2018 Honda Civic Type R Flies on Nurburgring ahead of US Debut

Don't let yourself tricked by the fact that Honda said the model that greeted us in Paris was a prototype - you can expect the vast majority of styling cues seen on the thing to make it into production. For those of you who missed our Paris story on the matter, you can find the photos of the manic hatchback in the image gallery to your right.

This means the top dog of the Civic X line-up will be just as aggressive looking as the short-lived model we're enjoying nowadays, from the angry front fascia to the generous rear wing and triple-exit exhaust.

Despite the pre-production model having shown up in France, the Japanese automaker didn't bother to remove the camouflage from the Nurburgring test car. Not that such details would matter all that much, as we're all focused on the tech side of the super-compact.

While the company is still tight-lipped when it comes to the specs of the vehicle, the 2.0-liter turbo-four of the current model is expected to remain in service. However, while the unit currently packs 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of twist, expect those figures to grow, but not by all that much, since understeer has to be kept on a tight leash and there's only so much a limited-slip diff can do.

Front-whee-drive and a six-speed-manual should remain on the table. And since the current model can already go round the Nurburgring in 7:50, the newcomer will take the record back from the VW Golf GTI Clubsport S (7:49.21).

Honda has decided the US consumers are ready to become Type R-educated in terms of hot hatches, so the spicy compact is finally coming to America. However, before the model makes its market debut next year, expect to see the naked prototype teasing gearheads at the upcoming SEMA event or at the Los Angeles Motor Show.