![]() The FD2 would the last of the high-rev, delicately-poised Type Rs, as the next version of would mark a transition from pure driver’s car to punching-up.Īfter a brief hiatus, the Civic Type R was back with a vengeance. Honda also went out of its way to ensure the redesigned Type R was stiffer and stronger than the older Integra, which was no longer on the menu. Most importantly, the car’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine provided 222 horsepower with an 8,000-rpm redline, and a limited-slip differential and a six-speed manual transmission were also present and accounted for. Or rather, that should read, “successors,” because two radically different cars would be sold under the Type R banner for this generation.įor reasons most likely linked to cost-cutting, Honda decided to keep the good stuff at home when it introduced the FD2, a sedan-only model that was just as stealthy in appearance as the original EK3 hatchback had been. Immediately following the EP3’s dual-drivetrain experiment, the Civic Type R would be even more emphatically split between the European and Japanese markets when its successor arrived on the scene. Still, this car is a performance tour de force in a compact package that continues the evolution of the Type R brand in a more bludgeoning direction. It’s also somewhat extroverted in styling, which is a polite way of saying it’s the most divisive-looking Type R ever released. Power isn’t everything, however, and while the FK8 is capable of serious lap times, it offers a dramatically different character from past versions of the car, trading lightweight engagement for computer-assisted, big-tire grip. It’s also the most powerful, delivering 306 horses and shaming each and every one of its predecessors with the hammer down thanks to an intricate array of drive technologies that does its best to dial out the negative aspects of its front-wheel drive platform while making pilots feel like heroes through each corner. The FK8 edition of the Civic Type R is the first to have been officially sold in the U.S. ![]() The spec split between the two models also took into account a number of other details, with Japanese drivers enjoying a limited-slip differential and much faster straight-line acceleration. In a complex bit of international commerce, the latter engine was shipped to England for installation only to have the entire car then boomeranged back across the ocean. If you were in Europe, your Type R featured a 197-horsepower version of the K20 engine, while JDM buyers took advantage of a 212-horsepower K20 variant borrowed from the Integra (also marketed as the Acura RSX). The end result was a pair of models that shared the same hatchback design but featured somewhat different drivetrains tucked underneath. ![]() operations to build the next-generation Civic Type R. Things got a little weird for Honda just after the year 2000 when it decided to allow its U.K. Article contentĪlthough the Type R version of the EK9 was never sold in Canada or the United States, it nevertheless became a lightning rod for Japanese performance car enthusiasts, and a brisk trade importing its B16B engine would fuel swaps and drag strip shenanigans for years after its introduction. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |