- The car has ~33,000 miles on its odo and packs a punchy 1.6-liter four-cylinder.
- Adorning the exterior is Honda’s iconic shade of Championship White.
- Found in the cabin are sports Recaro seats clad in red microfiber.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, used car prices went crazy, particularly for some of the world’s most iconic performance cars. Japanese classics experienced a particularly large spike, and while prices have mostly cooled over the past couple of years, a 1998 Honda Civic Type R on Bring a Trailer has triggered a bidding war that’s seen its price reach modern hot hatch territory.
This Civic Type R is an EK9-generation model originally sold in Japan but imported into the US last year. It’s finished in the most iconic of all Type R colors, Championship White, and has just ~53,000 km (~33,000 miles) on the clock.
Read: Mugen’s Honda Civic Type R Group B Turns The Heat Up To 11
Many Honda owners love to modify their cars, but this Civic Type R is completely stock. It’s been ceramic coated and received a thorough dry-ice cleaning in preparation for sale. The original 15-inch wheels have also been wrapped in fresh Hankook Ventus V2 Concept2 tires. While it’s hard to accurately judge the condition of a car based on images alone, the exterior looks pristine.
It’s the same with the cabin. The iconic hot hatch sports Recaro seats trimmed in red microfiber and cloth. The red continues across the carpets and parts of the door panels. You’ll also find a cassette player in the center of the dash and a three-spoke Momo steering wheel.
The Bring a Trailer listing doesn’t mention the car’s service history, but the original 1.6-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder is still found on the hood. When this car was new, the engine delivered 182 hp and 118 lb-ft (160 Nm) of torque, all of which is funneled to the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential.
Few hot hatches provide the same driving thrills as a classic Honda, and we’re sure whoever acquires this car won’t be able to wipe the smile off their face every time they get behind the wheel. However, at the time of writing and with two days still left in the auction, the highest bid stands at $40,000.
Is it worth close to a brand new 2025 FL5 Type R, which has an MSRP of $46,690, or even the $39,995 (including destination) 2025 Toyota GR Corolla, two much more powerful and still very exciting to drive modern hot hatches? We’ll let you be the judge of that.
