The Amelia Island Car is held each year on the Thursday and Friday before the Concours d’Elegance, Amelia Island. Auctions usually bring in so many high-value, heavy-hitting cars that many enthusiasts can only drool over them, let alone buy the actual one. This year, some of the most notable cars included the 1962 Ferrari 250 GT California SWB Spider and the AMG Mercedes-Benz 500 SL 6.0 “SL Hummer”. They are indeed rare and collectible cars; However, the real show stopper was the 1997 Thoroughbred, which sold for over $150,000.
What distinguishes the 1997 Acura Integra Type R?
For the unfamiliar, the first car hit US shores in 1997 and was discontinued after 2001. Unlike today’s market, which is full of special edition cars and unique features, the car market in the late 1990s was filled with many boring and pretentious models. This is why the Integra Type R was so special – it was also a dream car for Honda/Acura fans at the time, just like the Honda Civic Type R.
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When all was said and done, this 1997 Integra Type R ended up selling for a whopping $151,200. This astronomical price was mainly due to the car’s extremely low mileage and pristine condition. I mentioned that there were only 6,220 miles on the car’s odometer. However, this isn’t the first time the car has been sold.
The 97 Integra Type R was no stranger to the auction scene
Although the White 1997 Acura Integra Championship stole the show at Amelia Auto auctions this year, it wasn’t the first time it had been auctioned off. A quick search shows that the same Integra was altered after a successful auction in 2019 on the popular site. At the time, the Integra sold for $82,000 with the same number of miles on the odometer, showing that it definitely appreciates its value.
What makes the 1997 Acura Integra Type R so special?
Aside from the limited unit runs, the 1997 Acura Integra Type R is notable because of its upgraded engine, suspension, and chassis. Based on the third-generation Integra, the Type R added lower side skirts, a front lip and a high rear spoiler for more downforce. Under the hood, the high-revving 1.8-liter VTEC engine (B18C5) produced 195 horsepower and 130 pound-feet of torque at 8,000 rpm.
That power was directed to the front wheels via a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission. As for the rest of the chassis, Honda added more reinforcements to improve its rigidity, stiffer suspension and lower ride height. Finally, larger disc brakes were used as well as stickier summer tires.
Overall, the car was intimidating on the racetrack and fun to drive on the streets. But is it worth more than $150,000? Someone clearly thinks so – and we wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up selling for more money later.
