“I watched my sister’s friends fix up their cars, and it’s something that I wanted to get into once I was old enough,” says Junko Hyodo, owner of this Top Fuel-inspired Integra. “The first car I got was a ’97 Civic coupe. It had a Drag Generation 2 turbo kit, but I didn’t have it very long because 10 months later, it got stolen outside of a friend’s house. They took all the aftermarket stuff and left the rest of the car alone. I didn’t feel starting over again, like on the same kind of car, so I decided to sell it and get something else. My friend was selling this Integra and I couldn’t pass it up. It’s something I’ve always wanted. My goal with this car is to hit 11s.I don’t know if I can, but I’ll try. I’ve also had some secret engine work done to it—so, hopefully it’ll work.”
This Integra is pretty “wow” to say the least, and it’s obvious that Junko’s decision to go with something else was definitely a better choice. She mentioned “top secret” to us; we couldn’t really find out what it was—I guess Hanson tickets aren’t a strong selling point with her. But we did manage to find out what the bolt-ons were. Let’s see, HKS turbo design with a chewy GT-2835 caramel center, turbo manifold, wastegate, and super-sequential blow-off valve; topped off with an F-Con V computer tuned by Top Fuel Japan. All the standard J goods are here as well, something that the Vspec crew never overlooks: an Integra R radiator, a valve cover, and an oil cap. Spent A’pex exhaust gases are expelled through an A’pex N1 canister.
Serious work has gone into making the appearance of the car, something that Hirano-san from Top Fuel Japan could be proud of. The original paint was stripped and redone in Championship White, but not before Junko had a chance to restyle the front end with a Japanese R clip. The headlights are HID-equipped, straight off a ’98 spec ITR and the body kit is all Top Fuel. The rear hatch is also from a ’98 R, including the taillights. Take a close look and you’ll see the “DOHC VTEC—LSD” emblem on the bottom portion of the glass hatch.
I get jealous every time I see what could have been with my EG, like the interior of Junko’s DC2. JDM up the ying yang. Recaro fronts, Type R steering wheel, gauges, center console…geez, even the Honda Access floor mats are to die for. It doesn’t help when there’s a double-DIN Alpine head unit staring me in the face. It makes me wonder, How long would it take me to program the clock on that thing? And on a last note to cover her mods, a set of A’pex N1 dampers, Sprint front and rear sways, and a Type R strut bar set the tone for the suspension handling. The brakes are high-end Zeal rotors teamed with Endless Vita Nuova pads—which is, coincidentally, the title of Ricky Martin’s next single.
Junko’s views on the scene aren’t to be taken too lightly. She explains,“I think it’s good that all these companies from Japan are opening up shops here. But, in a way, everything has gotten so hyped up and trendy to the point where people who weren’t likely to be doing this in the first place are starting to now. It’s a good thing, but you also get a lot of people who don’t know what they’re doing. If someone is into it for the right reasons, then more power to you.” So true.