Just after debuting in ‘prototype’ guise at the Paris Auto Show, the 2018 Honda Civic Type R has been filmed testing at the Nurburgring, ahead of a likely assault on the front-wheel drive production car lap record.
Soon after the release 2015 Civic Type R, the model set a production car lap record around the Nurburgring for a front-wheel drive vehicle with a blistering 7:50 lap. Since then, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S has gone on to claim the record after lapping the famous circuit in just seven minutes and 49 seconds.
Eager to reclaim the record, Honda has been testing the latest-generation Civic Type R at ‘Green Hell’ feverishly throughout the model’s development and as it nears production next year, we get closer and closer to seeing it attempt a flat-out lap.
While performance details about the new model haven’t been announced, it is bound to be faster and more powerful than its predecessor. Consequently, power from the 2.0-liter turbocharged VTEC four-cylinder engine will be increased from the existing 306 hp and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque to nearer the 350 hp mark.
Despite Ford’s use of an all-wheel drive system for the latest Focus RS, the new Type R continues to send power exclusively through the front wheels courtesy of a six-speed manual transmission.