2002 Acura RSX Type-S

When your two-liter motor is a tuner’s dream, with plenty of room to make additional power, it helps if the car it comes in has the moves to match the grunt. Sold as the Integra in Japan, Honda’s engineers crafted a remarkable driver’s car when they came up with the DC5. One look at the cockpit will tell you that — the instrument pod and center cluster all are canted towards the driver, who’s the focus of all the RSX’s charms. Those charms include the S-Type’s 200 horsepower four, whose extra displacement and fancy next-generation i-VTEC with VTC ignition timing control allow the motor to avoid some of the peakiness of the old Integra, for a fatter and more useable powerband. A short-throw manual helps keep the motor on the boil too, adding up to a total driving experience that must be experienced to appreciate.