Honda Civic Type R PT.1

The Honda Civic Type R is the highest performance spec of the Honda Civic made by Honda. The "Type R" designation is given to models that have been specially developed and tuned for circuit competition and as a high performance vehicle from Honda's stables. Its lineage can be traced directly to the 1992 Honda NSX Type R, featuring a lightened and stiffened body, specially fine tuned engine and upgraded brakes and chassis. Other characteristics are the use of the special colour from the days of Honda's successful F1 winning car from the 60's called "Championship White" and a Honda logo with a red background. Red is also used in the interior to give it a special sporting distinction and to separate it from other Honda models. In Japan, a one-make series of Honda Type R cars where privateers can purchase a off-road Type R and compete in a series championship is a stepping stone for many aspiring racing drivers. The Type R has helped to increase Honda's overall image in racing as well as in the sports car consumer market.

EK9 Chassis:

The first Civic to receive the 'Type R' name was based on the 6th generation 'EK' Civic. The contributing base model was the JDM Civic 3 door hatchback called SiR, code named EK4. Like its sister model the Integra Type R DC2, the Civic SiR's transformation into a Type R was achieved by working on the base model and improving it to Honda's ideal of a car capable of high performance on the circuit.
The EK9 Civic Type R was preceded by two previous generations of unofficial Type R's - the EF9 SiR I and EG6 SiR II. The EF9 was the first Civic to feature the 'Racing' title, in the form of the top of the line SiR trim, featuring racing technology available in a production car. The first Civic to officially receive the Type R badge was introduced in 1997 as the EK9. As a hatchback which continued the 'R' philosophy from the 2 previous SiRs, the EK9 shared many characteristics with the Integra Type R DC2 such as omission of sound deadening and other weight-reduction measures, a hand-ported B16B engine, front helical limited-slip differential and close ratio gearbox etc. The B16B engine boasted one of the highest power output per litre of all time for an NA (natrually aspirated) engine with 182 hp from a 1.6L. For the first time, a strategically seam welded monocoque chassis was used to improve chassis rigidity. The interior featured red Recaro seats, a titanium shift knob and a Momo steering wheel. In 1999 the Type R was introduced featuring a CD player, body colored retractable electric door mirrors, power windows, auto air conditioning, key-less entry unlock system, aluminum sports pedals, and a carbon type center panel. The SiR badge from the previous 2 generations was ceded to the EK4 Civic as a mainstream sedan and hatchback which was sold in huge numbers across the globe due to its relatively low cost, practicality and everyday usable street performance/drivability.

EP3 Chassis:

In 2001 Honda introduced the next generation of the Civic Type R (EP3) as a unique 3 door hatchback to the UK market, which was manufactured in Swindon, England. This EDM (European Domestic Market) Civic Type R featured a 200 hp 2.0L i-VTEC engine (K20A2) and the regular Type R treatment of seam welding, close ratio 6-speed transmission and upgrated brakes, but did not include some of the other higher-end features, such as the helical LSD and red Recaro race-seats, that were standard in the previous generation EK9. However, Honda Japan still developed a JDM version of the EP3 (which was also manufactured in Swindon, but shipped to Japan for finishing touches), which retained the highly renowned helical LSD similar to that of the EK9 and red Recaro race-seats. Other differences included a more track-oriented chassis/undercarriage settings as compared to the EDM, as well as a 212 hp i-VTEC engine (K20A) with different intake manifold,exhaust,camshafts and ECU programming. The JDM EP3 was also available in the traditional Type R championship white while the EDM was not. The EDM has more relaxed gear ratios and some high rpm horse power traded for low rpm torque compared to the JDM .
The EDM EP3 Civic Type R was much acclaimed by motoring journalists across the UK, winning 'Hot Hatch of the Year' awards more than once from Top Gear, Fifth Gear and What Car?. The Civic Type R became a popular alternative for mainstream drivers clocking huge sales numbers. The 2001 release of this CTR (Civic Type R), as it is commonly referred to, also indicated Honda's return to Formula One after almost 10 years as an engine supplier to the Jordan and BAR teams - this eventually led to the full-fledged comeback as a dedicated F1 works team in 2005 with Honda gaining full ownership of British American Racing.
2004 saw this successful CTR updated with many improvements - revised EPS with quicker steering, revised suspension settings, projector headlamps (JDM=HID, EDM=halogen), lighter clutch and flywheel assembly etc; based on Honda literature, this facelifted (FL) model was targeted at addressing customers' and critics' feedback such as understeer on the limit (due to the front Macpherson strut setup)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacPherson_strut, numb steering response and lack of low end torque.
Performance (all figures are manufacturer claims)
0-60 mph in 6.4/6.4 seconds (JDM/EDM pre-FL), 6.2/6.4 secs (JDM/EDM FL) 0-100 mph in 15.1/16 secs (JDM/EDM FL) Top speed 112 mph (180 km/h) and 146 mph (235 km/h) (JDM/EDM both)....

Next time we 're going to continue the story of the Type R Hondas

Tarek Hanafy