It’s not too often that an automaker straps a supercharger onto a car to soft-launch it before a debut, but Acura did just that in 2002. Before launching the six-speed manual-equipped CL couple in 2003, Acura showed the car off at the 2002 SEMA auto show, complete with a supercharger from Comptech. You have probably never heard of it, so here’s a quick rundown.

The Comptech supercharged Acura CL featured $16,000 worth of extra parts

Let’s be clear; the Comptech Acura CL was not an off-the-line, production-ready car. Instead, it was mainly a showpiece to display the collaboration between the Japanese automaker and the aftermarket parts company, as is common for the SEMA show.

According to Car and Driver, the souped-up version of the CL was “Conceived by Honda Access Americas, the accessories division of Honda R&D Americas, and built with Comptech (which has modified and raced Hondas since 1979), the supercharged 3.2 CL Type S six-speed two-door is a more-power version of a car that is already the more power front-wheel-drive car Honda has ever made.”

Keep in mind they said this back in 2002, but the car was still impressive nonetheless. The supercharger system used an Eaton’s 62-cubic-inch roots-type blower that upped the car’s stock 260-hp figure to 369. The supercharger kit itself retailed for $4,500, but to handle the extra power, they added more modifications to the car.

Some of the modifications included a high-pressure fuel pump, Comptech headers and downpipe, a stronger clutch and lighter flywheel, and a beefed-up suspension. Comptech added larger Brembo 4-piston brakes upfront in addition to 19-inch Maya DTM wheels wrapped in sticky Michelin tires. All of the parts together, including the labor to install them, cost $16,302, which was an additional charge over the Acura CL Type S’ base MSRP of $31,050 at the time.

Did those performance modifications make the CL faster?

You would think that an extra 109 hp would equal blistering acceleration times, but surprisingly, it didn’t. The editors at Car and Driver tested the modified Acura CL and came up with a 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds, which was only 0.3 seconds faster than the factory car’s time.

They noted that the supercharger’s benefits kick in at higher speeds. The supercharged CL got up to 130 mph in 23.6 seconds compared to the stock car’s 33 seconds. Also, 50 mph to 70 mph came in just 9.4 seconds compared to 11.3 seconds. Lastly, the supercharged car covered the quarter-mile in 14.2 seconds, which was a half-second quicker than the stock car.

The editors claimed the extra power to the front wheels equated to more traction loss, hence the lack of massively quicker times.

Can you find a Comptech supercharged Acura CL today?

It would be hard to find a replica of the supercharged Acura CL. Comptech discontinued the supercharger, and finding a 2003 Acura CL Type S with a manual transmission is tough.

We were able to track down a couple of examples via a nationwide search on CarGurus selling for less than $10,000, though. Anyone interested in one should act fast as these cars tend to go quickly–whether supercharged or not.