Restomod 1997 Acura SLX Gets RDX Transplant, Becomes Monster SUV

Just by looking at the car, called Super Handling SLX, one could say this is a decades-old Acura and that’s it. There are minimal changes made to the interior and exterior, and the most striking differences from the original are the repainted body and the 17-inch Fifteen52 Tarmac wheels.

On the inside, the SUV features, unlike the source car, reupholstered Milano leather seats and a grey wood applique on the door panels and dash.

But the real magic happens under the hood.

Acura stripped the SLX of its original 3.2-liter V6, 4-speed automatic, and conventional 4x4 drivetrain, and replaced them with the newest kind of hardware. We’re talking about an RDX-sourced 2.0-liter VTEC, race-tuned into developing 350 hp and linked to a 10-speed automatic transmission and Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). All the changes made can be found in the press release section below.

“Acura is an ‘80s kid, so RADwood is a perfect event for us to display our heritage,” said in a statement Jon Ikeda, vice president and Acura brand officer.

“Nostalgia for ‘80s and ‘90s vehicles has grown tremendously, and we’re seeing them start to become really collectible. RADwood is always packed with a lot of fun and interesting stuff, so we knew we would have to bring something a little crazy to the table.”

The presentation of the car at the Californian event this weekend is a means for Acura to thank Americans for their support over the years. Despite being a niche carmaker spun off from Honda, Acura managed to sell close to 1-million SH-AWD-equipped vehicles in North America since the introduction of the system in 2005, a threshold it hopes to pass by the end of the year.