Honda: New Civic faster than NSX

Honda will display its Civic Type-R Concept at the Paris Motor Show, this time in a vivid shade of blue

by David McCowen of www.driving.com.au

Honda has set the stage for a hot hatch war with a new Civic Type R that could be the brand's fastest-ever car.

The Japanese manufacturer has unveiled a thinly disguised production version of its new Civic Type R ahead of the Paris motor show, where a revised hatch that appears to be production-ready will go on public display.

The brand says its new machine "will deliver unmatched performance compared to any previous Type R car... even the NSX".

Honda research and development executive Suehiro Hasshi says the car's turbocharged engine will produce more power than previous Type-R versions of the Civic, Integra, Accord and NSX.

The latter was Honda's foray into the world of supercars and was powered by a mid-mounted V6 making 206kW of grunt, which the Civic is expected to comfortably exceed.

Honda says the car will only be available with a six-speed manual transmission, allowing drivers more control than an automatic or dual-clutch transmission.

Honda says the hot Civic will be faster than its highly-regarded NSX supercar.

It also have adjustable shock absorbers similar to the system fitted on Volkswagen's seventh-generation Golf GTI, along with 'steer axis', a mechanical system used to reduce torque steer in a similar way to the RevoKnuckle device used on Ford's Focus RS.

Honda hopes that its new Type R will be the fastest front-wheel-drive car to lap the Nurburgring. To do that, it must beat the 7:54.36 benchmark held by Renault's Megane R.S. 275 Trophy R, a hardcore special-edition machine with weight-saving measures that extend to the removal of its radio and airconditioning.

The Civic Type-R won't be Honda's fastest model for long though with an all-new NSX supercar set to go on sale by 2016.

Source;
http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/honda-new-civic-faster-than-nsx-20140929-10ndbv.html