Even before its official launch (around the middle of this year), the next generation of Honda’s Civic Type R has started to collect records. As it goes through final development evaluation, test-drivers have been pushing it to the limits and in the course of one run recently, a new lap record for a front-wheel drive car was set at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
It lapped the 5.8-km track in 2 minutes 23.120 seconds, which was 0.873 of a second faster than the time achieved by its predecessor, a 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition which was a development car.
The Suzuka Circuit, opened in 1962, is famous for its high-speed chicanes and challenging corners. It has hosted the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix for all but two years since 1987. Racing drivers regard it as one of the world’s greatest circuits and it has been a popular course for testing high performance Honda models.
Before the previous front-wheel drive lap record at Suzuka, Honda’s tenth generation Civic Type R GT broke the front-wheel drive lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 2017 with a lap time of 7 minutes 43.8 seconds. A production specification Civic Type R GT went on to break front-wheel drive production car records at 5 legendary European racetracks.
The Honda Civic Type R started off in 1997 as a Japan-only model in 1997, offering drivers a Civic with greatly enhanced performance. By the next generation, which debuted in 2001, Honda decided to offer it in the European market where it found a strong following. The third generation got more international and by the current fifth generation, it has been engineered as a global model with even the US market in mind.
The current generation of the Civic Type R went on sale in 2017 in many markets and after 2 years, the 2020 model has been revealed at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. The latest model has a number of changes and improvements that include revised styling, improved aerodynamic performance, and the addition of Honda Sensing safety and driver-assistive technology as standard.
Exterior design changes are a new larger front grille opening for improved engine cooling and the availability of a new, Type R-exclusive Boost Blue.
The 2020 Civic Type R continues to be powered by a race-bred 2.0-litre direct-injected and turbocharged 4-cylinder VTEC engine which develops 306 ps/400 Nm. That’s a big leap from the first generation which used a B16B engine (that boasted one of the highest power outputs per litre of all time for a naturally aspirated engine) with 185 ps/160 Nm.
The power reaches the front wheels through a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential. As before, drivers can choose between 3 driving modes – Comfort, Sport and +R – that vary suspension firmness, steering and throttle response. The selectable drive modes enhance driving on twisty roads while enabling the driver to optimise performance for the race track.
The Comfort mode makes the car ‘civilized’ for daily driving, something which could not be said about earlier Type R models which were focussed on track use. Also new for 2020 is Active Sound Control, which modifies interior sound in concert with chosen drive mode.
Other changes improve its already stellar driving dynamics, including new 2-piece brake rotors and new brake pads designed to reduce fade and improve high-speed braking efficiency. Suspension revisions for 2020 include updated dampers for better ride comfort, stiffer rear bushings for better grip, and modifications to the front suspension to reduce friction and improve steering feel.
For the 2020 model year, drivers get extra cabin refinement with a new Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and a new shifter with a restyled knob and shorter shift throws.
The global production hub for the Civic Type R is in England but the engine comes from a Honda factory in the USA. The price is not known but deliveries will start only from mid-2020.
Honda Performance Development (HPD), a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor which acts as the technical operations centre for the brand’s high-performance racing programs, has revealed its latest development of the Civic Type R – the race-ready Civic Type R TC racing car.
Priced at US$89,900 (about RM372,000), The Type R TC is designed as a turn-key solution for professional racers, and for skilled Type R enthusiasts who wish to transition from track time in a stock Type R to a fully-built racing car. The specially outfitted Type R joins the TCA-class Civic Si and TCR-class Type R in HPD’s portfolio of Civic-based, turn-key racing machines.
“The successes of Honda Racing Development’s TCA Civic Si and TCR Type R in North American touring car championship series have generated a strong interest in more ready-to-race Honda Touring Cars for North America,” said Ted Klaus, President of Honda Performance Development. “With the introduction of the new Type R TC-class race car, we now offer a complete lineup of turn-key, Civic-based race cars for registered racing customers in North America.”
Specifically for TC-class competition
Designed specifically for TC-class competition, the Civic Type R TC was developed and tested in-house by HPD engineers as a modified version of the production Civic Type R designed exclusively for track use. HPD engineers drew on experience gained from production car and race vehicle engineering, including development of the HPD Civic Si TCA racing car.
Major modifications to the production Type R include a high-flow front grille, a J’s Racing FRP vented bonnet, CSF-designed radiator and oil cooler; an HPD/Borla downpipe and turbo back exhaust; a 6-speed manual transmission with high-strength 3rd and 4th gears; an HPD/Cusco limited slip differential; HPD Girodisk 2-piece front brake rotors and HPD brake inlet ducts; an HPD/Pyrotect bolt-in FIA 16-gallon fuel cell; a welded multi-point racing cage; and an OMP racing seat with 6-point harness.
The HPD-developed Civic Type R race car begins life as a body-in-white from Honda’s UK plant and uses the proven 2.0-litre VTEC Turbo engine which produces between 270 and 330 bhp, depending on the series application.
The Type R TC retains the standard model’s exterior sheet metal, but adds racing components developed in-house and in partnership with select suppliers to build a ready-to-race machine that saves racers the time and money of doing it themselves.
The combination of RealTime Racing (RTR) and the Acura Integra Type R forged a race-winning record that remains unbroken after nearly two decades. RTR’s #42 Integra Type R is now returning to the track with Sports Car Club of America Hall-of-Famer Peter Cunningham behind the wheel and the video below documents the story.
The video showcases the Integra Type R’s original run in near-stock form; its dominant performance in the SPEED Touring Car championship, and its return to racing glory. At the WeatherTech International Challenge vintage race weekend at Road America, the #42 car qualified and finished fourth in a field of over 60 vehicles.
“It was our first race back out with the Acura Integra Type R, and it was like we never skipped a beat. We had a great time!” said Cunningham, team owner of RTR. “There were some 60 cars in our group and only a few vehicles in a class above beat us, so it was a great day for RealTime and Acura and great to have the Type R back on track.”
The ‘97 Acura Integra Type R
When it debuted in 1997, the Acura Integra Type R was much more than a faster Integra GS-R, the previous top-line trim. The Type R’s B18C5 engine became a legend in its own right for its factory modifications, the highlights of which included a hand-ported head, thinner valves and unique valve springs, robust connecting rods and numerous other upgrades, to give a screaming 8400-rpm redline.
The Integra Type R body also benefited from extra welds for additional chassis strength and stiffness. There was an under-bonnet chassis-stiffening strut bar straight from the factory, and the suspension and brakes were unique to Type R.
Ready to race ‘out of the box’
The fundamental goodness of the Type R wasn’t lost on RTR, and the factory car was so good out of the box that racing modifications for the track were limited to race-spec springs and shocks, mandatory safety equipment, such as a roll cage, and a stripped-out interior. Even the transmission was unmodified from stock.
When the Integra Type R debuted, RTR had already been competing, and winning, with Acura cars for nearly a decade. The team began with Acura’s first-generation Integra and later raced with the legendary first-generation Acura NSX.
RealTime Racing has been in motorsports for over 30 years. competing in a variety of different types of races.
From its racing debut in 1997 through the 2002 season, RTR’s Integra Type R dominated the SPEED Touring Car Championship, capturing 23 race wins on the way to 5 Drivers’ Championships. The record remains unbroken to this day.
“We knew from the start the Acura Integra Type R was a very special car,” said Cunningham. “But now, after all these years, it’s achieved legendary status, and rightly so. I believe it’s still one of the best performing front-wheel drive cars ever built.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Type R nameplate. Introduced in 1992 to signal a vehicle’s performance oriented heritage, it went to become a set of letters that is revered all over the world.
The first Honda vehicle that received the R in its model name was the NSX-R, which was fitted with Motorsport-inspired upgrades that improved the base car’s characteristics. The R version had a powerful and high revving engine and finely tuned suspension.
Within Honda, the NSX-R was known as the R-Type, which eventually reversed to form Type-R. It’s a name that went on to adorn a number of high performance Hondas that include the Integra DC2, Civic and Accord.
Honda’s Type-R vehicles were in high demand up until 2011 when the global financial recession hit markets around the world. But things eventually picked again as economies around the world began to recover.
Fans of the brand are commemorating this milestone with a celebration event in Rockingham this week. Apart from that, Honda UK also gave a select group of people the opportunity to experience the best that Type-R vehicles have to offer including the Civic, Accord and Integra models.
Rekod dibawah 8min adalah cukup baik bagi mana-mana jentera yang diuji di Nurburgring. Lihat sahaja disini (List of Nurburgring Lap Times: Wikipedia), dimana Nissan Skyline R33 dan Porsche 911 Carrera S berada dalam senarai ini.
Honda Civic Type R 2017 mencatatkan rekod pusingan 7min 43.8saat di Nürburgring Nordschleife pada 3 April 2017 dan rekod ini merupakan tanda aras terbaru untuk jentera pacuan roda hadapan. (more…)
