Civic Type R Limited Edition to Serve as WTCR Safety Car Once Again

For the second straight season, Honda’s Civic Type R Limited Edition will hit the track in a bright yellow livery.

Last year, the then-new Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition was named the official safety car of the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup. And it will serve in that role once again for 2021, a season that also marks Honda’s 10th straight at the World Touring Car level of competition. For 2021, the Civic Type R Limited Edition will sport the same Sunset Yellow color and livery as it did last season, which was created by Belgian artist Vanuf, who’s responsible for a number of Honda touring car liveries.

“We are extremely pleased that Honda has extended its commitment as Official Safety Car Partner to the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup with the Civic Type R Limited Edition for 2021,” said Xavier Gavory, WTCR Director for Eurosport Events. “The Civic Type R is a fantastic fit as the Official Safety Car not only because of its iconic status but also because its qualities – which include its excellent safety rating, affordability, and dynamic appearance – fit perfectly with the principles upon which the WTCR was established.”

Indeed, the Type R Limited Edition is a perfect fit for this particular racing series, given the fact that it’s the purest, most track-focused version of Honda’s hot hatch to date. The stripped-down version of the regular Type R weighs a full 47 kilograms, or 104 pounds less than its counterpart, and features a host of go-fast goodies including modified dampers, two-piece floating brake discs, 20-inch forged BBS wheels, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

The Limited Edition’s turbocharged 2.0-liter VTEC powerplant remains unchanged, however, which means that output comes in at 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. But since this is a safety car, the special Type R must also be, well, safe. And in that regard, it comes packed with the same active safety and driver-assist technologies that earned the Civic family top ratings in Euro NCAP tests.

You’ll be able to catch the Type R Limited Edition safety car when it hits the track at Germany’s legendary Nurburgring on June 3 before it heads out on a world tour for a 2021 season that concludes November 21.

Photos: Honda

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.