"Hello. I would like to have my car in your Car Feature section, if it fits what you are looking for. It is a 2002 Acura RSX Type S that is fully converted to a 2002 Honda Integra Type R."
The letter was from George Rampersaud, of Vaudreuil, and it went on to describe what it took to turn his car into one of Honda's race cars for the common man. The Type R models were the epitome of Honda performance, with stronger unibodies, extra welds, body braces and lighter body panels. Interiors were stripped of sound proofing, and lighter materials used wherever possible. Engines were hand-assembled using the best castings, and the cylinder heads were ported and polished. Suspension and brakes were upgraded to handle the extra speed of the Type Rs.
Rampersaud's letter included a parts list of more than 100 items, many of them Japanese domestic market parts available only in Japan. "Every little piece has been changed, from the emblems, to the Brembo brakes, Lip Kit, even the gas lever is on the right side of the car," wrote Rampersaud. "All the parts are authentic, no knock-offs."
Everything was sourced from Honda Japan (through a contact in Toronto), Honda Australia, Honda England, and local dealers Acura Gabriel and Acura Luciani. This was clearly a monumental task. So why do it?
Like many car enthusiasts, Rampersaud's family has some history modifying cars. "My father hopped up cars in his native Guyana, mostly Toyota Cressidas and Coronas. They would race from stoplight to stoplight to see who was the fastest."
After racing Hot Wheels as a kid, Rampersaud began his loveaffairwithHonda/Acura vehicles with a Civic, the first of three. He has also owned three Accords, a Prelude and an S2000 Roadster. Every one of these cars was modified in some way or another, but nothing like his 2002 RSX.
"I bought the car six years ago with no intentions of modifying it but, after two years of owning the car, one afternoon driving it downtown Montreal, everything changed. Debris started to fly off of a construction truck in front, most of which went toward my car. After dodging what I could, the front bumper took most of the hit, and I needed to get a new one; fixing it was not an option."
Rampersaud found a replacement bumper, which happened to be the same colour as his car, but it was a Type R spec. "I loved how it looked, and I started doing some research on what a Type R looks like and what the exact differences are between a DC5R and a USDM DC5.
"It took four years to fully convert the car. I had to make contacts all over the world to get the right parts without getting scammed. I learned that buying used parts can have its ups and downs."
Why he didn't just buy a Type R? Rampersaud says the owners of legitimate Type Rs just don't sell their prized possession very often due to the very limited production. The ones that do show up on eBay and the like tend to be crashed cars and even halves of cars shipped over here from Asia and welded together -not cars Rampersaud considered safe.
"I am very picky about getting everything right; my car was already Arctic Blue Pearl, which is an official DC5R colour. I managed to source everything I needed, including the extremely rare blue Recaro seats along with the complete blue interior, including carpets from Honda Australia."
After four years of locating parts and assembling them in his modest garage, Rampersaud is nearly finished his Type R conversion. A few minor details remain for this unique car.
"To every Acura RSX and Honda Integra owner, this car is renowned, as the first in Canada with a complete and blue Integra Type R interior and the first in the world left-hand drive DC5R," he said. "I've also had 16 sets of wheels on this car, from Racing Hart to Enkei to Type R wheels, I kept changing the wheels to find the perfect look, which I finally decided on 17-inch Blade Silver Metallic Type R wheels."
Rampersaudenjoysdriving the car and racks up between 30,000 and 40,000 kilometres a year going to several car shows in the Toronto area. And he's not afraid to try the Type R on the track. The car has run 13.9 at 104 miles per hour at Napiervielle, and was dynoed at 199 WHP and 149 WTQ on a Dyno Jet.
"My ninth Honda/Acura and by far my favourite," he said. "It is a car that true car enthusiasts can appreciate."
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