Story by Adam Gordon
For Dominic Dubreuil, the seed was planted early. Back in the late 鈥�90s, he was just a teenager discovering the wide world of Japanese performance cars through the pixels of Gran Turismo. One car in particular stood out 鈥� the oddly familiar-but-not-quite Honda Integra Type R. It looked like the North American Acura version, but not exactly. It was painted Championship White, wore a Honda badge instead of an Acura one, and had just enough subtle differences to ignite some curiosity.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and Dubreuil finally scratched that itch in the best way possible. While hunting for a project car for his restoration video series in 2022, he came across a Kanjo-inspired DC2R in solid mechanical shape but, aesthetically, it needed work. The bones were good, and the price was right, so he jumped in head first.
What started as a plan for an OEM restoration spiraled into something more ambitious. The goal shifted from showroom spec to a clean restomod with a relatively strict focus on period-correct flair. The approach meant nothing too flashy, and nothing over the top. What Dubreuil wanted was a focus on quality, heritage, and the subtle details that make the car feel like it could have rolled out of a JDM tuning shop in 2001.
The parts list reads like a greatest hits collection for any JDM Honda enthusiast. Nearly every Mugen component made for the chassis was sourced and restored 鈥� from the first-gen cat-back exhaust and matching header to the rare gauge cluster, strut bars, pedal set, and even the V1.5 oil cap. Custom titanium pieces were machined to elevate the engine bay, while a Mugen intake with a custom titanium pipe feeds the airflow demands.
To dial in the handling, Ohlins DFV coilovers were bolted up, and as a nod to his love of the NSX, Dominic sourced a set of OEM NSX front calipers 鈥� a fitting touch that blends JDM royalty from across the Honda lineup. The brake setup is supported by Mugen lines and Spoon hoses for consistency throughout. The exterior keeps the spirit alive, too. A HondaAccess optional body kit wraps around the factory lines, complemented by Ganador mirrors and an OG Mugen rear wing to give it the right silhouette.
The theme continues in the cabin with Mugen gear throughout: Race III wheel, Boss hub, shift knob, pedal set, and rear-view mirror cover. It鈥檚 finished off with a modern touch 鈥� a full Audison audio setup paired with a Pioneer head unit for convenience, without compromising the vibe. Over 100 hours of detailing by Pro du Lustre ensured that every corner of the car looked better than new when it debuted.
While Dominic isn鈥檛 quite done with the build just yet, it鈥檚 already made a name for itself at shows, collecting attention for all the right reasons. This isn鈥檛 a car built to impress with flash, but rather it鈥檚 built to feel right. It takes a memory from a PlayStation screen and turns it into a tangible, driveable, deeply personal expression of JDM history.
ESSENTIALS
1998 Honda Integra
Location: L'Assomption, Quebec
Horsepower: 220 whp
Club: OctnFX
SOCIAL
IG: @dom_dub
ENGINE
Mugen (intake w/ custom titanium tube, header, V1.5 oil cap, N1 ECU, reservoir covers)
Spoon Sports radiator hoses
EXHAUST
Mugen first-gen cat-back exhaust
DRIVETRAIN
JUN Racing clutch and flywheel
WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES
Mugen MF10 wheels 鈥� 16x7 +50
Bridgestone Potenza RE71RS tires 鈥� 215/45/15
Mugen brake lines
Honda NSX NA1 front calipers
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION
Ohlins DFV coilovers
Mugen V2 strut bars front and rear
Hardrace suspension arms
EXTERIOR
Super Ganador mirrors
Mugen Gen1 rear wing
HondaAccess (body kit, optical door remote and handle)
OEM UK Honda taillights
Spoon Sports wipers
JDM Honda clear sidemarkers
INTERIOR
Mugen (gauge cluster, Boss hub, Race III steering wheel, shift knob, pedals w/ dead pedal, rear-view mirror cover)
AUDIO / MOBILE ELECTRONICS
Pioneer head unit
Audison (APBX 10DS subwoofer, Forza DSP, Prima components and speakers)
SPONSORS
eBay Motors
LP Custom Fab
Groupe Lallier Honda
