The Honda Civic was introduced in 1972. It was available with a 1.2 liter, in-line four. It had four wheels. It had three doors. It was what we expect today with a Civic.
This is a
1997 Civic. The engine is a little bigger, 1.6 liters, and the crumple zones are a little more crumply. It even has airbags and air conditioning.
But this one is a little more different. It says Type-R on the panel. That's like a Japanese go-faster stripe.
Honda has had a Type-R badge since 1992. It denotes a high performance version, and it has always been the model to pick in the NSX and Integra line-ups. This marks the first time the Civic has received Type-R treatment.
It is a little more than a go-faster stripe. The chassis has been stiffened, the suspension upgraded, and the engine tweaked up a bit. It even has alloy wheels and a cute little spoiler over the hatch.
The Civic Type-R has 189 horse power. That is more than a Mini Cooper S, more than a Peugeot 207 GTi, and more than a SEAT Ibiza Cupra. And at 19,980, it is also cheaper than all of those. It is also cheaper than the Golf GTi, the Volvo C30, and the Ford Focus ST.
So, it is pretty good bang for the buck. Plus, it is fun to drive. The Civic is nimble, spritely even. It is easy to get around a track and manageable on a country road. It will put a smile on your face, if for no other reason but the extra things you can do with the money you've saved.
But, it is still a Honda. It isn't what we can call fast. Even with the kicked up motor, which only produced 180 horses on the test model, it still feels sluggish under acceleration, making 60 in 8.4 seconds and topping out just over 125 MPH. On the test track, I was only able to get it around in a 1:35.3. Still, for less than twenty grand, it was fun.
But this isn't the reason why I love the Civic. No, I like it because it is so simple and cheap. They are like socks really. Anything simple and cheap will get fiddled with over and over. Tuners have kicked out so many variants on the Civic theme that you could… well…. You could have a whole drawer full of them.
One thing you typically find in a drawer is a
Spoon, like this one. And while this is a 2000 model, underneath the Spoon badging it is still an EK Civic.
The Spoon Civic will set you back nearly seventy-five grand. And while that is a fifty-five grand upgrade, you get quite a lot. The engine now cranks out 224 horses and revs to over 11,000. The tires are now sports compounds, meant to go faster. The suspension is stiffened and the chubby little hatch has gone anemic, shedding 230 kilograms.
Right out of the gate, there is a difference. The car races up to 60 in 6.3 seconds and keeps on to cross 145. On the track, car is a staggering 12 seconds faster.
The Spoon is a great little car, but I can't help but feel that the transmission is a little sluggish.
For those wanting to drop even more money, there is this: The
B-Racing Replica.
The B-Racing Civic is slammed down, and painted bright orange. But it is more than just show. The tires are softer, grippier, and the engine is stronger, beefier. It cranks out 245 horse power.
Despite this, it will still only do 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds, and is no faster than the Spoon. It is also not cheap. It will take your wallet for nearly twice what the Spoon did. And while the B-Racing model still has carpets, it isn't what one would call luxurious.
But woah is it quick. You can't help but smile while you drive it. And it isn't just the numbers. It isn't just that it laps the track nearly five seconds faster than the Spoon. It is just a full on blast to drive. The car responds and bites into the corners, powering through them. Even though, you know it is going to understeer, it is easier to tame than in the Spoon. It is easy to forget that this is a small Japanese hatch built for economy and durability more so than speed and sport.
I love this little orange car. It is hard to imagine that a Civic can get any more fun than this.
But there are those willing to try.
For just nine-and-a-half grand more than the B-Racing Replica, is the
SWIFT Version I. It has the same soft sports tires as the B-Racing, but it tips the scales at 52 kilograms less than the B-Racing. But, it also has 35 less horse power. So while it has the same zero-to-sixty time of the orange Civic, it is slower, topping out under 140 MPH and finishing a flying lap two seconds slower.
Still, it is fun to drive. The understeer is tamable, and the car is easy enough to manage.
But, what if you wanted to spend even more.
For just over 205 grand, you could have one of these.
This is the BYS's
Killer Bee, and this is the RKM Motorsports'
VTi-R. Both have 275 horse power, both weigh only 888 kilograms. Both round the track in just over 1:21, a second faster than the B-Racing Replica.
They also both have quite noticeable understeer, though it is a bit worse on the Killer Bee. They both have Limited Slip Differentials to try and tame the torque steer. On the Killer Bee it is evident, and sometimes distracting. And while the Killer Bee's top-end speed isn't as high as the VTi-R, it does accelerate faster.
Still though, between the two of them, I do prefer the VTi-R. That isn't to say the Killer Bee is bad. For that matter, none of these tunes have been bad.
Still, these two cost so much that they don't really make any sense. For about thirty thousand less, one can get into a full fledged racing car nicely fitted out to not only have 332 horses, but to take the track in 1:18.6. The reason why the Civic even exists is as a cheap alternative to a real car. So, if you are going to spend so much, why not move on to something else.
The Civic then is a teenage plaything, a toy for grown up boys.
But, at the end of the day, I just don't care. They are fantastic fun. I just don't want to stop playing with my toys.
