Acura lets three tuners go wild on the Integra for SEMA
If manufacturers are giving away cars for tuners to customize, it must be that time of year. That is, time for the aftermarket’s annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas. Indeed, SEMA runs November 1–4, and we expect a good contingent of Acura Integras to be represented there. In advance of the show, Honda gave three Integras to Southern California tuners to transform into show cars. Let’s take a look.
Says Acura: “Inspired by Acura’s unyielding commitment to performance and the tuner community, Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara, Sara Choi and Coco Zurita have created personal interpretations of their ultimate 2023 Acura Integra, adding supreme levels of style, power and performance.”
Well, you be the judge. All three cars have minor underhood modifications to the 1.5-liter, 200-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission, with the major work done inside, outside and underneath.
Dai Yoshihara is a professional driver from Tokyo who has a Formula Drift championship and class wins at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. His motorsports roots are reflected in his project, which includes a full roll cage, racing seats, adjustable suspension and racing slicks. “Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, the Integra was always one of my favorite Acuras so it’s such an honor to get to build a brand new 2023 Integra,” he said. “I wanted to take the sporty theme from the iconic DB8 Integra and fuse it into my build.”
Built by Evasive Motorsports, it has BBS REV7 forged 18-inch wheels, Yokohama A005 racing slicks, RSR Sport-I coilovers, Whiteline adjustable rear upper arms, Whiteline rear lower control arms and a Stoptech ST-40 Trophy front Big Brake Kit. Outside, there are EVS Tuning GTLM mirrors, front airdam, carbon front splitter and carbon sidestep, Voltex fender flares and Type 12 wing, and shaved front fog lights. Inside, it has an Eimer Engineering custom 6 -point roll cage, Sparco QRT-R Kevlar racing seats, Prime H7 6-point harness and steering wheel with quick release, an AEM CD-7 race dash, Acuity adjustable short shifter and EVS Tuning custom seat mounts, titanium rear drop shift knob, dry carbon door cards and carbon center console.
Sara Choi is a “car enthusiast, drifter, model, host and actor connected to the automotive community with her passion for art, music, fashion and gaming. Choi’s artistic approach to tuning is clearly exhibited by her creation of a custom wide body for her project Integra.”
“My favorite part of being a car builder is that you get to express yourself however you want, especially when you’re building a car as exciting as the next-gen Acura Integra,” said Choi. “It’s a thrill building my own version of such an iconic car.”
Built by Tony Star Performance, her car has 19-inch Advan RSDF wheels, Nexen Sport R tires, and Tein Suspension Flex Z coilovers. Outside, there’s a custom wide body kit designed by Walter Kim and Choi, Inozetek Super Gloss Pearl White Film installed by Everlasting Wraps, and Mugen window visors. Inside, there are Evasive Motorsports x Bride Zeta IV seats, a Battle Craft Hyper Teardrop Shift Knob, Battle Craft Hyper RQR quick release, and a Dogfight Race Pro 350mm steering wheel.
Coco Zarita is from Santiago, Chile, and is a pro BMX athlete, car builder and amateur drifter who has competed in over a dozen X-Games with multiple podiums. “It’s a dream come true to be one of the first builders on the planet to get their hands on the new Acura Integra,” said Zarita. “We grabbed some inspo from the NSX GT designs and added some race car features to help bring in my own personal style and achieve this new look for the next-gen Integra.”
Zarita’s car, built by Autotuned, has 18-inch Kansei KNP wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires, RSR Sport-I coilovers, an HPS front upper performance strut bar, and a Wilwood 6-piston front big brake kit. Outside, a “Gotham Gray” 3M vehicle wrap, APR GT carbon mirrors, Acura OEM front diffuser, Auto Tuned 3-inch custom carbon front lip, Auto Tuned custom carbon side skirts and 30mm carbon over fenders, an APR GTC carbon wing and Andreas Wennevold custom graphics and design. Inside, there is a MOMO Start racing seat, PCI seat brackets, MOMO 6-point camlock harness, NRG harness bar, a MOMO MOD Drift racing steering wheel, and an NRG quick release and short steering hub.
Post-SEMA, the cars will be shown at RADwood LA (November 19) and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (April 14-16).
