Integra F-1 Special Edition - Like a wanted yakuza boss last seen 40 years ago only a few black and white photos remain.

It would be hard to really consider the humble Honda Quint Integra as a unicorn especially considering a quarter of a million units were sold of the first generation most of those sales being in the USA. It was also popular in Japan but not a popular as the Prelude and Civic at the time of which the Integra sat between in the model range. Offered in 3/4/5 door combinations the two most sort after models would have to be the top spec GSi and lightweight spec RSi 3 door models which had Honda’s ZC 1.6L DOHC Fuel injected engine producing 135PS. The 3 door Quint Integra RSi could be considered as the vehicle that paved the way for the Integra Type R. It was a stripped out, light weight, sporty version of the GSi that didn’t even come with a radio and weighed in around the 890kg mark or a little more if options were added. It came with a lower spoiler, rear hatch spoiler and the bumpers were unpainted to keep costs down but optional colour coding was available. The GSi could weigh up to just under a ton when fitted with sunroof and fully optioned out. Both of these JDM versions are now ultra rare as they were never considered worth collecting and scrapped. Due to the power to weight ratio although not as light and sporty as a Civic they went pretty good for a first car option. The shape was attractive too with true to the 80’s Pop up headlights.

The last time I even saw a RSi for sale was before Trademe (NZ version of Ebay/Yahoo) existed. We used to have to take a gamble on a 20-30 word ad in the news paper. I will never forget it, for some reason I was chasing one thinking it would be a cool car to swap in what was then a very late model Civic Type-R engine. I phoned the owner who claimed it was really mint and worth the trip. I turned up at a block of council flats after around a 40 min drive. There it was a white RSi in appalling condition parked outside with the brake rotors sitting on bricks. Before I could walk away the owner came outside of his humble abode to chase me down. I explained I was not interested as it was not as he had described and didn’t even have wheels. He said the wheels were Mugen Aero Fins but he had taken them off the car so they would not get stolen and had hid them under a blue tarp around the side of his house. My interest slightly reignited thinking the wheels could be worth the asking price of the car so I asked could if he could show me them. He said he couldn’t as they had been stolen even after hiding them so I would need to bring my own wheels to take the car away. He said the car was unlocked so have a look. I popped the latch and lifted the bonnet only to find a huge hole with grass growing up inside. Oh the engine had blown up also and was missing but his mates, mate had removed it to fix it just never bought it back. Further to the problem no one could find his mates, mate as his number had changed. So no engine, no wheels, I was done. I walked away and can’t think of a time to this day that I have seen a JDM RSi or GSi since. Only some carbed lower grade models have popped up from time to time.

Quint Integra RSi - Even items like the rear wiper was optional such was the level of weight savings Honda went to on this version.

The reason I was so interested in one in the first place was a few years earlier a teacher from school, Mr Frost had a white manual one. He used to take a group of us in it to set up the touch rugby fields on sports day. But the time frame to do it was so tight with Mr Frost teaching schedule that he use to bash the rev limiter on it in every gear on the way there. It was my first experience being driven like that and I found it rather exciting. I remember my class mate Craig saying “Mr Frost you will blow your engine if you keep doing that.” Mr Frost replied, “Don’t worry Craig… it’s a Honda.” So that left me with an impression you could give them a hiding, all day, every day, just like they do on the Osaka Loop. For a young boy a car you could drive like that which was affordable was the dream. So it was became one of my options for a first car before I settled on a MR2 G Limited Super Charger.

Honda was pretty good at building engines that revved and also at modern computer control software. For that reason they were highly successful in Formula 1 in the 80’s with Ayrton Senna. To celebrate their success Honda made a Range of F-1 Special Editions for the 1986 year. There was the Civic, CRX, Integra, Prelude and Accord F-1 Speical Editions. Very little is known about these outside Japan and as rare as they are most made their way to NZ as grey imports and were murdered. The Quint Integra is the only one I have never seen in the flesh even with as common as F-1 edition were at one stage for a limited edition. The Quint Integra was probably the version that had the least of a following along with the Accord. They made only 1000 Quint Integra F-1 Special Editions sitting a trim grade above the GSi model. They were rare then and to find one now let alone one with a manual transmission in it would be finding a unicorn. Finding one in anything other than white would be surprising as well.

In terms of performance nothing changed as it was more a boast of Honda’s F1 sucsess and the inclusion of Honda’s F1 computer technology in these road cars with PGM-FI. Very little is known of the F-1 Series other than they had F-1 decals, F-1 mudflaps, F-1 monsoons, F-1 embroidered velour seats, F-1 checkered mats, a sporty F-1 steering wheel fitted along with spoilers and Alloys. The Integra F-1 had the RSi rear hatch spoiler fitted and special 14” aero alloy wheels plus yellow headlight bulbs to make it really 80’s. We have no idea of the split between manuals and autos for the 1000 limited run but we would presume the manual may be the rarest of the bunch. I am yet to confirm if any came with the Sunroof option like the GSi model but if so it would make the vehicle even rarer. I remember when I was younger my friends parents had a F-1 Special Edition Honda Accord and my friend always went on about how great and special it was. We all used to just laugh at him and the car because Honda’s did not get the respect in New Zealand they deserved at that time compared with other JDM brands. This was probably for their lack of turbo engine range which was all the rage in the 80’s and 90s. Most F-1’s that made it to the land down under would have been regular drivers cars and thus unappreciated then destroyed. But now they are all but gone we are starting to think they would be a pretty cool collector car to have again. If you thinking of investing in some classic collectible RHD JDM Honda’s then get in touch and we will source and ship you some great options while they are still affordable in classic terms.

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JDM Unicorns Episode 6: Honda Integra F-1 Special Edition