The 2023 Honda Civic Type R has been snapped and filmed testing for the very first time at the Nurburgring.
The Japanese automaker has ramped up development of the hot hatch in recent weeks and this prototype, complete with a bright red camouflage wrap, is the same one our spy photographers snapped a couple of weeks ago.
Read More: Gotcha! We Snapped The 2022 Honda Civic Type R Prototype A Day After It Was Announced
Much like the outgoing FK8-generation Civic Type R, the new car will be very track-focused yet will double as a comfortable daily driver. Most agree that the current model is the best front-wheel-drive hot hatch on the market and one of the very best hot hatches full stop, so expectations are high for the new model to be even better.
It seems inevitable that Honda will eventually publish an official Nurburgring lap time for the car. The current model lapped the circuit in 7:43.8 back in April 2017, setting what was a production car record for a hot hatch at the time. In April 2019, however, that record was snatched away by the hardcore Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R (7:40.1) and we’ve got little doubt that Honda will want to claim that record and become the first hot hatch to lap the circuit in less than 7:40.
Powertrain details about the new Civic Type R are unclear but it is expected to be fitted with an upgraded version of the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder found in the current car, producing in excess of 306 hp and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. It will continue to be sold exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels.
Honda will introduce the new hot hatch in 2022.
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