Acura Integra Coupe Series AV

The Acura Integra was released alongside the Legend in 1985 for the 1986 model year and were the first two models sold by the division. At first, they were exclusively configured as 3-door liftback coupes, with sedans coming on its heels on October of that year. A rebadged Honda Quint Integra, the Series AV was also designated by the engine code of its inline 4s depending on the market; the DA1 and DA3 both had 1.6 liter engines (ZC and D16A1), and the DA2 and DA4 came with 1.5 liter EW5 and D15A1 engines, respectively, with two types of the D16A1 offered in America. These engines were also called "Browntops" and "Blacktops" for the color of the valve covers for the 1986-1987 and 1988-1989 model years, respectively, with the "Blacktop" giving the car an additional 5 horsepower because of lighter rods, an electric advance distributor, and domed pistons, bringing the power total to 118. Also, European models were more downmarket than American models, a constraint that made it never as popular as it was in the U.S., market at the time, falling to competitors such as the Peugeot 309 1.6 Injection and the Renault 11 Turbo. Most of the 228,000 units sold were U.S.-bound.

Image date: June 2007