A Civic Type R test car has been spotted again in
Europe, this time on the punishing Nürburgring racetrack. Honda is currently running two
prototypes on the “Green Hell,” a white and a yellow one. The former is more or
less the same car our photographers spotted last year on the public roads
around the Nordschleife. However, the yellow one seems to be in a different
stage of development.
While it features the same updated front and rear
bumpers as the white, the yellow car features a fully camouflaged roof and
camouflaged air intake in the bonnet. Our guess is Honda is testing lightweight
parts for the facelifted Civic Type R.
Another way to explain this would be that Honda is
testing a special edition model that will feature a carbon fiber hood scoop and
carbon fiber roof. We don’t know which (if any) of these assumptions will turn
out to be true, but we do know that Honda said it would add more variants for
the Civic Type R in order to continue generating interest and, thus, demand.
During the previous sighting, we noticed that the
automaker was also testing a smaller rear wing, possibly for an entry-level
version. Unfortunately, not much else is known about the refreshed Civic Type
R. We assume it will retain the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, but
whether it will offer a power upgrade over the current unit’s 306 HP is anyone’s guess right now.
Honda is expected to introduce the updated Civic
Type R late this year, following a possible world debut at the Frankfurt Motor
Show.
