Neuspeed's 2002 Acura RSX Type-S

There are two types of companies in the automotive aftermarket: those that try to impress with wild claims and flashy marketing and those that let their products speak for themselves. Camarillo, Calif.'s, Neuspeed (also known as Automotive Performance Systems or APS) is one company that lets its products do the talking.

Company founder Bill Neumann established APS in 1975 to support V8-powered musclecars, but the gas crunch of the mid-'70s soon convinced him there was a viable future in tuning smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.Neumann first established the Neuspeed brand in the early 1980s to support a new generation of watercooled Volkswagens, like the Rabbit and Scirocco, and later expanded its boundaries in 1989 and 1990 to include the exploding Honda and Acura brands.

The company's latest stab at the ever-expanding Honda/Acura stable is this 2002 RSX Type-S, which was built entirely by Neuspeed's upper management team of Bill Neumann, his son and company vice president, Aaron Neumann, chief engineer and CAD designer, Jeff Lowell, and company general manager, Greg Woo.

The first area to receive their attention was the Acura's suspension. It's also the area to receive the most comprehensive upgrades. First, the factory springs and dampers were replaced with Neuspeed sport springs, which lower the chassis 1.75 inches in front and 1.5 in the rear, and adjustable Koni shocks and front strut inserts. This matched spring and damper package is engineered to offer a much more rigid and roll-resistant demeanor, without compromising a comfortable ride.

Other additions to the suspension include a lower front cross-brace to eliminate flexing at the lower control arm chassis pick-up points, a polished rear subframe brace and a rear upper tie bar. The new anti-roll bars, 27mm up front and 22mm in the rear, are fabricated from mandrel-bent tubular steel and incorporate polyurethane bushings. The rear bar also incorporates an impressive 6061 T6 billet-aluminum subframe support plate. According to Neuspeed, the factory rear subframe cannot permanently support a larger rear bar unless it's reinforced significantly.

It all rides on a set of 18x7.5-inch Speedstar Type C wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich g-Force KD tires measuring 225/40ZR-18. The wheel and tire package weighs a claimed 38 pounds at each corner.

Neuspeed also replaced the diminuitive front brake assemblies with StopTech Big Brakes, consisting of 328mm full-floating slotted rotors, four-piston calipers with Axxis semi-metallic pads and stainless-steel braided lines. In back, the brakes were improved solely with a pair of stock-sized slotted discs.

In the engine bay, Neuspeed installed one of its own P-Flo intakes, which incorporates a stainless-steel air chamber and billet-aluminum velocity tube, as well as a reusable multi-layer cotton gauze air filter. And a two-piece Neuspeed titanium cat-back system now handles the exhaust. According to Neuspeed, the complete system weighs just 14.5 pounds, representing weight savings of close to 20 pounds relative to the stock exhaust.

Since the car's appearances at the 2002 SEMA show in Las Vegas and show-off events like the 2003 Carlisle Custom Compact Power Jam in Carlisle, Penn., it's had a complete exterior makeover and a few interior upgrades.

The outside sports a complete Mugen body kit consisting of an entire front end, carbon-fiber hood, side skirts and wing, as well as an Acura Accessories rear valance. All pieces were painted to match the car by EPR Collision in Camarillo, Calif., and installed by the Neuspeed crew. The interior flaunts a pair of MOMO Cup racing seats, a Neuspeed short shifter and a MOMO Raptor shift knob.

Even with the bulk of Neuspeed's RSX program in place, this car will continue to be a flagship company project vehicle for some time to come and will be going back on the lift very soon. Among other things,the company will be building a completely new engine for it, likely a built 2.4-liter

TSX block mated with a Type-S head and Type R valvetrain. The goal is to put together an all-motor fire breather that will run reliably in the face of more volatile forced induction applications.

Our radar gun is already twitching.

2002 Acura Rsx Type-S