Praised by many enthusiasts purely for being razor-edged right down to its dynamics, the Honda Civic Type R is very much part of the top order of the hot hatch brigade, even though it’s underpowered compared to the likes of Focus ST, Golf GTI, Astra OPC and Mégane R26 – until now that is.By Kyle Kock
After weeks of rumours and artists impressions, it’s suspected that Honda is close to producing a new super Civic – thanks to the engineering geniuses at Mugen Motorsports, Hondas in-house performance division. Excessive power was never part of Honda’s game, and the hyper hot Mugen Type R follows this tradition with subtle engine modifications and emphasis being placed on improving other aspects of the car like handling and weight optimisation.
The styling of the current generation Civic doesn’t really inspire any feeling of ballistic ability, but Honda knew how to turn up the when the Type R was released in 2006 – suitably endowing the ovoid shape with sharper edges courtesy of an aggressive body kit. Mugen took it a step further …
To distinguish the Mugen Type R from its lesser sibling, designers have added a wider, redesigned front bumper that does not feature fog lights, new grille, vented bonnet, large tailgate spoiler and diffuser-style rear bumper that hosts large-bore tailpipes. Whether or not the new exterior elements have been fashioned from carbon fibre (like that of the Mugen Type RR concept) is not yet known.
The Mugen Type R is powered by the same high-revving 2,0-litre unit that does service in the stock Type R, but a few tweaks here and there have bumped its outputs up from 148 kW and 193 N.m of torque, to 177 kW and 217 N.m. Admittedly, that’s not a lot of torque for the segment, but certainly enough power to keep up with a few of the big guns around a mountain pass, tight track or a similar scenario.
And to help the Mugen Type R show its hot hatch colleagues a clean pair of mudflaps, engineers have fitted it with uprated springs and shocks, Mugen’s new I-TCMS tyre monitoring system, as well as Brembo 320 mm brake discs up front, and 270 mm pieces on the rear axle for stopping duty. Lightweight wheels and racing-style seats are also expected to make an appearance, though the rear seats are likely to go in the interest of weight saving.
According to a Honda South Africa representative, there are currently no plans to bring this model (currently projected as a UK and Japanese market special) to local shores. Even worse is that the Mugen Type R is expected to retail for in excess of R400 000, in UK money.
