FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Fresh Civic Type R details
Honda reveals new images and video of its next Civic Type R, which will deliver at least 206kWFresh from releasing the first teaser video of its fourth-generation Civic Type R last month, Honda has used this week’s Frankfurt motor show to promise its hottest hatch ever will pack a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine that slams out “at least” 280hp (206kW).
While Honda previously said it was aiming for 300hp (221kW), that will still make it more powerful than its closest rival, Renault’s 195kW Megane RS 265, and Honda says it is on target to knock off the French coupe’s front-wheel drive production car lap record at Germany’s 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife (8:7.79) – a goal set last year by Honda CEO Takanobu Ito.
“We have recently spent a week at the Nurburgring, carrying out extensive testing and we are on target,” revealed Honda Motor Europe President, Manabu Nishimae, at Frankfurt. “[We] have already set a time approaching the lap record.”
Honda is yet to reveal a torque output for its next Type R, which will not go on sale globally until 2015, but the model’s first turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder petrol engine was developed with experience gained from Honda’s participation in the World Touring Car Championship and is also expected to eclipse the Renault’s 360Nm torque peak with an output of about 400Nm.
The second YouTube teaser video released yesterday shows Honda WTCC legend Gabriele Tarquini putting a disguised 2015 Civic Type R prototype through its paces at the Nurburgring.
In it, a 7000rpm redline can clearly be seen on the tacho – at least 1000rpm shy of the rev-limit in the previous Type R, which was discontinued in early 2012 when its 148kW/193Nm naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre engine failed to meet tighter Euro 5 emissions regulations.
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