FWD

The new Type R shares all of its bodywork with the standard European Civic hatchback. Instead of flaring the bumpers and wings, the added bolt-on flared elements, giving it the look of a racing car. A big rear wing and four very large exhaust pipes ensure nobody will ever be able to ignore this car.While the Golf GTI or Ford Focus R have been designed to be more mainstream than ever, the new Type R is as ugly as a Subaru. We don't yet know how close the full production model will come to this one, but as you can see, the plastic surgery has been done by a butcher.Together with lots of photos of the car, Honda also revealed a brand new engine, the so called 2.0 VTEC TURBO. This all-new unit was developed under the Earth Dreams technology initiative. Unlike the old Civic Type R, which only has a naturally aspirated, 200 hp 2-liter, this new turbo unit has almost class-leading output. Over 280 hp will be honed by what will most likely be a limited slip differential.All that power and the crazy bodywork are there for a reason: Honda is going after theproduction car lap record at the Nurburgring, which is currently held by Renault's Megane RS 265 Trophy.Speaking during recent testing at the Nurburgring, Honda’s WTCC driver Gabriele Tarquini, gave his first driving impressions: "The car and the characteristics of the car were fantastic. I was really impressed by the power and the torque of the engine but also by the set-up they achieved…The car is very pointed on the front and very fast to change direction’. ‘This car is very close to my racing car and you can feel very well the DNA of Type R."