91 was a more mature car than the first generation. I will say that the quality was impeccable and the dealer service was even better. Also, unlike later Integras which suffered badly from road noise, these cars were pretty quiet.
Even today, one of these in as good condition as the article car would be tempting – except that the annoyance of those seatbelts might give me pause.
I completely agree that these years were peak Acura…
Poor Acura! Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory! BMW/Audi worked for decades to build a brand that would appeal to the young folks, Cadillac/Lincoln/Buick still haven’t figured it out, and along comes Acura in 1986 and has instant hits with the Legend and Integra, only to blow it all away with increasingly dull product and stupid alphanumeric naming schemes, because Integra and Legend were better recognised than Acura. Merkur was launched at the same time (albeit at a much higher price point and with less of a committment from Ford) and flopped.
Thirty years later, Acuras are fairly invisible except for the MDX. I looked at new ones a couple of years ago and the moldings on the outside were noticeably misaligned and they felt exactly like an Accord on the inside. Too bad.
Acura used to be a top brand
I owned a 1992 GS coupe with 5 speed manual between 1996 to 2003, got from a neighbor as third hand used car. It served me good for 60k without major problems. It handled very well for my style of conservative driving. The interstate driving could be tiring with higher engiine rpm. I think the engine could have one more gear. It came alive only above 4000 rpm but the ride was harsh. Although Honda is famous for easy shifting manual, I agreed and truely believed so when I has a chance to drive a beat up 1987 BMW 325i with manual transmission. Then I had another chance to drive a 1997 Audis A4 with sport package, I realized how good the new German cars were then, the turbo 1.8 litre engine with 5 valves was smooth and lively even this engine had only 140 hps, ride was smooth and yet sport, the manual shifts with easy and refine. Car and Driver then complained that shifter was rough, but I could not understand. By contract my Integra shifted like argicutural machine. I sold it back to the same neighbor who sold me the car for $2 grand with 110k miles and defective ABS module. That part was listed for $1200 as rebuilt unit in Acura dealer. Neighbor daughter used that cars until 2006, and then the car disappeared. My experience from driving this car reminded me how Japanese car makers interpreted what sporty coupe should be, but now realized they missed the points, the German did a better job on vehicle engineering except sub bar reliability. One minor thing is its windshield washer design was weird. When it is engaged, only spray windshield fliud, you had to operate the windshield wiper with different operation. This was only for US model, the Canadian model had the normal combined functions with one action. This shows even its height in 1990s Honda was doing stupid thing.
I had a 92 Integra LS, though mine was a 4 door sedan with automatic transmission. Around the same time frame I owned a 92 Civic hatchback that started life with a 70 horsepower engine and a manual transmission. The Integra with automatic transmission was okay, I would suppose that with a manual transmission it was a lot more fun.
As far as handling, the Civic and Integra on the same tires were fairly close. The Integra was a quieter car than the Civic…but not whisper quiet.
At one point I had a Integra engine transplanted into the Civic: best of both worlds.
That looks exactly like the block Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning walk down at the end of Speilberg’s War of the Worlds
Ok, I just looked it up and apparently that scene was shot in Park Slope, Brooklyn, although in the movie it stands in as Boston. The location scouts definitely did their homework!
Nice find..They’re getting rare here too, but there’s still the occasional one to be seen.
The Chinese Zonghua car from the 1990s used the Integra headlights for an unusual effect.
Not the greatest picture or angle, but it almost looks like an Integra front clip bolted to a late 80s/early 90s Civic station wagon front end.
Tygerleo:
I’m not so sure the Japanese “missed the points” on sports coupes as much as they realized (rightly or wrongly?) that the sport coupe market was set to implode.
BTW, most folks describe the action of the manual transmission shifter in Honda products as similar to a well built/well oiled rifle. I have driven a few German cars with manual transmissions but suspect the poor shift action in the subject cars was due to their not new condition.
These are still pretty common in Southern California, oddly enough — a friend of mine’s parents each still drive this generation Integra. To get the true ’90s teal color, you had to step up to the ’92-’93 GS-R and its “Aztec Green” paint: I saw this one just this past summer, and it definitely stood out amidst today’s monotony of silvers and greys.
I just sold off The Unintentional Acura…
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1990-integra-the-unintentional-acura/
…a ’90 4-door LS 5-speed, after an 18-month stay with me.
I thought it was an okay car, but I never really understood why people thought it was a *great* car.
Evan, I was waiting for your weigh-in and reading through the comments, and then I saw yours. I thought of your Unintentional Acura almost immediately.
It was a great car for a lot of folks because it was fun to drive (especially with the manual transmission). At that time it was sold, it was one of the most fun to drive and tossable cars sold. With a few suspension mods, it handled even better.
Brendan, great find of a used-to-be-somewhat-common car in what really is a great color.