news

Honda Civic Type R sets new lap record for front-drive cars

The Honda Civic Type R hot hatch has outpaced one of Ferrari's most iconic supercars on its way to another lap record.


Already one of the fastest front-wheel-drive cars on the planet, the Honda Civic Type R has notched up a new victory at the Suzuka race circuit in Japan.

The venue was originally built by Honda in 1962 to test its performance cars, but has been a fully fledged Formula One track since 1987.

A limited edition, lightweight Honda Civic Type R lapped the 5.8km circuit in 2 minutes 23.99 seconds which, according to the website FastestLaps.com, makes it faster than a Ferrari F40 (2 minutes 25.26), the Italian icon’s pinnacle sports car made from 1987 to 1992 (pictured below).

Drive

The Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition also shattered the previous lap record for a front-wheel-drive car at Suzuka, set by the Renault Megane RS275 Trophy R (2 minutes 28.00 seconds) as well as the French car’s predecessor, the Renault Megane RS265 Trophy (2 minutes 33.33 seconds).

The last Honda Civic Type R to set a time at the circuit was a previous generation model that stopped the clocks at 2 minutes 35.17 seconds.

Honda will no doubt be savouring the latest victory over its French rival, given the two brands have swapped front-wheel-drive lap records for years.

Drive

The current generation Honda Civic Type R set a lap record for the fastest front-wheel-drive car at Germany’s Nurburgring race circuit (7 minutes 43.8 seconds) in April 2017.

However, Renault wrestled back the title with its updated and limited edition lightweight Megane RS Trophy R with a time of 7 minutes 40.1 seconds in April 2019.

The Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition set the Suzuka lap record back in February 2020 but the result has only just been announced.

Drive

The limited edition has lost 47kg compared to the standard car thanks to lightweight alloy wheels and a reduction in – or the removal of – sound deadening material in the roof, rear hatch, front bumper and dashboard.

Unlike the Renault Megane RS Trophy R that took the Nurburgring lap record from Honda, the Civic Type R Limited Edition back seats are not removed as a further weight-saving measure.

Powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder (228kW/400Nm) matched to a six-speed manual as the regular model, the Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition comes with a revised steering and suspension set up for even sharper handling.

Drive

While 600 cars have been earmarked for the US, and 100 have been allocated to Europe.

Honda Australia has confirmed just 20 examples of the Civic Type R Limited Edition will be available locally, with deliveries expected in the first half of next year.

Below is a video of the Honda Civic Type R lap record at Suzuka:

Below is a video of the Honda Civic Type R lap record at the Nurburgring:

Drive
Drive
Drive
MORE:Honda Showroom
MORE:Honda News
MORE:Honda Reviews
MORE:Honda Civic Showroom
MORE:Honda Civic News
MORE:Honda Civic Reviews
MORE:Search Used Honda Civic Cars for Sale
MORE:Search Used Honda Cars for Sale
MORE:Honda Showroom
MORE:Honda News
MORE:Honda Reviews
MORE:Honda Civic Showroom
MORE:Honda Civic News
MORE:Honda Civic Reviews
MORE:Search Used Honda Civic Cars for Sale
MORE:Search Used Honda Cars for Sale
Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

Read more about Joshua DowlingLinkIcon
Chat with us!







Chat with Agent