Honda has confirmed that after some doubt over the future of their halo model, they will be launching a new Civic Type-R in Europe (and hopefully here in SA too). The Type-R emblem has particular significance in Japan considering it was first worn by the NSX supercar. The new Civic Type-R would be expected sometime before 2015.
There are no official Honda sketches or renderings as yet, but in the meantime we have these renderings by graphic artist Poblete, to help envisage an idea of what the car could look like. The new Civic Type-R is likely to boast technology developed by Honda’s participation in the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship).
More significantly perhaps, Honda also say that the next Civic Type-R will be the quickest front-wheel drive car around the Nürburgring. That’s fighting talk and quite an astonishing claim really, when you consider the ballistic RenaultSport Megane 265 Trophy and Mini John Cooper Works GP are what it will have to beat. Remember too, that they’re both limited edition, highly-focused iterations of their respective models.
The two-year long standing record for the fastest front-wheel drive production car is currently held by the RenaultSport Megane 265 Trophy at 8:07.97. To beat it, rumours at the moment say the next Civic Type-R will arrive with something like 170 kW.
That still puts it far short of the Renault’s 195 kW. Plus, if Honda is planning to use its naturally aspirated, i-VTEC, power plant, there is simply no way the Civic Type R will produce anything like the 360 Nm of torque required to navigate the `Ring faster than the RenaultSport. The only way that Honda can expect to pull off this feat is to add a little boost to the engine with a turbocharger (something Honda said they’d never do) or go all hybrid IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) with pumped up bottom-end torque from an electric motor perhaps.
Alternatively, there is the power-to-weight ratio option of having the Civic Type-R be as light as possible, in the region of 1 100 kg. Either way, it’s a tall order and we wonder if Honda hasn’t bitten off a little more than they can chew with that statement. Frankly, however, we’re just rejoicing in that the Honda Civic Type-R isn’t dead and that we’re talking about it.
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