Acura's fun Integra Type R is like an affordable race car

This review originally appeared Aug. 10, 1997. The average retailprice of a 1997 Acura Type R is approximately $17,000.

Want a cute, affordable race-style car even your grandmother coulddrive - if she knows how to shift gears? Meet the Integra Type R,which is the most serious auto sold by Honda's upscale Acuradivision.

"Serious" translates to "fun" with the 143-mph Type R, whichdebuted as a late 1997 model. Honda competes in the mass-automarket. So it usually makes a high-performance motorcycle instead ofa car when it wants to stretch the performance envelope.

Not this time. Essentially, the 195-horsepower Type R is asurprisingly civilized race-style version …