By now, most people would have heard how crazy and difficult it is to be a Singaporean car enthusiast. That being said, despite Singapore’s ever-tightening regulations and increasing clampdowns on performance and modified cars, I am the current custodian of my childhood dream car, of which there are rumoured to be only one or two examples left in the country.
From what I’ve seen, only one other genuine DC2 Honda Integra Type R has been listed for sale in Singapore in the past decade, so I feel extremely privileged to have acquired mine from a friend who had owned it for quite some time. Convincing him to part with it, however, took multiple attempts on my end.
It’s a ‘98 Spec’ and, to my knowledge, probably the only example ever brought into Singapore in factory Phoenix Yellow. The Integra has recently undergone a full mechanical and cosmetic refresh, which involved stripping the car down and rebuilding it with a Spoon Sports-inspired treatment
Engine-wise, it is a mix of Spoon parts, along with TODA forged pistons and throttle bodies, paired with a standalone ECU to keep everything running in harmony. For handling, as the car is primarily used on the street, I went with Öhlins DFV coilovers, which offer a good blend of comfort and tidy road manners, working well with the Spoon Rigid Collars. Inside, I have kept things mostly original, with just a splash of Spoon.
The Integra makes every journey an occasion; it keeps me fully engaged and always knowing exactly which gear is perfect for every situation. The B18C5 is truly a race engine built to take on the street, happily living in the upper reaches of the rev range without ever skipping a beat. Singapore may not have the most interesting roads, but this car makes the most of them with its short gearing, pin-sharp handling, and lightweight chassis, designed to make the driver feel every bit of the road beneath them.
With the influx of EVs on our roads, B-Series-powered Hondas are becoming a dying breed, and it is increasingly challenging to keep them alive in Singapore, particularly with incentives favouring electric vehicles. Keeping an older car on the road means eventually having to renew its COE (10-Year Certificate of Entitlement), while many experienced mechanics who know these cars inside out are also retiring as there are fewer examples left to work on.
I aim to keep the Integra Type R dream alive for as long as I can in Singapore, and perhaps I’m even toying with the idea of returning the car to factory-original condition at some point… What do you think, and do you have any suggestions?
