Honda has launched a limited edition version the Civic type R to mark the end of the current generation hot hatch’s production run, which will be limited to 100 examples in the UK.
Called the Civic type R Black Edition, the automobile will be built in a batch of 100 that rounds off a run of 2,500 UK type R Civics. production of the type R at the Japanese marque’s Swindon factory is now over, and the Wiltshire plant is now gearing up to manufacture the new tenth generation Civic ahead of it going on sale in the UK in March.
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The Swindon plant will soon be back to type R production though, given a new hot Civic is slated to launch in the second half of 2017.
The Honda Civic type R Black edition features very minor differences compared to the conventional type R model, including a black interior with red accents, plus red end plates for the rear wing. The 100 automobiles will be priced at £32,200 each – on par with the type R GT model.
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Under the bonnet sits the same turbocharged 2.0-litre VTEC four-cylinder petrol, producing 306bhp and 400Nm of torque at 2,500rpm. These figures imply the type R is capable of 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds, a 167mph top speed, and a Nurburgring lap time of 7:50.63 – for a time the front-wheel-drive record before the Golf GTI Clubsport S arrived on the scene.
We expect the new Civic type R – previewed in prototype form at the Paris motor show last year – to build on those performance figures considerably. Honda could turn up the wick on the engine to around 340bhp with 450Nm of torque, implying a five second 0-62mph dash. It’s thought that the new automobile will remain front-wheel-drive too, and a six-speed-manual gearbox ought to make the cut.
Will the new Civic type R beat the Golf GTI Clubsport S around the Nurburgring? Make your predictions in the comments.