Acura Integra Prototype Shows Its Civic-Based Interior At Daytona

Folks who attended the Rolex 24 at Daytona this past weekend likely noticed Acura had quite a presence there. Such is life when you’re a manufacturer involved in endurance racing, and actually, Acura won the overall event with Helio Castroneves driving the No. 60 Acura ARX-05 Daytona Prototype. For the purposes of this article, our attention focuses on something a bit less dramatic but likely of greater relevance to Acura enthusiasts.

The Integra is returning, as revealed in November 2021 by Acura with the unveiling of the Integra Prototype. This near-production five-door hatchback is based on the Honda Civic Si, but the debut only revealed the car’s exterior. Imagine our surprise, then, when photos cropped up of the Integra Prototype’s interior taken during the 24-hour race. The car was on display for the weekend, and while we’d love to take credit for catching it, an Instagrammer named John Barr (@derphound01) tipped off Car and Driver with some shots. Mr. Barr graciously shared his images with Motor1.com as well.

6 Photos

^{Photo Credit: John Barr / @derphound01 Instagram}

To no surprise, the greenhouse of the Integra Prototype looks like a fancy Civic Si. Some obvious trim changes are apparent; you won’t find the Civic’s cool honeycomb strip across the dash but you will find it with center-mount vents between the touchscreen and trio of control knobs. That layout is identical to the Civic, as-is the center console with the six-speed manual, though the stick looks a bit shorter in the ‘Teg. The steering wheel also matches the Civic, save for an Acura logo in the center. The seats aren’t as hardcore as those in the Si, and being Acura, there’s an upscale feeling with warmer shades and more leather.

Acura didn’t make any official announcements about showing the Integra prototype’s interior. Considering one photo shows the dash partially covered, we wonder if it was a last-minute decision to let it fly. In any case, Acura has said the Integra Prototype is very similar to the production model slated for a debut in the spring. Will it be different enough to woo buyers from the Civic into something virtually guaranteed to be more expensive? We shall see later this year.