For all the undoubted performance the current FL5 Honda Civic Type R offers, its appetite for gravel roads has never been seriously tested. That is until now, as the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has unveiled the Civic Type R HRC Rally XP ahead of its slated debut at the Formula 1 US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend.
The car you see here certainly looks the part, slathered in HRC’s white, blue and red livery and wearing a beefy metal skid plate, mud flaps and Speedline rally-spec alloy wheels wrapped in knobbly Hoosier tyres. The driver decals on the rear side windows suggest that Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson will be piloting the car in some form of showcase event during the race week.
No details have been released as yet, but the American Rally Association (ARA) logos tell us it will likely be entered into next year’s ARA National Championship. The employee-run Honda of America Racing Team (HART) currently fields a 2017 Civic hatch and a 2023 Acura Integra in the stock Limited Two-Wheel Drive (L2WD) class, and the CTR should replace one of these cars.
The stock bodywork (the only major change is the brake ducts cut into the front bumper) means the car should continue in the same class. Power should therefore come from the road car’s 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces 319 PS and 420 Nm in stock form – albeit with sleeved cylinders to conform to the class’ 1,600 cc limit. Also expect an uprated transmission, rally-ready suspension and a beefed-up limited-slip differential, along with the usual roll cage and bucket seats.
This is not the first time Honda has created a rally car out of the CTR – back in 2019, its UK arm collaborated with Ralph Hosier Engineering to create the OveRland, replete with much bigger wheels and fender flares.
Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater.
