STAYING TRUE TO TYPE

Honda's Type R models differ on paper and in character, but share a common purpose. The hot Integra, Accord and Civic reveal their secrets

- WILL BEAUMONT

Someone far wiser and far more responsible than me once said that dizzyingly high rev limits were a waste of time. In road cars, anyway. Their reasoning was that no one would be foolish and careless enough to regularly take their own car to its redline, so why have 8000rpm or 9000rpm limits? You'd be bonkers to subject your car to such torture.

Well, sir or madam, whoever you were, there are many of us who can't help but use every last rev available, drawn to the redline like moths to a flame. While wailing valve-gear is torture for some, to others it's sweet music.

As one of these self-confessed rev obsessives, today is my lucky day. I'll be let loose with three Type R Hondas. The lowest rev limit between them is 8000rpm. I am giddy with excitement. Awaiting me is the first Honda Civic Type R, the EK9 generation, and the first Integra Type R, the DC2. If it isn't clear yet, fans of Type Rs - like many 1990s Japanese car enthusiasts (me included) - love a nerdy model designation. Why call it a Mk1 when you can display your detailed knowledge by using an obscure chassis or engine code?

Outside my window, to transport me to the other two is a Honda Accord Type R, the CH1. In a world where a normal, innocent Fiesta has a boot spoiler and a modern Civic Type R has so many wings and vents that it looks like a Hollywood Transformer halfway through its metamorphosis, this Accord looks tame. The late-'90s saloon rides high on its 17in Speedline alloy wheels and its not-so-bright-red paint seems to be a leftover from the days when Honda was in bed with Rover: dignified and stately, but not exactly sporty. Its twin exhausts and high spoiler simply don't have the impact to help it live up to its Type R billing.