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Honda DC5 COE car after more than 10 years of ownership. Wonder if Honda will bring back the Integra's and S2000's, nice affordable cars for the enthusiasts. More shots Engine Bay:

In the first installment of this article, I focused on the NSX and Accord Type R models. In this part, I will discuss about the other two Honda models that were given the Type R treatment; the Honda Integra and the Honda Civic. Lets start off with the Integra first. In the mid 1990s, Honda released the DC2 Integra Type R. The JDM model had rectangular headlights and the worldwide model came with circular headlights. The car was fitted with the legendary 1.8-litre B18C engine which was capable of delivering almost 200bhp and this enabled the car to complete the century sprint in 6.7 seconds. The next and last Integra Type R was the DC5 model. Released in 2001, the car was exclusively sold in the Japanese and several other right hand drive markets. It received the K20A engine which was also fitted in the FD2R Civic and the CL7 Accord Type R. Although the car was slightly heavier than the DC2, it is faster due to the extra horsepower and torque. Some car enthusiasts consider the DC5 Integra Type R to be the best among the Type R cars. Let's move on to the Civic models. The first Civic model to receive the Type R name was the EK9 Civic. The car was proceeded by two previous unofficial Type R models which is the EF and EG SiR. The EF and EG SiR were fitted with the infamous B16A engine and it was considered practical for the EK9 Type R to receive an engine from the same family. The EK9 Type R was fitted with the 1.6-litre B16B which boasted one of the highest power output per litre of all time for an NA engine at 185bhp. The EK9 had a seam welded monocoque chassis which improved the car's chassis rigidity. Like other Type R models, the car was fitted with goodies such as Recaro seats, sports pedals and a Momo steering wheel. The next Civic Type R generation was the EP3 Civic Type R. the car was built in the United Kingdom, regardless of where it was sold. The JDM model was shipped to Japan and it received some final touches and parts. One of the parts the JDM model got was the helical limited slip differential which was missing from the European model. The car received either the K20A engine (JDM model) or the K20A2 (European model). The JDM model was slightly more powerful in terms of horsepower and obviously it was faster in the century sprint. The JDM model also received a more track-orientated chassis and the championship white body colour was exclusive for JDM models only. The next Civic Type R came in two variants; the European market FN2R and the JDM FD2R. The FN2 Civic Type R came in a three door hatchback body style and it used a different chassis from the EP3. The engine fitted was basically the same one from the previous generation. It made around 200bhp and 193Nm of torque. The double wishbone rear suspension from the previous generation was replaced with a torsion beam axle for the FN2R. Although the FN2 Civic Type R was made exclusively for the European market, the model was also available in many right hand drive countries including Japan. The Japanese market FD2R came in a four door sedan body style and it was more powerful than the Euro model as it was fitted with the K20A engine. It made around 220bhp with a torque of 215Nm. The engine is mated to a close ration six speed gearbox and a limited slip differential was fitted on the car as a standard. The FD2R received a more sophisticated independent rear suspension compared to the FD2R's torsion beam axle. The FD2R was seen as a more popular choice than the European model as the body was more rigid, had better steering feedback and a more balance chassis. The Honda Type R family tree is set to grow even more as the company has mentioned that the next generation Civic Type R will be released in the year 2015. It may be a different machine as it will be turbocharged but at least the Type R name will not end up as a piece of automotive history.

Honda is seemingly playing catch up in the sports car department. Awhile ago it launched the Honda CRZ hybrid, a little coupe which I am warming up to and more recently, it has previewed the upcoming Honda/Acura NSX which will play a part in the latest Marvel Comic movie, The Avengers. Better late than never as the last real sporty car in its line-up was the Honda Civic Type-R hatchback. Although it was sporty, it was still based on a hatchback and not something that looked its part. So now we now have the entry level and the supercar level covered but I believe there is a large hole in the mid-sized coupe for Honda to plug. Remember the Honda Integra and the Honda Prelude? Just about two years ago Honda was like the other Japanese car manufacturers, without a proper sports car in its lineup until the CRZ appeared. Now with the upcoming NSX, things are getting better (I am not counting the slightly dull USDM Honda Accord coupe in this case). But remember the the good ol' days when Honda had a while slew of sports cars in its line-up? In the early 1990s it had the Honda CRX as an entry level coupe/roundabout, the Honda Integra as a small sized, Civic based coupe, the Honda Prelude as its mid-sized coupe and then rounded it off with the Honda NSX supercar. Honda also had the Honda Legend coupe for those that wanted luxury over handling. It basically had all the bases covered. I actually miss the Honda Integra and the Honda Prelude. The Integra was based on the Civic but its last iteration, the DC5 Integra Type-R was an incredible track oriented front wheel drive car. It had an engine and a tail so responsive that to me it seemed like they were meant for each other. Some called it slightly twitchy at high speeds, but it was a coupe that actually loved to rev and loved to go round bends. Of course, the Honda Integra has only been out of production for about six years. So I do not miss it too much as there are still a few going around in these parts of the world. However the Honda Prelude was actually Honda's front wheel drive tour de force. This was even though the final, 5th generation Prelude (pictured above) was clothed in one of the most dullest looking bodies that Honda ever made for a coupe. It was like Nissan's rejected design for its Skyline or Sylvia models. But when you drove a Prelude you'd then realise that it was actually a heck of a car. The four wheel steering (mechanical in the 2nd and 3rd generation Preludes and electrical for the 4th and final generation models) actually made the car feel like it was driven by its rear wheels and when pushed hard cornered like no other front wheel drive could have. In the good ol' days of course. Of course these days manufacturers have somehow managed to even tweak a beam axle hatchback to get the car's tail to come into play. But that's besides the point. The point of having a Honda Prelude was to actually try technology on a front wheel drive chassis and see what can be done with it. To me the Prelude was a marvelous car to drive. It wasn't as hard core as the Integra but that was the reason it worked so well on city roads as well as bumpy B-roads. And this is actually why I miss the Prelude from the Honda sporting car line-up. The Prelude, like the Integra was axed from Honda's line-up as it somehow did not confine itself to Honda's marketing strategy at that point of time. Which is why I now feel that I hate marketing people in general. But that should pass. So Honda, if you're reading this, please come up with a replacement for the Prelude. I somewhat miss it (especially the 4th generation pictured below).