New Civic R sets Nurburgring lap record

This past April, a “time-attack” assault on the famous 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife saw the 235kW/400Nm Type R set a lap time of 7m43.8s, beating the previous FWD record of 7m49.21s set by a Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S. The VW in turn beat the previous generation Civic Type R, which had set a 7m50.63s lap time in 2015.

Honda says the lap time was achieved in a “development car” with a roll cage and road-legal track-focussed tyres fitted, but Honda says these didn’t give any advantage over a production specification Type R.

These production specs include the optimised and refined 2.0-litre VTEC four-cylinder turbo engine, matched to a six-speed manual gearbox with new, lower ratios.

With a lighter, stiffer body frame, the upcoming tenth-generation Civic (fifth generation Type R) has also been comprehensively re-skinned in Type R form, resulting in what Honda says is a more comprehensive aerodynamic package.

A wider track, longer wheelbase and new multi-link rear suspension work with the aforementioned aero to deliver flatter, faster cornering, according to Honda. In the case of the Nurburgring lap, Honda said they could enter certain corners (there are 73 corners on the Nordschleife) at speeds 10km/h higher than previously, increasing overall speed for the lap.

Display and demonstration units of the new Civic Type R are here now, but Australian sales aren’t due to commence until Q4, 2017.