Honda has given us a sneak peek at the front styling package of the upcoming 2023 Civic Type R, which is being billed as the “most powerful” and “best-performing” version ever. It is quite an achievement considering how many lap records have been conquered by the outgoing Civic Type R.
At this stage, we don’t have too much to report on other than the fact that Type R is set for an official reveal on July 21, as well as a partial reveal of the front styling package thanks to a short clip provided by Honda.
We can see from the teaser image and video that the new Civic Type R features a more aggressive take on the eleventh-generation FE/FL Civic’s styling package. The grille area and headlights appear to take the latest design philosophy from the regular new-shape Civic, as expected.
Ahead of its official unveiling, Honda set a lap record at the iconic Suzuka Circuit in Japan with a pre-production Type R, taking the honour for the fastest front-wheel drive car with a time of 2:23.120, while eclipsing the record by eight-tenths of a second.
Earlier this year we reported that the current FK8-generation Type R broke the lap record for a front-wheel drive car at The Bend here in Australia with a special Limited Edition variant.
In that lap, the Civic Type R Limited Edition bettered the previous lap record – set by a standard Civic Type R – by two-seconds, setting a time of 2:12.260. With Honda promising the most powerful Type R yet, it’s likely this lap record could once again take a tumble when the new version arrives.
As far as we know the new model will continue on with its 2.0-litre turbo VTEC four-cylinder, but power is set to be pushed up from the outgoing 228kW output to around 240kW. Improved aerodynamics are also likely to see track performance increased considerably.
https://youtu.be/WVyPjS3BO7I
