Following the debut of the all-new Honda Civic Type R at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the hothatch has set a lap record for a front-wheel drive car at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, on 3 April 2017, clocking a time of 7 minutes 43.8 seconds.
The new time represents an improvement of nearly seven seconds compared to the model’s predecessor and beats the time of 7 minutes 47.19 seconds set by the superlative Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport.
The new Honda Civic Type R is powered by a refined 2.0-litre VTEC TURBO engine that produces 320 PS and 400Nm of torque. Honda has also introduced new lower gear ratios in the 6-speed manual transmission to improve acceleration, while the new Honda Civic Type R‘s aerodynamic package delivers exceptional high-speed stability and best-in-class compromise between lift and drag.
The high-rigidity body frame of the all-new Civic Type R is 16 kg lighter than the predecessor’s, with a 38% torsional stiffness improvement which improves steering response and cornering stability. The new multi-link rear suspension also enhances stability under braking and reduces the total body roll and helps achieve higher cornering speeds.
Ryuichi Kijima, the lead chassis engineer for the Honda Civic Type R stated, “The cornering speed achieved in the new Type R is higher because the car features a wider track and tyres, a longer wheelbase, new multi-link suspension in the rear and optimised aerodynamics that improves stability, ”. He also added, “For example, drivers typically enter the corner after Metzgesfeld at around 150 km/h. Even at this medium-speed corner, the speed is around 10 km/h higher due to the new Type R’s excellent stability. So, with improved cornering performance, we can increase the speed throughout the lap, helping the new Type R to achieve a much quicker lap time.”
The development car that achieved the lap time was essentially a production specification, with the addition of a full floating roll cage was installed for safety reasons, but it did not provide any additional rigidity to the body frame. The extra weight of the cage was compensated for by the temporary removal of the infotainment system and rear seats. The car rolled on road legal track-focused tyres. However, due to the above mentioned reasons and common sense, we at carmagram do not consider this an exact production model.
For Europe, production of the new Honda Civic Type R fwill begin in mid 2017 at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) in Swindon – the global manufacturing hub for the 10th generation Civic hatchback. It will also be exported to other markets, including Japan and the US. Its arrival in North America will mark the first time that any Honda-badged Type R will be officially sold there. There is no news on the availability of the vehicle in the GCC region, however, its bound to make it to the grey markets in Al Awir, Dubai.
