Hot hatches have become beautifully effervescent and powerful the past couple of years. You can buy a hot little Renault Clio which gets from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, an immaculately conceived A 45 AMG with 360 horsepower or a 300 horsepower Golf. Wow, what world do we live in, when family cars can handle so much grunt.
The Germans dominate the segment, but thinking back more than a decade ago things looked a little different. Honda made the Civic Type R, a legend among street performance cars with a high-revving 2-liter VTEC engine. The Japanese have been conspicuously absent from the segment… until now!
This is the pre-production prototype / concept version of the next Civic Type R. Remember, we're talking European Civic hatchback, not American sedan and coupe. When development ends and the model goes on sale, it will have an output of "at least 280PS". Honda is likely to target the 300 hp mark and the now famous FWD Nurburgring track record.
As you can see, the styling of the Type R is radical. Around the office, we like to call it the "Diablo" because it's red and the wings protruding at the back look just like horns. Massively flared arches swallow up what look like 20-inch wheels.
The motorsport packaging looks aggressive from up close, but take a step back to admire the thing and you'll find refinements. Styling seems to be heavily influenced by the new NSX hybrid sportscar, with LED headlights creating a wide wedge design together with the center grille.
"Many of the styling features offer real function, rather than just aesthetics. The need to reduce drag, add down-force, provide cooling and achieve optimum airflow, were key considerations for the design team," says Honda.
Better the devil you know? Not really, since Honda's failure with the last Type R means they're starting from a blank sheet. Rumors have suggested the car could have as much as 300 hp and might also feature rear wheel steering.
Update: We've added more photos, the teaser video from Honda and a walkaround from Geneva just to keep Type R fans happy.
This is the pre-production prototype / concept version of the next Civic Type R. Remember, we're talking European Civic hatchback, not American sedan and coupe. When development ends and the model goes on sale, it will have an output of "at least 280PS". Honda is likely to target the 300 hp mark and the now famous FWD Nurburgring track record.
As you can see, the styling of the Type R is radical. Around the office, we like to call it the "Diablo" because it's red and the wings protruding at the back look just like horns. Massively flared arches swallow up what look like 20-inch wheels.
The motorsport packaging looks aggressive from up close, but take a step back to admire the thing and you'll find refinements. Styling seems to be heavily influenced by the new NSX hybrid sportscar, with LED headlights creating a wide wedge design together with the center grille.
"Many of the styling features offer real function, rather than just aesthetics. The need to reduce drag, add down-force, provide cooling and achieve optimum airflow, were key considerations for the design team," says Honda.
Better the devil you know? Not really, since Honda's failure with the last Type R means they're starting from a blank sheet. Rumors have suggested the car could have as much as 300 hp and might also feature rear wheel steering.
Update: We've added more photos, the teaser video from Honda and a walkaround from Geneva just to keep Type R fans happy.