We Didn't Forget About You Honda Civic Type R

Oh, we didn’t forget about you FK8 Honda Civic Type R. Yes, RallySport Direct is a Subaru-centric business. But as you know from window shopping, we carry performance mods for other fun moddable cars such as the Volkswagen GTI, the Ford Focus ST/RS models, and the Mitsubishi Evolution. But one of the vehicles that we may have slightly overlooked in the hot hatch class is the newer Honda Civic Type R. Now Type R has so much notoriety in it because of how popular the JDM culture is. In the 90s when America was in the middle of horsepower wars with the Dodge Viper, the Corvette, and ultra exotics such as the 911 turbo, along with Ferrari and Lamborghini, Japan did throw in their input with the MKIV Supra, the FD RX-7, and the 3000GT models with their twin turbo power plants.

But because Japan is a rather small island full of racing enthusiasts, they didn’t have a lot of room to make top speed runs and do burn outs like your red-blooded Americans here in whatever fast platform we drove. There was another class of driver in Japan that could keep up in a much less capable car on paper. Although they lacked in cubic inches and in horsepower, Honda made something lighter where the driver had to earn their wins with pure driving skill at a relatively affordable price point.

In the late 90’s as Toyota stopped the US production of the MKIV Supra, and when the craze was the C5 Corvette, these cars were pretty expensive at the time as the Acura NSX was in supercar territory in terms of price. Ferrari and Lamborghini always stole the red carpet with their appealing lineage, and Porsche made the move to completely redesign the air cooled 911 with their introduction of the 996 model. There were many directions of automotive sensory overload with new and exciting examples for those with fat pockets to choose from.

Meanwhile in Japan, Honda took a more practical approach. See here in America, the Honda Civic was in the same class as the Toyota Corolla as the affordable economy car that was reliable and got excellent gas mileage. If you were in high school in the mid to late 90s. upper middle-class parents bought their kids Civics. Kids who worked afterschool jobs could afford a payment on a Civic, and to be fair, it better looking and more fun when compared to the Toyota Corolla. For those of us who couldn’t afford the Viper and the rest of the really fast cars, the only cars that were sort of in the middle were the Mustangs, Camaros, and Firebirds. Even those were a little expensive at the time.

Yet somehow for enthusiasts, the Civic had a propensity to make drivers drive these otherwise, slow economy cars as fast as they could. The aftermarket exploded for the civic. It got downright annoying with old people shaking their fists at the ‘fart can mufflers’. The aftermarket really introduced cold air intake systems, headers, spark plug wires, ignition amplifiers, all to gain about 10 HP. Now for those who were fortunate enough to own a faster car, this was a joke to them. For Civic owners, this meant the world to them. Concurrently, the sport compact scene was starting to take off as automotive literature gained a new culture much like music whether if you preferred rap or country. In the 90s where we had bookstores such as Media Play that sold books, magazines, and music. Car magazines were typically dominated by Hot Rods, Harley magazines, the DuPont Registry for the ultra-rich, and there were plenty of drag racing magazines. Yet there was Turbo Magazine and Sport Compact Car that did real in-depth articles about the Honda Civic and racers who were taking these cars to the next level, creating their own All-Motor class. Racers would strip these cars down, port the heads right down to where the cylinder ports would almost meet. And they would rev these civics to the moon. Getting all-motor Civics into the 12-second ¼-mile range was a major accomplishment for all those who spent late nights in the garage, friends hanging out, again it was a culture.

In Japan, they didn’t understand the assignment they made the assignment. But unlike the US where the focus was straight-line speeds, Japan mastered Touge’ racing where cars raced through tight mountain curves. This is how drifting became popular, but this is where one particular car really shined. That car was the Civic Type R.

 

 

In 1997 Honda released the Civic Type R. Now this car was amazing because it was a lightweight hatchback that produced 182 horsepower out of 1.6 liters, and it revved to 8200 RPMs in OEM form. This unit came with a 5-speed manual transmission, and it was lighter than your standard civic. Like all authentic Type R models, the Civic Type R got the flagship red carpet, red Recaro cloth seats, red stitching on the leather bits such as the shift boot, and with its own specially designed shift knob. The Civic Type R was all-business yet still had air conditioning and a radio. In Touge’ racing where heavier brutes would otherwise understeer, drift, and barge their way through the curves, the Type R would dance through the curves with its shorter wheelbase as the horsepower delivery lived at the redline. Sadly, the Civic Type R was not legal for US roads mainly because of certain US-safety guideline provisions. However, the aftermarket was in full steam ahead making all the parts. And at least we got the Si models which is a class below the Type R. Enthusiasts in the US were trying to make their own Type R.

After Honda recognized how popular the Civic Type R was in Japan, and because sales in the Acura Integra soared as it was a more attractive option when compared to the Civic, the US did get a limited run of the Acura Integra Type R which today, is considered to be a rare collectable.

 

 

And like the Civic Type R, the Integra Type R got the red seats, red carpet, and it made 195 horsepower through Honda’s very famous B18C engine. Now the Integra Type R was/is very special. Going back to 2001 with the notoriety of the rise in sport compacts, the attention was focused on the release of the 2002 Subaru WRX. This rally inspired AWD turbocharged platform along with the counter acting Mitsubishi Evolution were going to take the entire scene for the next while. And a while meant for over a decade.

 

 

Honda/Acura released the Integra predecessor known as the RSX, the Civic stayed in production, and new enthusiasts in the sport compact scene maintained their focus mainly on the WRX/Evo market until Ford later joined by releasing their Focus ST/RS example to join the hot hatch market. Subaru released their latest WRX/STI variants in 2015 with a new body. The WRX as readers here know, received the new FA engine design, while the STI hung onto the famous EJ25. Going back to Ford, enthusiasts were very ecstatic to hear the news about the Focus RS which is an AWD upgrade from the ST:

 

 

With a base price of $36,000, it was highly competitive for the STI. Especially when Mitsubishi had ended the production of the Evolution in 2015. Yet the Focus ST and Fiesta ST have been out for a minute with their respective mods and engine layout. Honda decided that during this time, they would enter the hot hatch and sport compact race by releasing back into the wild a newer version of the Civic Type R. Chassis code FK8.

 

 

The new Civic Type R hit the markets in 2017 as it arrested the attention of many enthusiasts in the market for something outside of the WRX/Focus/GTI options. From an aesthetic point of view, it was as if Honda listened to the enthusiasts with sharp aggressive looks. But Honda is very seasoned in racing especially when it comes to Formula One, and the rich history behind development especially with the late legendary Ayrton Senna and the refinement of the Acura NSX. There is a purpose behind aggressive looks of the FK8 Civic Type R. The rear wing, the front lip, side skirts and rear valence all help reduce lift at higher speeds.

The new Civic Type R comes with rather large 20-inch wheels with large Brembo brakes in the front and rear to offer optimal braking performance.

 

 

Even the interior inherits traditional Type-R styling with red performance seats.

 

And behind the steering wheel features a larger focused tachometer as the driver is surrounded by Alcantara, a modern infotainment screen, and with the Type-Rish shift knob.

 

 

From the performance side, the Civic Type R is the first turbocharged V-tech powerplant that features an inline-4 2.0-liter force-fed motor that makes 306 HP and 295 LB-FT of torque.

 

 

Now when compared to the STI and Focus RS, the Type-R gets a little pushback as it gets to 60 MPH in 5 seconds, and it is front-wheel drive. Yet it can still reach 170 MPH and weighs a hair over 3100 LBS.

 

 

So, in terms of pushback for those in the market, the Civic Type R falls a little behind when not being AWD like the STI and Focus RS counter models within its class. And some ‘adults’ don’t prefer boy-racer looks when they see how much more aggressive it looks with the red interior. It may not be everyone’s thing. Yet like the rich rally racing history associated with the WRX and STI, Honda’s Type R catalog has earned their own respective notoriety especially in Japan’s racing circuit.

With that being said, the FK8 Civic Type R carries Honda’s traditional Type R DNA in modern and advanced skin. Although looks are subjective, the Civic Type R objectively looks more aggressive with the exterior and interior styling that all has a purpose behind it. And Honda is still to this day, one of the most reliable vehicles that millions on a worldwide scale depend on.

Furthermore, the Focus RS had ended in production in 2018, and the last STI model as you know, ended in 2021 pending a rumored all-electric replacement at some point although we haven’t received any official word as of yet. But alongside the VB WRX models, the endless production of Volkswagen’s GTI, and Kia’s Stinger, Honda still has the Type R on the roster with minor revisions for 2024.

 

 

Plan on getting a Type R? Here are some of our favorite mods that you can explore:

 

Tomei Expreme Ti Type R Full Titanium Exhaust 2017-2020 Civic Type R

 

Invidia Catted Downpipe 2017-2020 Civic Type R

 

Seibon Carbon Fiber CS Style Hood 2016-2024 Civic

 

PRL Motorsports Intercooler Upgrade 2017-2021 Civic Type R