Honda’s new Civic Type R hot hatch has posted a new lap record for the Nurburgring
road circuit in Germany.
The latest version of Honda’s three-door hottie set a time of seven minutes and 44.881
seconds, reclaiming the title of fastest front-drive production car.
That’s a full half second faster than the Renault Megane RS Trophy R, which set the
previous record of seven minutes and 45.389 seconds back in April, 2019. The pair
have enjoyed a great tussle over the years, repeatedly swapped records at the ‘Ring,
nicknamed the Green Hell.
Honda says the new lap time record demonstrates that the Civic Type R, which
underwent a full model change, further improved its dynamic performance compared to
its predecessor model.
It adds the Type R was developed with the goal to achieve the “ultimate pure sports
performance” by attaining the ultimate in both speed, which is the essential value of a
sports model, and driving pleasure, which appeals to the emotion of the driver.
Honda’s Hideki Kakinuma said since the start of sales in Japan in September 2022, the
company had received a huge amount of customer feedback from around the world.
“However, we still had one more mission to fulfill, which was to claim the title as the
world’s fastest FWD car with a record Nürburgring lap time,” he said.
“Six years after the lap record was set by the previous-generation Civic Type R (FK8),
we reached this new dimension as a result of all of the passions we poured in and all
the advancements we made for this Type R model. Finally, our wish to share this title
with all Type R fans all around the world came true.
“We sincerely hope that all current and prospective owners of the Type R will enjoy and
love their vehicle with the pride we share with you.”
This time around the record-setting Type R was fitted with track-focused Michelin’s Pilot
Sport Cup 2 Connect rubber instead of the usual Pilot Sport 4 S tyres, providing higher
levels of grip.
Civic also holds the record for quickest front-drive production car at Japan’s Suzuka
Circuit which it set in in April, 2022.
The 2023 Honda Civic Type R is priced at $72,600 drive-away, but you have to wait
two years if you want one – that’s how long the waiting list is.
It’s powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 235kW of power
and 420Nm of torque, paired with a six-speed manual transmission.
It dispatches the dash from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.4 seconds, with a top speed of
275km/h.
