1997 Integra Type-R 6k miles for auction

[Outrun]

Friend sent me the link. 6k miles!

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic ... /101848564

[AndyD]

It will be interesting to see what the final bid is.

Im.curious how many ITRs are low-mileage and pristine this car is

I know of three. A 98 with 13k miles, a 2001 with 3k miles (same owner of the 13K-mile ITR), and another one with less than 15 miles on it. It went straight home from the dealership and put in storage.

[DC231]

I'm guessing it will sell for more than any other previous public ITR auction.

[DC231]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1997- ... -type-r-4/

This is the same 97 that sold in 2019 for 82k on BAT

[9701typer#2]

I would expect this to set a new bar

[g3teg97]

It went straight home from the dealership and put in storage.

This is the weirdest thing to me. Sure, I guess it's cool now because there's a mint car that exists 26 years later, but you always missed out on driving enjoyment - the whole purpose of the car.

[g3teg97]

Well-preserved by its original owner for over two decades prior to being acquired by the consignor in 2019

Seems to be a common trend as of late. There are low mileage or original owner cars and then someone buys it within the past 3-4 years for an attempted flip. It's all a cash grab for greed than someone acquiring the car because they are an enthusiast and loves it or always wanted one. It's really sad.

[AndyD]

It went straight home from the dealership and put in storage.

This is the weirdest thing to me. Sure, I guess it's cool now because there's a mint car that exists 26 years later, but you always missed out on driving enjoyment - the whole purpose of the car.

I get both sides of the argument but I'm a fan of most instances of this. I'm very happy there are some people who preserve cars. The idea of "enjoying" a car is very subjective. To me, there are many cars that I would love to see pristine examples of. Examples like this lets enthusiasts see, in-person, what they were like new on the dealership floor is an experience many would enjoy.

Another reason why I like seeing pristine examples is most cars are "enjoyed". Now if we are talking about cars like Ferraris and many other exotics where most sit in a garage than actually driven, especially fir what they were designed for, I agree. A complete waste. That's not the case for most cars, especially the ITR, so I really hope there are more examples like this.

Oh, one critical piece of information about that owner. He also owns a 1998 ITR and an EK9 replica CTR he built in the early 2000's using a totalled PY ITR.

[g3teg97]

Another reason why I like seeing pristine examples is most cars are "enjoyed". Now if we are talking about cars like Ferraris and many other exotics where most sit in a garage than actually driven, especially fir what they were designed for, I agree. A complete waste. That's not the case for most cars, especially the ITR, so I really hope there are more examples like this.

Good points on both sides which I totally understand. There are examples of low mileage, mint, museum quality ITRs in just that, museums. That's the place to see perfection. We have The Honda Heritage Center, PD's private collection that he has shared with us in the past, The Honda Secret Museum, and The Honda Collection Hall in Motegi.

So, I guess I'm torn on it. The whole purpose of making money and not enjoying the cars (driving them) ruins it for others. That's my biggest gripe. Maybe it's a personal feeling because I knew if I didn't acquire my R in 2016 when I did, then I would have never been able to afford one, especially the one I wanted. I love these cars ever since my first car, an 88 Integra. In fact, I've only owned 4 vehicles and all have been Integras. I know there are more people out there that won't be able to have the joy of ownership of the greatest car ever built. Maybe I show empathy toward that sentiment and why I dislike the other side of the spectrum that appears to function only by greed.

[9701typer#2]

SOLD $135k + buyers premium