"Hey, Super Street! Come eat with us!" were the words I heard when I sat down to grub at the recent Carlisle Custom Compact Power Jam. Being as tired as I was from photographing three cars in a row, I glanced around my empty table to put a face to the voice-no such luck. Looking beyond my plate of cold burgers toward a table 10 feet away, I saw the friendly faces of Frankie Johnson and Manny Agosto shouting out, "No, over here, Super Street!"
Once I hustled over to their table, Frankie told me, "I saw you taking pictures of Manny's car at the show today. If you don't put anything in, then I'm gonna tell Matt!" Reow! And here we are.
This car was shot at the last NOPI Nationals. Personally, I wasn't there last year, but it's easy to tell why we got this car on film. If your ride looks tight, then it obviously deserves a chance to be in this mag, just like Manny's '96 Acura Integra GS-R.
From the outside, it's clear that this car was made to grab your attention and then some. If those Super Touring graphics from Modern Image don't do the job, then maybe the Wings West R.S. Series body kit will. Painted frost white to match the stock body tones, the front air dam sits waiting for an intercooler to fill its mouth. A set of clear corner lights emulate the factory style set in Japan while the Superwhite 9006 and 9005 headlight bulbs are strong enough to fry anything that gets in your way.
To fit the white 18x7 Axis Touring Cup wheels underneath the wheelwells, Manny chose a set of Ground Control's adjustable coilovers, which was bolted in place with Tokico five-way adjustable shocks. Tenzo was called upon for its front and rear strut braces, as well as its lower arm bar, which were all chosen in a red anodized color for that added flair. Look past the Axis wheels and you'll find a set of Powerstop gold cadmium-plated cross-drilled rotors at all four corners, not to mention the Axxis MetalMaster brake pads, which help the A-car stop on a second's notice.
Looking to find some more goodies? Then shift your eyes toward the interior. MOMO was a popular choice for customizing the interior. Manny installed MOMO's T-Frame Anatomic bucket seats, four-point Master harness with matching harness pads, lumbar support, foot pedals, and the Top Power steering wheel with a collapsible hub adapter. A set of custom white and black face gauges were installed for a one-off look while the 5-inch Phantom Auto Meter Monster tachometer off the A-pillar gives Manny the signal to shift before redline hits. To keep Manny safely positioned within the passenger cabin, an RPM Motorsports six-point chromoly bolt-in rollcage was installed. A red anodized Tenzo shift knob with carbon fiber accents matched with a Tenzo short shifter was used to give a notchier feeling while shifting through the gears.
While the show car theme stands out more than anything on this car, performance was not overlooked. To uphold show duties, a polished Tenzo intake system was bolted up to the throttle body, feeding air to the NGK V-Power spark plugs via Vitek 8 mm spark plug wires, while a dual DTM after-cat exhaust system from Tanabe Racing Development pushes out exhaust remnants. A 70-shot dry manifold nitrous oxide kit from NOS was installed to provide an extra punch at the racetrack and, so far, has helped Manny achieve a best e.t. of 13.8 at 99 mph.
A Clutch Masters four-puck clutch gets the power to the ground like no stock unit can through the factory GS-R transmission. Keeping the engine bay flashy are the chrome-plated valve cover and heat shield along with dress-up accessories from Hondasport and Weapon*R.