Since I’m always looking for bits and pieces from junkyard 1992-1995 Honda Civics and 1994-2001 Acura Integras (which are mechanical first cousins), for use in my 1992 Civic with Integra GS-R running gear, I keep an eye on the inventory at my local wrecking yards. I never expect to find a real GS-R during my junkyard travels, because not many were sold and they have retained significant value in the eyes of the fast and/or furious Honda set, but here’s a real ’98 GS-R sedan in a Denver self-service yard. Vehicle Identification Numbers don’t lie, and I verified the one in this car.
I suspect that this car’s engine never even reached the junkyard.
The 1.8-liter DOHC four that came in this car was rated at 170 horsepower, which is pretty tame by 2018 standards but made the ’98 Integra GS-R respectably speedy by the standards of 20 years ago. Since the ignition switch in this car was pried loose and mangled, I’m guessing that the car was stolen for the powertrain, then ended up in the junkyard ecosystem after being recovered and judged to be not worth fixing. The body and interior look to have been nice enough prior to arriving at this place.
176,608 miles is decent, for a car that we can assume spent much of its life at or near that 8,000-rpm redline.
With a 5-speed manual transmission and aftermarket wheels, springs, and driving lights, we can assume that this Integra wasn’t babied every day of its not-quite-200,000-mile life. The interior looks nice, but the cloth seats suggest that an interior swap from a non-GS-R Integra (most examples of which had leather seats) may have happened at some point.
Like a faster, more luxurious Civic, yet still sensible enough for family duty.