With the refresh bestowed upon the wild Honda Civic Type R for 2020 comes a unique variant few Americans will get their hands on. However, unlike European buyers, those 600 lucky customers will at least get a radio and air conditioning.
The Type R Limited Edition takes what’s already a potent, attention-grabbing machine and dials up the track-readiness — but not the power.
Output remains the same 306 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque as before, routed through the front wheels only via a standard six-speed manual. What does change is the model’s curb weight and suspension.
While the 2020 Type R dons a revised suspension better suited for day-to-day comfort, the Limited Edition tightens things down, adding recalibrated dampers to keep the car planted. Steering has also undergone revisions to provide a maximum amount of driver feedback. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber appears at each corner to boost the vehicle’s adhesion to the road (or track).
You’ll recall that the stock Type R gains a larger grille opening, allowing for better cooling when things get hot and heavy. That feature will no doubt come in handy with this variant. Elsewhere, the standard suite of Honda Sensing safety features found on the regular model make an appearance here, along with three drive modes and Active Sound Control.
As American consumers demand a certain level of creature comforts, the truly lightweighted Limited Edition bound for overseas buyers is a little porkier on this side of the Atlantic, but is nonetheless lighter than its stock stablemate. Honda shaved off 18 pounds of unsprung weight via forged aluminum BBS wheels, while a rear wiper delete and removal of the rear heating ducts, tonneau cover, and some sound deadening took off another 28 pounds.
Drivers can further boost their car’s sporting prowess by eating less. A calorie-conscious regimen of lean meats, vegetables, and daily exercise can alleviate the guilt of owning a radio.
Of course, because the regular Type R is already quite, um, visually expressive, Honda saw fit to go the extra mile and slather the Limited Edition in Phoenix Yellow paint, with black applied to the roof, mirrors, and hood vent. It also added an individually numbered serial plate for good measure. As stated before, only 600 of these things will make it stateside.
Pricing isn’t available; you’ll have to wait until closer to the model’s on-sale date, which obviously comes after that of the 2020 Type R, to learn just how much such a machine costs.
[Image: Honda]
Make that color available throughout the entire Type-R line, please. But we already know the price. It’s whatever Honda decides plus the $15,000 dealer extortion fee.
At least some area dealers are finally starting to get off of their high horses with their 2019s with almost zero miles on them.
Literally this…and with the 15k dealer ripoff pack, you can have this FWD car, or probably a six powered BMW-or base c7 . Same crap I saw with the ATS-V. Yes, I want the car, and I will pay sticker if I must, but if you are running the price up a full class, then, well, you gotta be fanboi or stupid. F dealers…
Can someone explain why ppl spend so much money for a fwd econocar with a nice engine? Also, why didn’t Honda give it AWD?
It seems pretty nice for what it is. But it’s one thing when a scrappy teen tunes a hand-me-down FWD hatch in his or her parent’s garage. It’s an entirely different thing when a massive multinational corporation produces it as finished product. This, from the company that made the S2000, seems oddly defeatist. “The best we could do”?
Apparently nothing satisfies upscale millenials like tire shredding understeer. The think tail out hooning is for us old duffers.
almost all vehicles are set up to understeer from the factory and have been for a long time. what the f**k do “millennials” have to do with it?
And I thought they were planning for type-r base for under 30K
Just what the world needed – another hideous Honduh product. Our eyes can’t take more rolling road rabies.
Please put this drivetrain in an Acura ILX…I just can’t look at one of these.
That would require Honda doing anything at all with Acura…It’s just a marketer’s cesspool and detracts from the quality of Honda engineering…disband Acura, and put the money into product. I miss Honda….
Who “designed” that thing, the art director for the Transformers movies?
@cprescott: LOL!! “rolling rabies” is right up there with “asteroid impact craters” describing the front/rear fake vent surrounds!!
FFS: for the price one gets that pre wrecked look. What a clown car