Buy Honda Integra DC2 B18c6 UKDM Type R Engine Online

Honda

B18C6Up to 5,800rpm, the engine feels muted, even a bit gutless. Then Honda’s VTEC variable valve timing switches to a spikier cam profile and, with a feral snarl, all pretence of civility is shredded. The Integra reacts like it has swallowed a spoonful of wasabi: intense and totally wired.

Some people – my Honda Jazz-driving mum, for example – could spend months pottering about and never unearth this split personality. But once you’ve savoured its spicier side, there’s no going back.

The Integra’s handling was also a high watermark. Many front-wheel-drive cars scrabble for traction and lose composure at the limit. This one holds its line like a whipped politician on Newsnight. A stiffer, spot-welded chassis expunges any sense of inertia and the limited-slip diff wrenches it around corners with gleeful exuberance and tenacious grip.

From the lucid steering to the slick gearshift, every control feels carefully calibrated and brimful of tactility. The result is a richly rewarding driver’s car, even outside the VTEC zone.