New Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition is Getting Serious
The Honda Civic Type R has widely been praised as one of the best performance cars you can buy today, regardless of the size of your purse. This week, Honda revealed it made the car even better.
The 2020 Civic Type R not only comes with a facelift but also with a new, lightweight, track-focused version called the Civic Type R Limited Edition. Only 600 examples will be sold in the United States.
There’s a simple reason for the Type R Limited Edition’s existence: to take back its Nürburgring record. Though the Type R held it for a few years, it was recently beaten by the Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R, and Honda doesn’t seem ready to let that slide.
To take back the top spot, the new Civic Type R Limited Edition features standard BBS forged aluminum wheels, and the sound deadening and rear heater ducts have been removed — all to save weight. The European version goes even further with no air conditioning and infotainment systems, but the U.S. version still has these, which is, at least in the case of A/C, certainly understandable.
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The 2020 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition also rides on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires instead of the standard Continental tires, and Honda retuned the dampers to be more aggressive while recalibrating the steering feedback to give the driver even more information.
Each of the 600 units coming to the U.S. will be offered in the same, unique Phoenix Yellow paint, which pays tribute to the Acura Integra Type R. It’s highlighted by contrasting black accents. Inside, you’ll find the expected number plaque distinguishing the Type R Limited Edition from other, lesser models.
It remains to be seen whether the Civic Type R Limited Edition will be able to reclaim its front-wheel-drive crown at the Nürburgring, but it only needs to beat the 2017 Civic Type R’s best time by a little under four seconds to pip the Renault. Considering the 2015 prototype’s best lap was nearly seven seconds off what the 2017 model eventually managed, it seems perfectly within Honda’s abilities to beat the record once again.
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Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.