Thursday 23rd May 2019

Team Dynamics reveals 400hp Civic Type R

The Honda BTCC works team must have some time on their hands...

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It must be nice to have a race team in your back pocket ready to do your bidding. Honda has clearly been taking full advantage of its close working relationship with Team Dynamics recently, because it has just unveiled a Civic Type R built by the Droitwich-based firm at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.

The one-off model is intended to showcase the potential of everyone's favourite front-drive hot hatch. To do this, the team has chucked a small pile of 'carefully selected' off-the-shelf components at the car.

Most notably, it has modified the ECU (Superchips), the induction system (ITG), intercooler (PWR, sports cat (Dream) and exhaust (Scorpion), yielding a claimed 25 per cent improvement in performance. That puts peak power at 400hp (or possibly 405hp if its reporting bhp) and 369lb ft of torque - 74lb ft more than standard.

We'd wager that the standard Civic chassis is man enough to accept those figures without too much undue fuss. But this is a multi-championship winning race team so of course it didn't stop there: the Team Dynamics Motorsport car also receiving Eibach Pro performance springs, adjustable anti-roll bars and rear camber arms. Not to mention Dunlop DZ03G track day tyres.

Throw in some braided Goodridge brake hoses and a set of 19-inch Pro-Race lightweight wheels and you've got yourself a Type R concept that even a BTCC team can be proud of. No word on performance figures yet or how much the project cost, but the result is fully road-legal and, while wider production is not planned, Team Dynamics will apparently build you one if you ask nicely.

Commenting on the new Civic, James Rodgers, team manager at Team Dynamics, said: "We're familiar with the race-winning FK8, however we wanted to showcase what can be extracted from the car with just a few light modifications. The standard car, which we call a race car for the road, is so competent that it really doesn't take much to take it to the next level."

[Jon_S_Rally]

So TD are familiar with the "race winning" FK8? I guess that must be a different FK8, because their BTCC cars share about as many parts with an FK8 road car as my left testicle

This is a nice looking car though. Little drop and the wheels suit it well. Going to be pretty potent with 400 horses under the bonnet too.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Having just read a press release, who cares about this one - show us the rally raid one!

[Jon_S_Rally]

HumanSteamroller said:

I just can't get over how slapped together it looks, like a parts-bin special from an aftermarket modder.

One man's slapped together is another man's purposeful race car for the road.

I think it was always going to struggle a bit, because the basic Civic is a bit of a minger, but I still like it. It's not pretty, but it's wild and functional, a bit like the Evo/Impreza/Escort Cosworth were back in the day.

[Jon_S_Rally]

soad said:

Jon_S_Rally said:

Having just read a press release, who cares about this one - show us the rally raid one!

https://www.gtplanet.net/honda-civic-type-r-rally-car/

That's far more interesting than one with some lowering springs and a remap!

[Jon_S_Rally]

rsbmw said:

Jon_S_Rally said:

This is a nice looking car though.

Yes, should go well with your dark glasses, white stick and dog

Yes you might be right.

It would be a boring world if we all stuck to vanilla ice cream, ready salted crisps and the missionary position though.

[Jon_S_Rally]

HumanSteamroller said:

True, but visually this car is the equivalent of mouthwash flavour ice cream, shake 'n' vac flavour crisps, and trying to bend it round and stuff it into your own bum.

Visually, perhaps yes.

However, while a Golf R/S3/Leon Cupra would take you out for a decent meal, offer you acceptable company and a nice glass of wine, before making sure you were dropped safely home by 11pm, the Civic would be pouring Jaeger bombs and tequila down your throat in Wetherspoons, have you dancing on the bar of a dingy nightclub with a sticky floor, before helping you to stuff a dirty kebab, persuading you to crash a random house party, videoing you snorting coke off a hooker's arse, then drawing penises on your face with a permanent marker after you've passed out.

One offers quite a pleasant, but ultimately forgettable evening, while the other is one you'll remember 25 years later. I spent a year driving a respectable German hot hatch and, while it was very good, it's not the car I'd be telling my grand kids about.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Marvin Trill said:

Is this an optional extra on the Honda?

I'd buy you a Lion bar if you went in to your local dealer and asked.

dunnoreally said:

So they're both a pretty generic nightout, just one's for when your 20 and the other's for when your 40? Not saying which is which

Well, I suppose 40 year olds are probably more likely to be able to afford coke?

[Jon_S_Rally]

I do have to giggle at how much the looks of this car divide people. I'm sure it was similar when the Sierra Cosworth, Escort Cosworth and big-winged Impreza and Evo arrived on the scene. In a way, the Civic is as close as we're going to get to those cars. They have become iconic, and I suspect the Civic is a car that might be better appreciated in the future.

Also have to smile at how so many PH folk slate a car like this, but wax lyrical over the M135i/M140i which, other than a nice engine, are widely regarded as being deeply flawed. I wonder how people would feel about the Type-R if it had a BMW badge on it?

Dblue said:

You know something guys, I 've had a pretty big collection of great performance cars over the years but I get nothing but positive, sometimes
gushing appreciation of my FK8
I know what those that don't like it mean but it looks special.


It does make me laugh when proponents of Golf Rs or M140i sneer. They look just like thousands of cooking diesel versions of their respective ranges. You need to be pretty clued up to know it's actually the quick one.

Just been buzzed along a favourite but busy bit of "A" road by a guy in Golf R who wanted to "play" - But in the low sun I honestly mistook it for a TDi

But if it was a quiet early morning I know which car I'd prefer to be in
.

That was my biggest issue with my Golf R in many ways. It was a fantastic car when looked at subjectively, but it just lacked anything to mark it out as being genuinely special. It didn't look that different to a GTD and then, part way through having mine, the R-Line appeared, which looked almost identical to my R, save for the wheels and exhausts. You can't knock VW for playing it safe in a way, as they have shifted loads of them, but it just lacked those final few percent for me. The Megane that replaced my Golf wasn't ultimately as quick I suspect, but it felt 100x more special.

Shuthan_S5 said:

I personally think anyone over the age of 25 would look ridiculous driving this around, Just my opinion off course. I used to be a huge Honda fan of the days of the EK9, DC2, S2000, ATR and Prelude but looking at this hideous thing makes me wonder where has the subtle nature that used to dominate performance Hondas has gone. Normally cars grow on me more I see it, but this and the previous FK2 still looks absolutely horrid and reminds me a bit of the old Max power days.

Odd really, as the vast majority of buyers will be over 25. I thought, as a Honda fan, you'd be happy they were finally producing some cars with some torque

[Jon_S_Rally]

Shuthan_S5 said:

I will correct you by saying 'past' Honda fan, Torque never bothered me when I had Type-Rs as they were all about revs and none were daily drivers for me to worry about that. Yes majority will be over 25 as I have 2 mates who have FK8's and they know my opinion on it.

That's part of why they died I suspect. While a revvy car can be great fun, on the road, as a daily, it's just plain irritating to your average buyer. And Honda were never going to keep up with the opposition if they didn't adopt turbocharging. That's before we even get to the emissions business, which is the most dominant factor of all.

While the looks of the FK2 and FK8 are extreme compared to the majority of rivals, I personally think it's excellent that Honda have gone their own way and are offering something different. The cars are unashamedly all about performance and being as wild as they could get away with. While it isn't quite what fast Hondas have traditionally been about (at least in terms of styling), it is quite a nice antidote to the very staid German alternatives, especially as Ford have toned things down a bit and Mitsubishi/Subaru have given up on making cars for people under 70.

[Jon_S_Rally]

rallycross said:

I think this model really does fit into the looks like a Halfords special category - this gen CTR look ridiculous - same way the previous gen Focus RS looked silly.

I used to drive things like Sierra and Escort Cosworth and Evo’s 6/8/9 - they looked purposeful as the looks were dictated by motorsport.

To me the new CTR looks like a bunch of teenagers were let lose at the design stage it’s hideous and none of it has any link to motorsport so it’s very hard to justify the extreme styling - the people who can afford one (older folks) look totally out of place when you see one out on the road.

400 bhp in a fwd is this the most power yet seen in a FWD from a manufacturer?

The Halfords comparison is an odd one really, as Halfords don't actually sell big spoilers or wide-arch body kits

Isn't one of the big advertising points of the Type-R that the aerodynamic add-ons are functional? So, while it doesn't have a link to motorsport, it's there for a reason, so surely the justification is the same?

As for the most powerful FWD car, does that crown still live with the MK2 Focus RS500 at 350PS?

Shuthan_S5 said:

I haven't got an issue on them going turbo on their cars, I understand they have to now, but I have never liked shouty styling with silly spoilers and fake arch vents on any car and the interior is not a nice place to be either, plus bearing in mind its still a FWD car so no idea why you need a silly spoiler on it. If I had to pick a current hot hatch, it would be the S3 or Golf R as its subtle, nicer interior and has identical pace to the CTR. I do understand people like to maybe stand out with this sort of styling but its not for me and don't think the styling will ever grow on me either. They are really capable cars though, got to give it that.

You'd better start ringing round the BTCC and TCR teams to tell them to take the big silly spoilers off their FWD cars The problem with the cars you mention is that, while they are very capable, they are also quite dull to drive compared to the more focused options. I've not driven the FK8, but I have driven an FK2, and that was a much more interesting car to drive than the Golf R. I absolutely get that big wings aren't for everyone though. That's where the Megane 3 R.S. worked so well really. The styling was relatively subtle, but it was sharp as a razor to drive. In this segment, the Civic now seems to be the only really sharp option by most accounts. Maybe the new Focus ST will give people a great-to-drive-but-subtle-to-look-at option.

Black S2K said:

I really ought to agree with that statement, but I don't entirely.

Whilst I love the anonymity/capability ratio of my Leg End, I can really see the appeal of the current FK8. Like many Hondas, the design has inexplicably grown on me. Many of its rivals are very ugly and very daft and it's successfully outdone them all.

At 56, I intend to grow old disgracefully. Perhaps it's that.

Good on you.

All this "I couldn't drive that at my age" business is painfully dull. It's sad that people worry so much about what other people think of them that they'd rather have something worse in order to avoid being judged by people that they don't know and will likely never even speak to.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Shuthan_S5 said:

I have driven an S3 and I would say that is not dull, but people listen too much to what the media think than take the car down a nice road and witness it for themselves. I am just saying that for a car that has just over 300BHP, it does not need to look outrageous, its not a Lamborghini at the end of the day. It is like Honda wanted to be noticed in the hot hatch market and went mad with putting all sorts on the car. No other hot hatch has silly styling like that and most of them produce more power than the CTR.

Oh and I don't care about what other people think, I just couldn't stand to look at it every day I come out of my house, it is that ugly to me, and that includes the interior where you spend a lot of your time in, for a car that is 32k or so, the interior is a bit too plastic.

Edited by Shuthan_S5 on Friday 24th May 13:12

The S3 isn't meant to drive as well as a Golf R is it? I had one of those for a year and was bored within six months. Extremely capable but just not engaging. You may as well have been a passenger. Obviously it's not as dull as 1.6TDI but, compared to some of the best hot hatches out there, it just can't match them in terms of feeling special, or having great steering, or a nice sounding engine. They're a great all-rounder, but they don't really excel at anything in particular.

Of course the Honda doesn't NEED wild styling, but that's part of it's USP. It is sold as a "track car for the road". If it had subdued styling, it would just be another bland box and it would never get anywhere near its rivals. As you say yourself, Honda can't match the Germans in terms of interior quality or badge prestige, I can't blame them for trying something different, as they were always going to struggle to beat the likes of VW at their own game. Let's face it, while the older Type-R models didn't have particularly wild styling, they still had ste interiors, so not that much has changed in reality. They were never exactly pretty either.

Ultimately, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That's the great thing about us having lots of choice though.

[Jon_S_Rally]

TheDrBrian said:

Pray tell how does solid mesh "printed" plastic help the aero?

It doesn't, but I didn't mention fake mesh. Let's face it, Honda aren't the only ones to use that trick.

Shuthan_S5 said:

The older cars were from the 90's to early 00's and were cheaper, which you can forgive it for having an average interior but if I am paying 30k+ on a car, I want the interior to be less plastic for a start, but each to their own at the end of the day. A track car for the road doesn't need to be wild either, look at the Renault Clio 182 for example to even the current Renault Clio RS. Anyway we could go on all day but I won't be buying an FK8 ever so I don't need to worry about it

Were they that much cheaper? An EP3 Type-R was similar money to a Focus ST, which it still is. £30k sounds a lot, but that's the going rate for a lot of C-segment hot hatches these days. It doesn't need to be wild, but that's the USP Honda have gone for and good on them I say. Everyone else is staying very conservative for the most part, but variety is the spice of life