ART & SCIENCE How Combining Technology With Performance Creates The Spoon-Style (And Then Allows You To Beat The Hell Out Of It!) Words: John Dianna «» Photos: Scott Killeen Yes, we know that we do not get the racy Type-R Stateside and that we get the 20hp-less U.S. Spec Type-S instead. So what! The old Type-R didn’t hit its mark here; there was not enough demand and didn’t sell as expected. Tuners must have figured that they could do more for less on their own, so they didn’t pay the premium. Now that it’s challenging Chevrolet for the number three sales spot in the U.S., Honda Motors must obviously concentrate on those cars that move in great numbers. Thus, the company revamped its marketing mix.

But none of this should matter to our movement. These parts are available for a Stateside-built Type-R, if that is what you wish, or even the much more serious version that is sold in Japan, for that matter. And anybody can have a ride equal to the car you see pictured here, thought without the decals and Spoon livery. You can build it from the car of your choice and it doesn’t even have to be an RSX. It can be any Honda of your choosing.

That’s the real bonus and that’s what the aftermarket is all about in the first place: providing parts for us to personalize the cars that we choose. The tuner scene originated from this basic premise—plus the fact that, when done, these cars will whip ass on much larger V-8s. That’s all the more gratifying.

Type-R This has become a brand within a brand for Honda/Acura and it’s far more meaningful
than an ivory tower marketing plan created to attract younger enthusiasts to high-line,
high-content Hondas. Instead, the Japanese Type-R is a package engineered as a production
car, yet one that is balanced to virtually provide a near race-ready package.

It’s not so much that you would take a stock Type-R to the track and expect it to be competitive
out of the box. However, when prepped and blueprinted, the Type-R can easily become your basic
race car. Part of the Type-R mystique is the fact that you can feel this spirited race car feel
through its 8,000-rpm (7,900-rpm redline, actually) throttle response and the close-ratio six-speed that almost feels as if you were in the cockpit of a Formula car of some sort. In a way you are, because in keeping with Honda’s racing tradition, much of what the engineers learn on the track is bled back to the automaker’s more serious production cars. The S2000 is a prime example.

The fact that you cannot get the new-version Type-R here in the States naturally makes the brand all the more appealing. The Type-R is without question Honda’s version of a modern-day muscle car. Read it heavy, GM—this car is your benchmark for future compact car efforts.

From the very beginning, Honda planned to include such race-oriented fare as: close-ratio gear sets; an improved locking limited-slip differential; lighter engine internals; hotter cams; a more closely toleranced engine balance; 7,900-rpm redline; bigger brakes (Brembos in Japan); and a different flywheel and clutch assembly that better fits the enhanced performance package. Above all, this is done in such a way to make the coupe seem quite race-ready.

Spoon Sports Armed with the technological know-how of building and tuning fast Honda race cars, Spoon Sports set out to more formally tune these cars for true high-performance applications, no matter their intended usage as race track or street cars. In doing so, it not only created a whole host of specialized parts, but it also built complete cars. Spoon lifted a chapter from its own technical manual and proved that you can build entire vehicles from its catalog.

This is best exemplified by the race-bred Type- R shown here (although this is only one example of what Spoon has built). This Type-R proves what can be accomplished with Spoon's one-stop-shop- ping agenda, be it a single part or a complete turnkey race car.

This Integra Type-R (DC5) sports a Spoon-built 2- liter K20A engine of 220 hp, coupled to a close-ratio six- speed transmission, with smaller gear splits than the close-ratio Type-R transmission. The gears and fully assembled transmissions are available from Spoon, so builders do not need the whole car to get some of the advantages this vehicle package offers. The engine is outfitted with other Spoon goodies and the larger-capacity aluminum Spoon radiator.

As it sits, the Spoon car tips the scales at 2,156 lb, so there is considerable weight savings when compared to stock. Starting from a Honda production-line body, the entire structure is welded where necessary and reinforced where applicable to withstand the high stresses of increased cornering loads. Interestingly, com- plete bolt-in rollcages are also available from Spoon for your home projects, as are all the body-stiffening components, like the lower suspension links and upper tower braces. Spoon makes these available for a variety of Ronda car applications.

Complete Spoon under- pinnings include suspension uprights, anti-roll bars and bushing sets, axles and differential, and they are incorporated with a race-spec showa suspension. Many different Spoon suspensions are available; the Showa is a race-only option with nitrogen-filled dampers and infinitely adjustable compression and rebound settings. The bushings are 3% to 4% stiffer and are not urethane, but those are also available from Spoon.

The lightweight, sinister, black Work wheels are 17x8- inch front and rear, with different offsets to clear suspension members and tuck the wheels up under the fender lips. Bridgestone racing rub- ber is 245X17 front and rear, but this would obviously change if you were outfitting the car for the street. The clutch is a metal-type Spoon unit for buttery, no-botch shifting, transmitting power to the Spoon axles, which are polished to eliminate any potential stress risers, thus aiding durability under high- stress loading.

Stopping comes from the all-new Spoon mono-caliper built by Nissin. We examined these new brakes compared to the older two-piece design and with the triangulated center bridge, they are the most stout we have seen. We talked with one of Opak's drivers and he mentioned the difference in pedal stiffness is as dramatic as when shifting from rubber brake hoses to braided lines. We have no results on stopping distances, but these brakes are huge and fit with the 14-inch rotors.

The small, lightweight Spoon battery is a sealed lead- acid and of a free-position design, which means that the 25lb lighter unit (than the OE Ronda battery) can be positioned at any angle and in any articulation. On the inside of the sparse stiffened body is a single Spoon carbon fiber seat, weighing 5.7kg. Like the carbon fiber hoods that Spoon offers, this seat is a work of art with the carbon fiber mesh beautifully positioned and cured.

While the basis for this car is obviously production- style racing and endurance racing for everyday enthusiasts, a car of this caliber is not essential, nor would it make for a great everyday driver. It's definitely a race car.

What is good about this car as it relates to the street is the Spoon-style look: carbon fiber hood; lowered suspen- sion; subtle exhaust; light- weight rims (preferably black or bronze or some other dark color); carbon fiber front chin-lip kit; JDM headlights; the Ronda "R" emblem in the grille bar; carbon fiber mirrors; optional carbon fiber hood; rear wing; aftermarket race-look seats and steering wheel.

And, if you were going to pull this off as pure-to-the- core, stickers and RH drive, of course. However, we draw the line on the right-hand drive-too dangerous, too expensive and there's no advantage. The English had it wrong from the beginning and just because Japan copied them doesn't make the wrong right, so we say stay left!
This Spoon car, or one just like it, is for sale. Call Opak for pricing, but it will set you back approximately $50,000.

Other Honda cars are Spoon-built too, but they only do a limited number each year. Here's the choice of turnkey cars: 52000, Integra Type-R (as shown), Civic Type-R (EP3) and the soon- to-be-5tateside Honda Fit.

As we said, these completed cars are not the final answer and neither is the $50K price tag. What matters most is that Spoon parts are now available here and that means you can "Spoon-style" the Honda sitting in your driveway. You can make it every bit as impressive as the Japanese Type-Rs tl)at roll off the Ronda assembly line, only make it your own with a Spoon look.

We believe that is the real beauty of the car shown here. It serves as a great example of the overall potential. Sure, it's a wonderful showcase for Spoon's ability; but with its parts, you can do every bit as well, plus tailor what you need for your car and your budget.

It just doesn't get any better this! We have all the options we could dream of at our disposal, now that Spoon is Stateside. We think, too, that Spoon is for Ronda what AMG means for Mercedes, which is "that certain style."