The GS-R claws to 60 mph in a little more than eight seconds, emitting a determined, high-tech snarl in the process. The five-speed gearbox shifts precisely. The foot-pedal layout encourages heel-and-toe downshifting and the variable-assist power steering provides just the right blend of effort and road feel.

Like all Acura and Honda automobiles, the Integra employs Honda's control arm suspension system, with common spring and damping rates right across the board. Handling response is quick and precise. Yet the ride quality is comforable. That may be one of the reasons for the Integra's ongoing popularity: It is sporty, without being harsh. The suspension compliance that goes with a relatively smooth ride, by sporty car standards, shows up as body roll in really hard cornering, and we know from driving at the limit on various race tracks that the GS-R isn't quite as agile as the Honda Prelude.

On a race track the Integra tends toward understeer, but this is easily managed by lifting off the throttle or trail-braking into tight corners, to transfer grip to the front tires and allow the rear end to rotate outward. Body roll limits cornering potential to just below that of the Prelude. The payoff for this concession is superb ride quality. The suspension feels firm, but never jarring. The steering strikes an ideal balance between power assist and sufficient road feel. Your daily rounds probably include a lot more commuting than autocross maneuvers, and feeling every pothole and tar strip isn't really that much fun.

Yet when it's time to let the tachometer wind up on a sinuous country road, the GS-R gives a great account of itself with performance that is superior to what most sport coupes in this size class offer. That it's able to do so without making the owner suffer in everyday driving is a tribute to the suspension engineers.

If you dislike these compromises, there's always the Integra Type R. Add 25 hp to the GS-R package, take away most of the compromises generally made for passenger comfort, and you have an almost-race-ready screamer that's just born to be wild. Integra Type R's torque peak comes on at 7500 rpm (that's torque, not horsepower), while horsepower, all 195 of it, tops out at a dizzying 8000 rpm. That's a high-revving motor. That output works out to more than 108 horsepower per liter, a power-to-weight ratio no other normally aspirated car can match. The Type R rides harder as well, on a uniquely tuned suspension that's lowered 15 mm.

The slightly outrageous Type R is just about the hottest thing going in this class, but it's not for everyone. Carefully consider the compromises it demands before signing on the dotted line.

Not surprisingly, the essential strengths of the Integra have made it a favorite with a new breed of young enthusiasts who modify compact performance cars--instead of the time-honored approach involving small block Chevy V8s. This is a remarkable trend, one that has launched magazines and a major aftermarket industry that supplies all sorts of go-fast and appearance goodies. While hot-rodding may not be your goal, being a hot-rodder's favorite speaks positive volumes about the Integra. Show-car builders like it as a starting point because its basic styling will look contemporary for a long time. Street racers are attracted to a driveline that just won't break, no matter how much horsepower they add.

What does this have to do with you? Maybe nothing. But it does suggest that Honda has created something special here. And with or without the endorsement of the new breed of hot rodders, we still think this is a great buy in a small sporty car.