The Honda Civic Type R, an ode to mechanics
Mechanical differential, mechanical gearbox, the Honda Civic Type R is a hymn to beautiful mechanics. And the new generation obviously intends to continue this spirit. Honda has been very focused in recent...
03/03/2022
Mechanical differential, mechanical gearbox, the Honda Civic Type R is a hymn to beautiful mechanics. And the new generation obviously intends to continue this spirit.
Honda has been very focused in recent weeks at its mainstream launches. HR-V, new Civic sedan (in the United States), electric SUV concept in Shanghai... the Japanese brand is doing like any big manufacturer: first and foremost successful products, then niche cars. The eleventh-generation Civic is already on its way across the Atlantic, and its hatchback variant for Europe is expected to follow in the coming months.
But a Civic would not be a Civic without its Type R version. It is also the only survivor of this lineage which had been marked in particular by the NSX and Integra. Information has just emerged from the North American market: the new Civic Si (coupe) and Type R will only be sold in a mechanical box. Obviously, this will apply to both Americans and Europeans, as long as the manufacturer confirms its launch here.
That would then make this Civic Type R one of the last, if not the last sporty compact sedan with manual transmission. Decoupled pivots, mechanical self-locking and manual gearbox, the recipe seems almost old-fashioned in the face of the avalanche of compact four-wheel drive, dual-clutch gearbox and controlled differentials.