2020 Civic Type R Takes on the EP3 Type R in "VTEC Wars"

Throttle House hit the roads of Canada in the new model but also brought a modern classic for reference. Every 2020 Civic owner should want to meet the ancestor and maybe learn a thing or two about how they did things in the old days.

The current generation of the Type R is codenamed FK8. And the fact that people know that proves Honda built a whole bunch of legendary cars... not just one, like Toyota. Stop calling it the "MK4" already!

As far as the American market is concerned, this is also the first Turbo Type R, though the Europeans had a model before that. It's not uncommon for America to miss out on something like that.

In any case, the 2-liter lump is still rated at 306 hp and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. Meanwhile, the EP3 is a classic from the early 2000s and naturally doesn't have any turbocharging.

It honestly doesn't look that impressive from the outside, just like one of those toasters with a body kit, like the econobox of a kid driving a hand-me-down to school. Well, it is that, but it's also been kept in really good condition. If you think this is embarrassing, you should take another look at the 2020 model from the back.

But anyway, what sets the classic part is that it has a real VTEC engine that screams at the red line. It's also much smaller and lighter with very direct go-kart handling as a result. It's a completely different kind of hot hatch, though still very desirable to this day.