Car Throttle Drives Legendary EK9 Honda Civic Type R, VTEC Kicks In

Today, Car Throttle takes a look at one of the Type R's previous versions which is so elusive that many people forgot it exists, the EK9. It pre-dates even the EP3, so finding one in good condition can be tricky.

The EK9 is the hot hatch equivalent of the S2000. Under its little hood is a 1.6-liter engine that's been pushed all the way to 185 PS (182 bhp) and 163 Nm (120 lb0ft) of torque. That's 116 PS per liter without the use of turbocharging. For the record, Ferrari's 458 managed 127 PS per liter.

It shared many features with the equally legendary Integra Type R, like the omission of sound insulation, a limited-slip differential and close ratio gearbox. The B16B engine was hand-ported and a real screamer too. Because the whole car weighed as much as a bag of crisps, it was said to do 0 to 60 in 6.6 seconds. That's fast even by today's standards.

People keep going on and on about how much weight the Golf GTI has put on in the last 40-something years, but even the Type R gained about 230 kilos since the 1990s.

This particular car is for sale at £9,000, which is a lot of money to pay. But you have to take into account that it's an appreciating classic and that there aren't that many of them on the road. If that's still too much for you than the EP3 can be yours for about a third of the money.

Whichever old-timer Type R you buy, it's not going to win you any drag races, probably not even against a Clio R. But you'll be spending less money, having more fun and doing so at a somewhat legal speed.