In the latest episode of Cammisa Ultimate Drag Race Replay, the one and only Jason Cammisa and racing driver Randy Pobst sourced no fewer than three Acuras and two Hondas for some good ol' drag racing at Willow Springs. Rather than duking it out five abreast on the long straightaway, the boys decided to split things up in two segments, beginning with a race between the NA1 NSX, DC2 ITR, and AP2 S2k CR.
If those letters and numbers are somewhat confusing, fret not because we'll go through all of them. NA1 is the first-generation NSX with the 3.0-liter V6, whereas DC2 refers to the Integra Type R that Honda produced from October 1995 through October 2000. As for AP2, that stands for 2.2 liters instead of the original 2.0 liters. The CR suffix means Club Racer, a track-oriented variant of the S2000 that spawned 699 units in total.
The rear-drive midship supercar took 5.2 seconds to launch from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), then recorded 13.5 seconds at 104 miles per hour (167 kilometers per hour) in the quarter mile. The S2000 CR ran 5.5 and 14.2 seconds at 98 mph (158 kph), while the Integra Type R clocked 6.6 and 15.2 at 93 (150).
Then again, what did you expect from the most powerful and torquiest car of the bunch? The 1991 model in the video below puts out 270 ponies and 210 pound-feet (285 Nm). However, it's a bit porkier than its FWD siblings at 3,030 pounds (1,374 kilograms) compared to 2,790 lbs (1,266 kgs) for the 2009 model year S2000 CR and 2,560 (1,161) for the 2001 Integra Type R.
The boyos then pitted the NSX against the current-day Acura Integra Type S and Honda Civic Type R, a three-way showdown between old and new. Spoiler alert: all three finished the standing quarter mile in 13.5 seconds. The CTR and ITS, however, carried more speed over the line: 105 miles per hour (169 kilometers per hour) compared to 104 (167) for the NSX.
Had it been a second-generation Acura NSX, both the Civic Type R and Integra Type S would've eaten the all-wheel-drive hybrid supercar's dust. We also have to remember that original NSXs are naturally aspirated, whereas the FL5 and DE5 both pack a turbocharged engine. K20C1 is the culprit's name, a 2.0-liter mill that makes 310 pound-feet (420 Nm) of torque in both applications, 315 horsepower in the Civic Type R, and 320 in the far more expensive Integra Type S.
What is especially surprising about the FL5 and DE5 is that Honda couldn't be bothered with developing a dual-clutch transmission. It's the same story with the three-cylinder turbo Toyota GR Corolla, which packs a three-cylinder turbo and a trick all-wheel-drive system.
That being said, which one would you take home and why?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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