2022 is a very special year for Honda Civic. Not only because the model celebrates its 50 years of production in its standard version, but also because it also celebrates 25 years since the commercial launch of the sports variant Type R. We are talking about a car that in the eyes of many represents in all respects the meaning of sportiness and performance, and which in this 2022 has been renewed with its sixth generation.
The path of Honda Civic Type R began in 1997, when it was launched on the market in its first generation called EK9: this version is only available on the Japanese market and with high-level specifications, thanks to the presence of a hand-ported 1.6 liter DOHC VTEC engine which produces an impressive 116 horsepower per liter and a lightweight welded body that contributes to a total vehicle weight of just 1,050kg. European customers who want to get their hands on the Honda sports car will have to wait for the second generation, which is introduced in 2001: in this case, the new 2-liter “K” series DOHC i-VTEC engine is hidden under the hood, which is accompanied by improved brakes, one precise transmission with six close ratios and a body that makes extensive use of high tensile strength steel to increase static torsional stiffness by 80% compared to the EK9.
The next step comes in 2007, when Honda thinks well to make room for a third generation of the model, the FN2 (or FD2 for the Japanese market): this version of the Japanese sports car maintains the proven 2.0-liter engine, but introduces a new chassis with the tank under the front seats to improve the spaciousness and flexibility of the interior. We then jump to 2015, when the Civic Type R is enhanced thanks to the introduction of the 2.0-liter K20C1 engine with turbocharger, able to offer explosive performances thanks to an output of 310 HP. Another novelty brought in by this version of the model is represented by the double axle Strut suspension, which is combined with a limited slip differential.
Just two years later it is already time for the fifth generation of the model, the FK8: it is launched in 2017, and is equipped with a number of new mechanical functions such as adaptive shock absorbers and further revisions of the K20C1 engine to push the power to 320 hp. The last stage of this long successful journey came in the second half of this year, with the sixth generation of the Civic Type R, which boasts technologies developed over several generations and today even more. evolved, mature and sophisticated. The best way to continue a path destined to last a long time.
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