A few years back, Rod Mase hopped behind the wheel of his modest '89 Accord and made for the local freeway, kicking off part two of his daily commute. It was a day that seemed like any other. No sooner did the old sedan muster up enough juice to merge with traffic than Mase saw a few small specks in his rearview mirror turn into life-size Civics and Integras.
Deep exhaust drones, multicolored paint schemes and front-mount intercoolers permeated his eardrums and captured his attention. To say he was intrigued would be an understatement. Captivated, he gave chase, but the lackluster Accord was no match for the newfound metal eye candy. Fatefully, Mase managed to catch a glimpse of a sticker on one of the passing Integras, a glimpse not soon forgotten. It read: Garage Five Performance.
From then on, Mase knew what he wanted and it wasn't the boxy, gutless '89 Accord in the driveway. He landed a mildly modified second-gen Integra GS-R, and the wheels in his mind started to turn. While ridding the glovebox of the previous owners gum wrappers and spare change, he stumbled across a business card reading "Garage Five Performance."
Think of the following moment as that of when a religious fanatic discovers the face of God in a common pastry. While we don't know if Mase is a religious man, we're certain that this was a sign from above and that Mase knew who to contact to turn his '93 GS-R into the car he'd dreamed of since that decisive freeway run-in.
In mid-2000, Mase took his Integra to Garage Five in Richmond, British Columbia, a town just outside of Vancouver. The goal was power of the 500-wheel-hp variety, for which the G5 guys drew up plans for an engine build and turbo system. First he got a taste of mild-mannered boost from a DRAG turbo kit mated to the stock B17A. But as his lust for power increased, so did his plans.
Original blueprints called for beefing up the rarified factory-issued B17A1, but as luck ran out on sourcing a set of forged connecting rods, plans changed. In came a B16A to replace the larger displacement powerplant, and although the new engine claimed slightly less crankshaft stroke to the 1.7-liter, the fellas now had their choice from an abundance of forged rods.
Ultimately, displacement desire got the better of Mase and he sourced a 2.0-liter CRV mill. Blocks don't get much stronger than this one. Wiseco pistons float atop a set of forged Eagle rods and swing from a lightened OEM crankshaft, all within the confines of AEBS ductile iron sleeves debored to 81mm for extra strength.
With the newly fortified block came a custom designed turbo system centered around a T3/T04E ball-bearing unit and Rev Hard tubular exhaust manifold. A Hondata S200 dictates the critical balance between fuel and air to the tune of 534 hp and 394 lb-ft of torque.
From that seemingly preordained day when Mase encountered the cars of Garage Five Performance, the team of Honda/Acura masterminds has influenced him in more ways than one. Were it not for their influence in fact, Mase might be down nearly 400 hp, mashing the pedal in his '89 Accord, willing it to go faster.