They Think It’s All Over – It Is Now
A scant few years ago, Honda sold its exciting range of revvy, racy Type-R cars. There was an Accord for the saloonatics. An Integra might better suit those who wanted a coupe. The really rather special NSX Type-R wasn’t imported into the UK. One example was brought over and touted round the magazines. It even made an appearance on Top Gear where its weight-saving measures were mocked. The gaiter round the gear lever was famously made from mesh instead of leather in order to save a few grammes. All the Type-Rs had a few things in common, most notably engines which lacked torque but revved to the heavens in order to make their power and metal gearknobs which were chilly on the palm of a cold morning.
The last survivor of this slightly unhinged bunch was the Civic. Some people gave the current version a bit of a kicking because its torsion bar rear suspension wasn’t as sophisticated as the wishbones on the previous one. Others thought that the spaceship styling was a little odd. What wasn’t in doubt was the fireworks display under the bonnet and the snickety-snick-snick gearbox. It was revised and revised again and received a limited slip front differential and a white paint job. It was lovely.
Honda stopped making the Civic Type-R when the Muttering Rotter Hot Hatch Revviest Engine of the Year 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 was no longer compliant with emissions regulations. Or something. The LTI TXII taxi can pollute and carry on polluting but the Civic Type-R can’t. This could easily develop into a Type-Rant so I’d better stop.
Mugen do lovely things too. They take mad Hondas and make them madder. Mugen Europe is based in Northampton, in the Rose of the English Counties. I can’t really imagine somewhere more different from Japan with the possible exception of Antarctica. They’re not far from Motorsport Central so it does make sense for them to be there. What you see above is the Civic Type R Mugen 2.2. Last year, Mugen Europe took 20 Civic Type-Rs, stripped them, rebuilt them and made them anew. They became lighter, more powerful and had reworked suspension and brakes and a rather sudden bodykit. Those cars had 2.0-litre engines. This one has a 2.2 version of the same engine for 30% more torque and power. It’s gone up from 240 pesky little German horses to 260. I thought that the Type-R had gone the way of all flesh but Mugen Europe thinks otherwise, bless their little mesh gaiters. There are four unsold 2.0-litre cars remaining. They may receive the new 2.2-litre engine or the other 16 examples loose on the streets of the UK might have the option of an upgrade made available. Whatever, that really will be the end.
Honda has ceased production of this amazing engine and it’s possible that we will never see anything quite like it again. For environmental reasons, engines can no longer scream like banshees to make their power. BMW’s M Division have turned to turbocharging and if Honda ever free themselves from their beige slacks, they’ll have to do the same to get sufficient power from their engines. I suppose they could use a version of their IMA hybrid technology to boost performance but that would require a different approach than they have yet shown, even on the CRZ coupe. In the meantime, lets mark the passing of the four-cylinder, hot hatch screamer with this wonderful, wonderful little engine and this rather odd car.