- A lightweight European-only spec of the 2023 Honda Civic Type R has set the record for the fastest front-wheel-drive production car at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
- Honda says the special CTR—called the Type R S—circled the 12.94-mile course in 7:44.881, beating the 2019 Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R’s time of 7:45.399.
- The record-setting Civic Type R S wore a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 track tires, which on European models have to be ordered directly through Michelin.
CLARIFICATION 4/21/2023: We’ve updated this story to clarify that the Honda Civic Type R that set the front-drive record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife is a lightweight model called the Type R S that will only be sold in left-hand-drive European markets. Regular versions of the Euro-spec CTR feature a 325-hp 2.0-liter turbo four, whereas U.S. models are rated at 315 horses.
The new Honda Civic Type R is a front-wheel-drive beast. We’ve known this for awhile, and now the rest of the world is reminded of its greatness as Honda has announced it’s the fastest front-drive production car to lap the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The track-focused hatchback circled the 12.94-mile track in 7:44.881. That time beats the previous FWD record of 7:45.399, which was set by a 2019 Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R. However, the record-setting CTR isn’t the same one sold in America. It’s actually a lighter version called the Type R S, which will only be sold in left-hand-drive European markets.
The Civic Type R S that lapped the ‘Ring wore Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s. While those race-focused tires are available as a $1780 dealer-installed option to U.S. customers, Honda says in Europe they must be ordered directly from Michelin. Car and Driver has reached out to Honda for comment on whether the Civic Type R S comes fitted with Cup 2s, because otherwise it might lead to questions about the car’s production-spec qualifications. We’ll update this story once we hear back. In the meantime, watch the CTRS set the lap record from inside the cockpit in the video below.
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People who remember a last-gen 2017 Civic Type R posting a quicker Nürburgring lap time of 7:43.80 might be scratching their heads right now. That’s because some things have changed at the Nürburgring since then, as our colleagues at Road & Track have detailed. In a nutshell, the people who operate the track have started regulating lap times, which includes new rules about where a lap starts and finishes.
Previously, the Nordschleife’s was 12.8 miles from beginning to end, but now it’s 12.94 miles. The added 0.14 mile and official timekeeping obviously means lap times set before the 2019 rule changes can’t be directly compared to those that came after.
So, no, the new CTR’s time isn’t slower than its predecessor. We saw firsthand the improvements made to the latest generation during our most recent Lightning Lap, where the 2023 Civic Type R became the quickest FWD car we’ve ever lapped at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Its time of 2:58.8 was also 1.9 seconds quicker than the old Type R Limited Edition.
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Senior Editor
Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.
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