Integra Tops Most-Stolen List

Some of the fast and furious apparently don't bother paying for their replacement parts. A Chicago company that tracks insurance losses said Tuesday that eight of the top 25 most frequently stolen vehicles last year were Acura Integras -- models whose engines are popular among import customizers.

 CCC Information Services Inc. said the 1999 Integra, produced by Honda, topped the list, with one of every 200 registered stolen last year. 



 The 2002 BMW M Roadster and the 1998 Integra ranked second and third, respectively. 



 Since last year, CCC has put the list together by comparing claims information from more than 350 insurers to vehicle registration data provided by R.L. Polk & Co. Prior to that, the theft ranking wasn't based on registration volumes, so that cars that sold in large numbers tended to head the list. 



 Performance-oriented models such as the Integra also were high on the group's ranking last year, although a family sedan, the 1995 Saturn SL, headed it. 



 "There is a growing interest in street car racing, and participants seem to gravitate toward the Acura Integra as their vehicle of choice," said Carole Comstock, CCC's vice president of marketing and product management. 



 Jackie Ling, editor of Urban racer.com, a Web site based in New York City dedicated to import car customizing, said Integras are popular for their engines, which can be installed relatively easily in other small Hondas to replace less powerful ones. 



 "That's basically the small-block Chevy of the import world," he said of Integra's four-cylinder engine. "You can put that into a Civic or del Sol. People blow up engines, and they're always looking for new blocks." 



 He said Integra brakes and suspension parts also can be fitted easily to Hondas. 



 The high number of stolen Integras made Acura the most stolen make of 2004, followed by Hummer, Land Rover, Daewoo and Honda. 



 The CCC theft data does not include temporary auto-related thefts such as joyrides or the theft of items such as stereos.