Honda Civic Type R (EK9): Spotted
A 20 year-old Civic for £9k? Might just be worth it, you know...
While the demise of much that we love in fast cars is all too familiar by now, it doesn't make the fact any less depressing. Furthermore, while an obsession with classic, racy Japanese metal isn't a new phenomenon - and may well be linked to a future not many are sure about - it also shows no signs of abating. If anything, as the future looms more ominously, the desire to return to a simpler time for fast cars only gets stronger.
The problem now being faced by our Japanese obsession is age - and not just of us, as prospective buyers. While there are some fantastic Japanese cars still on sale - see Civic Type R, Nissan GT-R, Toyota GT86 and Mazda MX-5 - it's probably fair to say that the glory years for Japan are somewhere around the turn of the 21st century. The original Subaru Impreza ended production in 2000 and the R34 Skyline GT-R was introduced to the world in 1999, which was also the year of Tommi Makinen's last WRC title; you might have heard about the car that bore his name from that year, too...
Point is, that's nearly 20 years ago, making the vicious circle surrounding Japanese cars - particularly those imported from their home land - even more concerning. These are typically cars that suffered pretty badly from rust, but begged to be driven hard and created a whole new modifying scene around them as well. To find presentable examples as they approach two decades old is getting trickier, seemingly by the week.
But we might have one here. This EK9 Civic Type R is recently imported, meaning it hasn't had to face a series of British winters. Consequently it's said to be rust-free, though that would be well worth investigating properly. And while there are modifications, those iffy gauges can surely be pulled and, while the intake and exhaust tweaks take the car away from standard, they might be quite hard to reject once they've been heard...
Because here in this little Civic is what we're now realising we missed. A super slender kerb weight, a great manual gearbox, a screaming little engine and a chassis of unflinching focus. Sure, it may not be the best ever hot hatch to drive by some accounts, but as a reminder of why so many of us fell in love with the Japanese Domestic Market it's damn near perfect. The cars were just so raw, while also presenting this fascinating dichotomy of the impossibly exotic and really quite humdrum - this was 116hp per litre in 1998. In a Honda Civic.
As such, the £9k being asked for this Championship White car doesn't look out of place. Our Hero story from a couple of years ago put the values at £6-£9,500, so there's been plenty of warning. And sure, there are plenty of other fast Civics at the money - leave alone the front-, four- and rear-wheel drive JDM alternatives - but, as is often the case, nothing else is going to match up if your heart is set on something. While it might be hard for many to see the appeal in a dorky little Honda from the 1990s, we absolutely can here; with turbos, automatics and whatever else only set to become more prominent, expect the original CTR's stock - and value - to rise further still.
SPECIFICATION - HONDA CIVIC TYPE R (EK9)
Engine: 1,595cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive, limited-slip diff
Power (hp): 185@8,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 118@7,500rpm
MPG: n/a
CO2: n/a
First registered: 1998
Recorded mileage: 76,000
Price new: £16,500
Yours for: £8,995
See the full ad here.
I would love to own an EK9 at some point, they are getting harder to find though and the price is reflecting that.
I’ve been in one of these EKs when I was quite young with a driver who was quite keen to get to where he was going in as short a time as possible. I know it’s not really what these are about but I remember the sound and acceleration on a long stretch was just awesome to experience as a young en. It was modified to some extent and is heavily modified now and does a fair bit of racing (and a decent bit of exploding by all accounts).
Anyway, old Hondas, love them.
There's one thing that's always puzzled me about these. They receive (rightly) rave reviews now, but as one earlier poster has alluded to, the motoring press wasn't blown away when they were new.
I'm sure it was an EK9 that featured in Performance Car's best hot hatch of all time feature in 1998, shortly before Meaden and Barker went off to EVO. The Clio Williams won and the test was set on the B660 where I am sure the testers said the Civic struggled to keep up with the winning Clio. Hopefully someone on this forum has the issue stashed away somewhere and can confirm whether my memory is correct or fading. I threw out my copy at least 10 years ago!
Given the relative power to weight ratio on the Civic compared to the Clio that seems hard to believe now, but there you have it.
I wonder if its the rise of track days in the era since the EK9 was new that now means they are more highly rated. I can imagine its a better track car than road car, compared to the period (French) opposition which was set up quite softly for maximum B road attack.
This is also a lovely version for sale, Love the N1's.
I'm sure it was an EK9 that featured in Performance Car's best hot hatch of all time feature in 1998, shortly before Meaden and Barker went off to EVO. The Clio Williams won and the test was set on the B660 where I am sure the testers said the Civic struggled to keep up with the winning Clio. Hopefully someone on this forum has the issue stashed away somewhere and can confirm whether my memory is correct or fading. I threw out my copy at least 10 years ago!
Given the relative power to weight ratio on the Civic compared to the Clio that seems hard to believe now, but there you have it.
I wonder if its the rise of track days in the era since the EK9 was new that now means they are more highly rated. I can imagine its a better track car than road car, compared to the period (French) opposition which was set up quite softly for maximum B road attack.
IIRC, only a few actually drove it because it was a JDM. Some really liked it and wished it was available, but for most getting to grips with the B16 torqueless wonder was probably too much like hard work. It's a lovely engine, provided one tries to kill it at all times. Perhaps comparing area-under-the-curve to weight ratios might provide an explanation, as opposed to peak power.
Most didn't get it, as it was also too close and possibly second-fiddle to the equally-unavailable DC2.
The EK9 is great fun to drive anywhere. But it can be hard work if you're not in the mood. An EK4 is slightly easier, but was also largely ignored in the UK.
Mr Bulgin didn’t like the Civic chassis likening it to a woolly pudding
See a few round here - one guy also has a yellow Jordan he uses in the winter and salty roads
They are quick off the mark but maybe not as fast as you might expect for power to weight compared to Integra
Certainly something different to see out and about though!
I prefer the 4-dr Civic (FD?) which seem much faster
I’am sure they timed the Type-R at 5.7s to 60 and 18.5s to a 100.
Exciting engine though in the Civic ( 17.5 seconds to a ton which is BMW 328 pace! ) and it got the votes over the Golf 16v to save it from last place
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