July 9, 2020 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that the Civic Type R Limited Edition has set an all-time lap time record*1 for front-wheel drive models at the Suzuka International Racing Course (Suzuka Circuit) during test driving conducted for the final evaluation of the model’s performance. The model lapped the circuit in 2 minutes 23.993 seconds*2.
The test was conducted with the final development car with technical specifications representative of the final production car. The fastest lap time was achieved due to additional lightweighting, speed and chassis enhancements in pursuit of circuit performance.
Technologies enabling the fastest lap time:
- Reduction of the unsprung weight by adopting BBS’s 20-inch forged aluminum wheels designed exclusively for the Civic Type R Limited Edition.
- Adoption of high-grip 20-inch tires designed exclusively for outstanding circuit performance (Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2)
- Exclusive settings for the Adaptive Damper System and EPS
Civic Type R Limited Edition is scheduled to be manufactured by Honda of the U.K. Manufacturing Ltd. and sold globally including in Europe, Japan and North America.
Message to all Civic Type R fans around the world from Hideki Kakinuma, Civic Type R Project Leader
While drawing inspiration from the voices of people all around the world who were surprised and pleased by the Civic Type R (DBA-FK8), we never stopped moving forward and continued striving for advancement beyond the expectations of our customers so that we could further refine the essence and driving pleasure of Type R as a sportscar.
In the world of motorsports, to stop moving forward is an immediate admission of defeat. Therefore, we must never stop moving forward. This “racing spirit” which has been passed down for generations at Honda is what drove us forward.
We improved acceleration and deceleration performance by enhancing measures to prevent power loss due to engine overheating through the improvement of engine cooling performance and the adoption of two-piece brake discs. Precise vehicle handling was further increased through the updates we made on the suspension bushings and adaptive damper system control.
In addition to these improvements, for the Limited Edition, we achieved additional lightweighting and speed by further reducing vehicle weight through various measures including adoption of forged aluminum wheels and also with the adoption of tires designed exclusively for outstanding circuit performance.
For this model change, speed was further pursued in collaboration with HRD Sakura, which plays a key role in Honda’s motorsports development, leading to the establishment of the fastest Type R*3 lap record at Suzuka Circuit, which some people have described as “one of the greatest circuits in the world.”
We believe that this model change enabled Civic Type R to come one step closer to the ideal sportscar Honda envisions. Please enjoy!
Honda New Zealand is excited to confirm the 2021 Civic Type R will be launched in New Zealand. Pricing and availability will be announced closer to the launch. Interested parties can register at https://www.honda.co.nz/register-my-interest-civic-type-r/ to keep up with the latest information. Due to limited global allocation HNZ is not able to order or sell the Limited Edition model.
*1 Honda internal research (as of July 2020) *2 Measured by Honda *3 Civic Type R Limited Edition