Honda has been spotted completing hot laps of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in the 2023 Civic Type R in what appears to be an attempt to set a new front-wheel drive production car record around the circuit.
The Civic Type R has long had an affinity for fast lap times around the famous German circuit. The short-lived FK2 generation model once held the record with a time of 7:50.63 until that was beaten by the VW Golf GTI Clubsport S. That record didn’t stand for long, however, as the FK8-generation Honda Civic Type R came along and lapped ‘Green Hell’ in 7:43.80. This time has since been beaten by the Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R with a time of 7:40.1.
Read: 2023 Honda Civic Type R Makes 315 HP, Goes On Sale This Fall In The U.S.
YouTuber Misha Charoudin was recently at the circuit and filmed a pair of Civic Type Rs. While we’ve seen the new Type R at the track in the past, the fact that these cars were the only vehicles on the track and were free of any camouflage is a clear indication that Honda is chasing a new record with the hot hatch. For all we know, it may have already broken the lap record but isn’t yet ready to announce it.
Powering the new Civic Type R is the latest version of Konda’s K20C1 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, pumping out an impressive 315 hp at 6,500 rpm and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque between 2,600 and 4,000 rpm in North American specification.
Perhaps of more importance than the tweaked engine is the fact that the new Civic Type R has a 1.4-inch (3.5 cm) longer wheelbase than its predecessor thanks to the 11th-gen Civic platform. The front and rear tracks are also wider and the hot hatch features revised dual-axis front and multilink rear suspension.
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