Honda Civic Type R Prototype: It's Almost Here!

Although we’d been hearing rumors for weeks that there would be a “surprise” unveil of the Honda Civic Type R at the Paris auto show, we tried to act shocked when it actually happened. The company hasn’t released any technical details, but this styling concept (officially it’s the Civic Type R Prototype) clearly shows how the production model will look when it’s unveiled next year. And, yes, this is indeed the first Honda-badged Type R that will be sold in the United States.

While it will almost certainly be the most aesthetically muscular version of the tenth-gen Civic, the Type R is less angry-looking than the current Euro-spec R, with Honda insiders admitting that car’s stormtrooper-esque styling has been too aggressive for many. Don’t worry, it still looks plenty punchy, especially at the back where twin rear wings look set to engender at least one ALL THE SPOILERZ meme. There’s also a carbon-fiber front spoiler with red highlights, carbon-fiber side skirts, and a sizable diffuser at the back above the trio of center-exit exhaust pipes. Up front, a restyled front fascia has additional air intakes with diamond-pattern mesh inserts, a functional hood scoop, and smoked lenses. Gloss-black 20-inch alloys fill the wheel wells and also get red accents.

The official line on the car’s mechanical layout is that there is no official line on the car’s mechanical layout. That’s no great problem, as we already know from our drive in the current-generation Euro Type R that the new car will feature an evolved version of the same Ohio-built turbocharged VTEC four-banger, presumably with a power boost beyond the existing 306 horsepower.

That’s the sort of power that most manufacturers offer in conjunction with all-wheel drive, but Honda has said it regards the weight penalty of such a system as being unacceptable. So output will be sent to the front wheels only—and occasionally vaporized into the atmosphere—likely via a six-speed manual gearbox.

Honda recently lost the current Type R’s front-wheel-drive lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife—yes, that’s really a thing—to the Volkswagen GTI Clubsport S, so it’s a safe bet that the new R will be aiming to win that one back.