With the Renault Mégane RS Trophy set squarely in their sights, Honda’s engineers are readying a turbocharged 2,0-litre engine that could produce as much as 223 kW for the next Civic Type-R.
Despite earlier reports that suggesting that the next Civic Type-R would run a version of Honda’s 1,6-litre motorsport engine, R&D boss Yasuhisa Arai stated that an engine displacing 2,0-litres will be required if the new Civic Type-R is to be more powerful than the 195 kW Renault Mégane RS Trophy, against which it is being benchmarked.
Speaking with AutoExpress, Arai made it clear that Honda is gunning for the Mégane RS Trophy’s 8,08’ Nurburgring lap time – the fastest set by a front-wheel drive car on the notorious circuit.
“We have an idea of the products our rivals are developing and regardless of what anyone else produces, our car will be the fastest front-wheel-drive model around the Nurburgring when it goes on sale. And we will do whatever we need to in order to make that happen,” said Arai.
Purists may bemoan the adoption of forced induction over the ultra-high-revving naturally aspirated V-TEC unit, but Arai is confident that the new engine will manage to retain some of its predecessor’s top-end characteristics.
In terms of handling dynamics, sending as much as 223 kW through the front wheels will present a number of challenges. There are rumours that Honda is contemplating either a limited-slip differential or even a rear-wheel steering system similar to that of the upcoming Porsche 911 Turbo in a bid to banish understeer and keep the handling sharp.
Expect the new Civic Type-R to emerge during the course of 2015.
Source: AutoExpress
