Ever since the Honda Civic Type R made its appearance for the first time ever in the U.S. back in 2017, it has rapidly emerged as one of the best performance cars currently on sale. Honda is very keen on maintaining this reputation, and has unveiled a special track centric version of the Type R for those that need a bit more poise and confidence in their performance sedan purchase.
Known as the Civic Type R Limited Edition, the model will not break any new ground when it comes to formal creativity for its name, but Honda hopes that buyers will notice its other key goal in life, to take back the Nürburgring track record for front wheel drive performance cars. To help achieve this goal, Honda engineers put the car on a diet, with the team adding lighter BBS forged aluminum wheels to help remove 18 pounds from the car, as well as removing sound deadening material and the rear heater ducts to shave a further 28 pounds from the curb weight. European models go further and pitch the infotainment and air-conditioning system, but those extremes are not matched on U.S. models, with those two items being retained. Handling has also been upgraded, with Honda swapping out the standard Continental performance tires for a set of stickier Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 performance rubber. Lastly, the steering system and the dampers have been tuned to be more aggressive, with the steering offering higher amounts of feedback to the driver which is key when navigating winding turns and fast switchbacks.
Along with the performance hardware, Honda also made some visual changes to differentiate the car from lesser models, with a bold coat of Phoenix Yellow paint serving as one of the trademark calling cards of this model. This hue is also meant to be a throwback to the original Acura Integra Type R while contrasting black accents and a numbered serial plaque round out the list of changes.
Honda revealed that only 600 examples will be built for U.S. but stopped short of confirming official pricing for the model. With the base Type R starting at $39,995 we suspect that the Limited Edition will command a healthy premium though exactly how much is still shrouded in mystery. The one thing that is known for sure is that with the performance upgrades that it brings to the table as well as its subtle throwbacks to the past, look for this Civic to be quickly snatched up by eager enthusiasts looking for the true benchmark in Civic performance.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.