Civic Type-R teaser

Honda is determined to tease us for as long as possible with its forthcoming Civic Type-R.


This official picture shows off the hot hatch's aggressive looks, based on the newly released three-door Civic body.

The Type-R does away with the standard car's front foglights to use the spaces for air intakes to the hot hatch's 197bhp 2.0-litre engine.

There are also beefy side skirts to lower the car's stance and a large rear spoiler to give the Type-R a mean look.

The engine has the same 197bhp as its predecessor, but Honda tells us performance will be quicker for the new Type-R, thanks to improved mid-rev power and different gearing for the six-speed manual gearbox.

A GT trim will be offered for the Type-R to offer luxury goodies such as climate control and rain-sensing wipers.

For those who don't want the hard core Type-R, the Type-S has similar looks but comes with a 138bhp 1.8-litre petrol engine or Honda's 2.2-litre turbodiesel unit.

Performance may not be so vivid, but the steering has been sharpened up and the rear track widened by 20mm.

The Type-S and other three-door Civic models make their debut at the British motor show from July 20-30, but we'll have to wait until March 2007 for the Type-R.

© Source: original article on topgear.com