Sure, many would modify Hondas were VTEC to have never existed, but it'd be like swimming in the kiddie pool. It's possible that VTEC even turned the sport compact molehill into the mountain that it is now today, there are whole companies that exist because of it. The sport compact juggernaut as we know it was just getting started, and Honda's timing couldn't have been better. Combine that with the attention that the second-generation CRX and '88-current Civics had garnered for themselves and the company soon had the makings for a new super-drug. The company released three powerhouses practically at once: the redesigned Integra GS-R's B18C, the Prelude Si VTEC's H22A, and the Del Sol Si's B16A. By 1994, Honda had its pieces in place and was poised to put its competition in checkmate. Yes, the D16Z6 was released around the same time, but SOHC VTEC powerplants simply didn't excite anyone back then. However, because of the NSX's supercar personality-in terms of price and availability-the '92 Integra GS-R is often credited as being the U.S. The rest, as they say, is history.Īmerica's first exposure to VTEC came in the form of the '91 Acura NSX. Today is different you're reading an article from a magazine devoted entirely to the brand. It's likely that in Japan there were smiles, but the reality was that Honda was a much smaller player in its homeland, so even there, such an event fell short in terms of hype, and would have paled in comparison to things like the introduction of the new GT-R. No one knew the impact that VTEC would have. "We were very near the point of overdoing it." Building a VTEC pin-engagement system that could endure 400,000 cycles is arguably a masochistic endeavor. "That's why we so thoroughly carried out our malicious tests," Kajitani said. Gearboxes, crankshafts, and many other Honda components have become legendary for the abuse they can handle. This is perhaps where Kajitani's team did its greatest work. Even the exhaust valves were made of nickel-based, heat-resistant steel combined with molybdenum, titanium, and tungsten-not your average mid-'80s economy car technology.
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