Every Civic Type R Generation Together on One Track
Getting each generation from the Civic Type R timeline together for a comparison video is a rarity, but these South African journalists pulled it off.
Because the Civic Type R’s distribution has been spotty until recently in a global sense, getting an example of each generation in the same place is never going to be easy. However, Cars.co.za YouTube channel pulled it off in Cape Town, South Africa. The two presenters drive them all, and then even try to pick out a favorite.
They split the field for review between the earlier naturally-aspirated versions and the later forced-induction models. Naturally, the EK9 is the first out for the shakedown as it’s the blueprint for everything else that follows. The 6th-generation Civic went on a weight-reduction reduction diet in 1997 to become the first Civic Type R and gained a high output four-cylinder engine, chassis stiffening, a close ratio gearbox and a helical limited-slip differential.
ALSO SEE: Honda Civic Type R Track Tested!
From there, it only got better. The next Civic Type R, the EP3, was manufactured in Swindon, UK. It’s the same place the current FK8 model is manufactured, but curiously, the UK version didn’t get the red Recaro seats or the helical LSD they rave about in the video. The JDM version was still built in the UK, but the Japan-spec parts were shipped to the UK to be put on before the finished chassis was sent to Japan.
By the time they’ve driven all of the Type R Civic’s to get to the FK8, the sun is setting on a dream day for any Honda enthusiast. They don’t spend too much time deciding on a favorite because, as they rightly point out, it’s a discussion that would go on all night. We know it’s a discussion that will go longer than that, and we’re not sure it’s one that could ever be truly resolved. It’s fun to try though.
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