The End of the 9th Gen Honda Civic Type R
The last 100 9th generation Honda Civics have now completed production, marking the end of the model's lifecycle as the hotly-awaited new one goes on sale in March this year. The last 100 to be made are not only special, they have a unique Black Edition trim. This model was actually only in service since 2015 making it one of the shortest serving models Honda has ever made.
Why a Black Edition Civic Type R?
It was actually created to break the Nurburgring lap time record, which it did with a time of 7 minutes and 50.6 seconds. But sadly it was then quickly snatched away by the Volkswagen Golf GTi Clubsport S, so the 9th Gen model was basically pointless, although it was one of the best looking Civics Honda had made so far. What does the Black Edition bit get you then? Well, you'll have a sweet red and black interior colour scheme with black exterior paint and red endplates on the rear spoiler. It's only a cosmetic facelift, no mechanical changes have been made, and good. With 306bhp at the tap of the pedal, the Type R is pretty good to go already.
Civic Type R specs
Each car will cost £32,300 which is the same price as the range-topping Civic Type R GT, but with it being a rare breed amongst only 100 made, it will maintain a lovely rarity value to boost its overall residual value, meaning more pennies for you. Once all 100 of the remaining new Type Rs are sold it will be a relatively rare car in this country, with only 2,500 examples out there. Adding more value, if it's a decent model compared to the ones before it.
The New Honda Civic and Type R
But what does the 10th generation Civic have that the 9th, 8th and even 7th did not? Due out in March 2017 with the Type R following in Autumn, the new Civic promises big things based on the photos of the prototype revealed at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. For starters, check out the triple-exit exhaust system beautifully moulded within the meaty rear bodywork, finished off with the awesome rear spoiler. It's so well designed and smoothly constructed that you can barely see where the boot opening is. Now that is craftsmanship in its prime. Not to mention the front of the car, where the biggest design changes are. Honda has ditched the sloping bonnet and given it a more squared-off, aggressive front end. So it's a very pretty car, but what can we expect from its performance stats?
Type R engine
Well, it's got the same 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol as the outgoing model but some suggest it will have around 340bhp, which is a fair increase over the older model. It is also suggested that if it is to compare with the likes of its nearest competitors, the Ford Focus RS and the Golf R, then it will need to boast all-wheel drive. We all know that in the best modern performance hatches there is the all-wheel-drive system that enables the car to get better traction, grip and that all-important limited-slip differential so that power is most efficiently applied to each wheel. But, we still have to wait a while to get a glimpse of the new Honda Civic Type R in showrooms. We don't even know proper specs yet either, so watch this space for the latest updates.
If you'd like to ask us a question about anything mentioned above or want to know more about how to lease a Honda Civic, please call our team on 01565 880880, or instead visit our website to see our latest special offer lease deals. Images accredited to car magazine.co.uk and do not belong to All Car Leasing.
This is a page dedicated to an older variant of the Honda Civic Type R, if you would like to know more about the new model please CLICK HERE