Honda’s latest iteration of the Civic Type R has set a new track record for front-wheel drive cars at the Suzuka circuit. The Nagoya, Japan track is 3.6 miles long and features a figure-eight design.
The 2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition posted a time of 2 minutes 23.993 seconds. That’s good, but not as good as an F1 car. Lewis Hamilton holds the pole record at the track clocking in at 1:27.319 in his F1 weekender. In 2005, Kimi Räikkönen set the lap record in a McLaren MP4-20, registering a time of 1:31.540.
The Honda was piloted by Takuya Izawa.Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
Super GT Series racer Takuya Izawa piloted the Type R Limited Edition around the track in February using a development car built to final European specs with no modifications or performance enhancements
“The Type R Limited Edition reflects Honda’s dedication to refining the essence and driving pleasure of Type R as a sports car and exceeding the expectations of our customers,” said Civic Type R Project Leader Hideki Kakinuma. “The engineering team and I embraced a racing spirit that has been passed down for generations, and it’s this strong passion that’s driving the evolution of the Civic Type R towards becoming the ideal sports car. Now the “advanced” Type R that I envisioned at the beginning of this development is a reality and I am overwhelmed by the result and how our efforts have been rewarded.”
The Type R Limited Edition features all the updates the 2020 Honda Civic Type R received plus, it has been modified including the addition of forged aluminum BBS wheels, specially tuning the dampers, and recalibrating the steering for better control and feedback. The wheels alone are an 18-pound weight reduction. An additional 28 pounds of weight has been saved by reducing the amount of sound deadening insulation in the car.
The Type R Limited Edition is limited in paint jobs to just one: Phoenix Yellow. It also has a black gloss roof, outside mirror cabs, and intake vent on the hood. The Civic badge on the rear hatch is dark chrome.
All models feature an individually numbered serial plate denoting the vehicle’s original country of sale.Each Limited Edition model has same 2.0-liter turbo-four under the hood that puts out 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It also has a six-speed manual and a limited-slip differential. Drivers can opt for Comfort, Sport, or +R drive modes.
Manufacturer’s Suggested Pricing for the 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition will be made available closer to its launch.
