With the 2014 BTCC starting later this month, testing will be well underway for all the teams. And despite the rather surprising addition of a
Mercedes A-Class
to the grid recently, there's only one car we're really interested in seeing; the
Honda Civic Tourer
Revealed in a teaser sketch last year and then at the Autosport show, Honda's new racer is the first wagon to race in the BTCC since the legendary Volvo 850 of the mid-90s.
Seen here at Oulton Park (and from only one corner, sadly), the Civic certainly won't go unnoticed in a packed grid. It's not as gigantic as the old Volvo but the silhouette is so unfamiliar that you can't help but look a little longer. An appropriately massive rear spoiler also gives it some presence, though it will surely make seeing other cars behind a challenge...
Like many of the other NGTC touring cars, the Civic's turbocharged engine makes a fair old din without being particularly tuneful. But we'd rather touring cars with turbos than none at all. Heck, even the roadgoing Type R has succumbed to forced induction now. Wonder if there'll be a Tourer Type R?