Honda Civic Type R TCR racer previewed ahead of 2023 debut

Honda has previewed the first racing homologated version of its latest FL5-generation Civic Type R ahead of its North American debut in April 2023 during the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

This new Civic Type R TCR will replace the outgoing model that debuted in 2015, which was named TCR model of the year in both 2019 and 2020.

Developed in Italy by JAS Motorsport, which is a long-term technical partner of Honda’s, this Civic Type R TCR racer is powered by a “race-prepared” version of the road-going model’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

Honda hasn’t detailed power and torque figures for the Civic Type R TCR, but the road-going model produces 235kW of power and 420Nm of torque in Australia.

The TCR racer amps up the road-going model’s exterior design with a racing aerodynamic package to improve downforce.

Other racing-oriented improvements include a new chassis for enhanced cornering stability, as well as upgrades for the brakes and transmission.

Although Honda hasn’t shown any photos of the latest Civic Type R TCR’s interior yet, it says it has an “ergonomically-refined” cockpit that has been created to comply with FIA regulations and houses a multi-channel driver display.

Racing teams can option extra equipment including additional lighting, driver cooling, anti-lock braking, ‘quick-fil’ fuelling system, and a more sophisticated cockpit display if desired.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) will open orders for the new Civic Type R TCR racer for North America on February 1, 2023. It’s expected to be made available to racing teams in Australia too.

As previously detailed, Australian orders for the road-going Honda Civic Type R are now open, with the first customer deliveries scheduled to begin in February 2023.

It’s priced from $72,600 drive-away, or $25,400 more than the base VTi-LX. For reference, the outgoing model closed out its run with a price tag of $54,990 before on-road costs.

While the Ford Focus ST has been discontinued locally and the Renault Megane R.S. is living on borrowed time, there’s still plenty of competition for the new Type R.

This includes the Hyundai i30 N, priced from $46,200 before on-road costs, and the Volkswagen Golf GTI ($54,990 before on-roads) and R hatchbacks ($65,990 before on-road costs).

The Type R’s more premium pricing pushes it closer to the likes of the Audi S3 ($70,800 before on-roads) and BMW M135i xDrive Pure ($67,900 before on-roads).

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