Every Honda Civic Type R at SEMA 2017
Walking the world’s weirdest car show in search of all the Civic Type Rs.
SEMA 2017 has come to an end. It only makes sense for the SEMA show to happen in Las Vegas. It’s the world’s weirdest car show, in one of the world’s weirdest places. Equally weird was the lack of Hondas in attendance at this years show. An interesting turn of events considering I had 2017 pegged as the year of the Civic Type R for SEMA. The hottest new tuner car was sure to set the show on fire, much like the Scion FR-S did back in 2013. At least, that is what I thought would be the case this year.
General Honda representation was so thin this year that I made it a mission to scope out every new Civic Type R in attendance. I walked every hall, from North to South, repeatedly over the course of SEMA, averaging 12 miles a day on foot. I covered every inch of the show. There were 9* Civic Type Rs at SEMA, and even that comes with an asterisk. Let’s break it down.
First up, a familiar face. This is the Evasive Motorsport Type R. If the car looks familiar, it should, we have covered some of Evasive’s development process with the Type R. Since then, their Type R has come a long way.
Since our initial reporting on this car, it has picked up a handful of modifications. It’s been lowered on Eibach springs, which seem to be a common choice for the FK8. Vocally, this Type R sounds off through GReddy pipes. The Evasive team sits in comfort thanks to some red Recaro Pole Position seats. Crucially, the car is rolling on 18×9.5″ Advan Racing GT wheels with Maxxis VR1 track day tires.
SEE ALSO: 2017 Honda Civic Type R Track Tested
Next up was Honda’s own booth. Honda and Acura brought a great display to SEMA, with a heavy focus on motorsport and racing. SEMA is where the brand unveiled their K20C1 crate motor program. It’s only natural that their booth would be jam-packed with Type R goodness.
Remember that asterisk I mentioned a few paragraphs back? Here it is. This 2017 Civic Si coupe club racer has received a K20C1 engine swap. It may not be a “real” Type R, but it has the heart of one.
Interestingly, some JDM-spec Modulo parts made their way to SEMA with the Red Carbon Kit. This appearance package features a lot of white and red garb, that was received with mixed reactions. We can do without the anime aesthetic with the red stripe, but the wheels are nice.
This track-ready CTR is caged and shod with Toyo Proxes RR racing tires. Time to dominate the track day. This car appears to be an evolution a concept that Honda showed at the Frankfurt auto show. Dubbed the “customer racing study,” it was an example of how the Type R could be modified for racing.
Time to leave the Honda booth and keep walking.
Injen had a Type R on display. It looked pretty stock beyond the SSR wheels, and obviously an Injen intake and prototype exhaust. Similarly, aFe Power also had a gray FK8 on display, with their Takeda brand intake installed (see last image).
SEE ALSO: Honda-tech Forum Member Buys FK8 Type R!
Eibach, which seems to be the lowering spring of choice for a lot of these cars, had a car on display in conjunction with Graham Rahal Performance. Having followed this car on social media a bit, I recall it being pretty much stock except for wheels and the low. Last I heard, Rahal was deciding what to do with the car.
Enkei had another Type R race car on display. This one was wearing their GTC01 wheel with Toyo race rubber. Similar to Honda’s race Type R it was also netted, caged and ready to race. Though, this one ran Bride seats and Schroth harnesses inside.
Then there was the Sheepey Built x CSF Radiators FK8. It also features the Seibon carbon fiber hood, and some upgraded aero elements. Naturally, it has a big CSF radiator and upgraded intercooler (coming soon).
Last, but not least, is the Seibon Carbon Type R. Seibon came out swinging with a full array of carbon fiber body parts for the FK8. The hood, mirrors, front and rear spoilers and the skirts are all carbon. This one was lowered on H&R Sport springs and sat on Volk Racing ZE40 wheels (a personal favorite).
There it is, the 9* (8 if you don’t include the K20C1 swapped Si) Honda Civic Type Rs of SEMA. Let’s hope 2018 sees a surge of these cars as dealer inventories become more plentiful.
