Acura

We are well on our way with our project car build, a 2001 Acura CL Type-S. In Phase I we mounted a set of Enkei Klamp wheels in Hyper Black wrapped in Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. Now we have completed Phase II which involved installing a new air intake system to boost performance and engine efficiency. The folks at Advanced Engine Management were nice enough to provide us with one of their AEM Cold Air Intake systems for our effort. These guys have a well-established name in the Honda and Acura niche for aftermarket accessories and we've been anxious to see whether or not these types of bolt-on modifications live up to the claims that circulate in various forums and online enthusiast communities.

I'm happy to announce that this year we are putting together a project car at Sub5zero. The beneficiary is a Nighthawk Black Pearl 2001 Acura CL Type-S with 70,000 miles. The original MSRP on the vehicle was $30,300 (although it came into my possession used). The engine is a 3.2-liter SOHC V-6 with 260 horsepower mated to a five-speed SportShift automatic transmission. This is actually a terrific gearbox but the inability to access first gear when using the stick is a real drag. Dry-weight is listed at 3,510 pounds. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph takes just 6.4 seconds. Naturally, we think we can do better. How much better is debatable.