Which is the most expensive Civic Type R that you can buy these days? That would be the Limited Edition (yes, that’s its name), but all of them have been spoken for. Over in the United States, only 600 examples of the breed will be delivered.
The Limited Edition comes exclusively in Phoenix Yellow Pearl with gloss-black garnish on the mirrors and roof, as well as dark chrome for the Civic badge. Another defining trait of this model comes from BBS, namely the forged-alloy wheels that reduce unsprung weight by 18 pounds (8.1 kilograms) over stock.
Formally known as BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG, the German manufacturer set up shop in 1970 in the sleepy town of Schiltach. Two years later, Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand rolled out a revolutionary design – the three-piece racing wheel. Since then, the company has leveled up to OEM applications ranging from Volkswagen, Audi, Subaru, and Renault to Ferrari and even Rolls-Royce.
In the following clip, Honda highlights that the Type R Limited Edition blends “agility and speed” thanks to the “high degree of material density and weight reduction” of the alloys from BBS. Casting creates tiny spaces in the metal, reducing the wheel strength, while forging achieves a fine-grained structure.
One of the engineers claims that “Japanese swords are a classic example of forging,” explaining that the BBS wheels are “just as uncompromising” as a katana. The first step of forging those alloys is to apply pressure and heat – a little at a time – to achieve the desired shape. Thanks to a forging ratio of 4.0, the aluminum billet turns into an uncompromised wheel with a slender rim.
Only the design and outer portion of the rim are formed through forging, translating to only half of the wheel. BBS uses a “proprietary spinning process” to squeeze the inner portion of the rim while preserving the forged metal structure.
The final stage consists of finishing “every single wheel by hand,” ensuring top-notch quality for a top-shelf hot hatchback. Given that Honda polishes engine ports by hand, this attention to detail doesn’t come as a surprise.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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