There's an awful lot to like about the new Civic Type R Limited. Though one of the more modest track focused specials, its modifications have assuredly delivered a little extra potential over and above the standard (and already superb) Type R. Less weight means more noise (in a good way), the new wheels and tyres have further improved the handling and the Sunlight Yellow paint is a welcome nod to the Civics of yesteryear.
It's all very nice (price and missing radio notwithstanding) and that's sort of the Limited's problem, if it has one. It isn't mind-bending. It feels like there could have been more, had Honda been minded to deliver it. After all, limited edition Civic Type Rs do have some incredible heritage...
To the majority, 'Mugen Civic Type R' will probably conjure up that 2.2-litre hatch of a decade ago, or perhaps something mad from the early Type R days. However, there is another Mugen Civic Type R, one just as special as those better known cars and proof of just how wild a limited run Civic can really be.
The 2007 Mugen RR (yes, they're both meant to be there) was the ultimate evolution of the FD2 Civic Type R saloon, itself a car so intense and uncompromising that it was never offered in Europe. That a four-door Honda Civic could be considered 'a bit much' by its makers at a time when the first Mini GP and various Clio Cups were offered shows just how raw it was. Then the RR raised the stakes again.
Power from the legendary K20 was upped to 240hp from the standard 225 via the old fashioned means: the cams were fiercer, intake and exhaust reworked, even the valve springs upgraded to make a difference. Behind the forged wheels were enormous Brembo front brakes and carbon bucket seats were fitted (in a Civic saloon!) to save 10 kilograms.
Despite a price premium of 2 million yen - about £8k at the time - over a regular FD2 Type R, the 300 Mugens sold out in 10 minutes. Remember that's at the end of 2007, just as the world was about to enter financial meltdown, so we should perhaps be grateful that even 300 were produced. The RR is hardly a rational, easy to explain performance car, after all. And think how Renaultsport struggled to sell the R26.R just a few months later.
Remarkably, two Mugen RRs made it to the UK, of which this is one. Currently for sale at Mission Prestige in Hampshire, it's recorded just 13,000 miles since its first registration. Given the rarity and the mileage, it could well be the same RR featured way back in 2014; even if it's not, the chances of seeing another on the road are, of course, miniscule. Because it is literally the other one.
Unsurprisingly given its tiny mileage and iconic status - this isn't a Civic Type R bought by accident - the Mugen looks superb. Both interior and exterior seem without fault, the expensive carbon parts for the RR all present and correct. Neither of the pair are likely to have been abused, but for a car now a lot closer to 15 years old than 10 it's awfully nice.
The vendor doesn't list a price, but it does suggest that the RR would "make a great future investment". Although we're all going to become a lot fonder of great engines over the course of this decade, it would be hard to state unequivocally that the RR will appreciate given its niche appeal. Far better to enjoy it for what it is: one of the Type R icons, and one of the most exhilarating front-wheel drive performance cars ever made. Even its most dedicated fans wouldn't have the Mugen down as a looker - so why squirrel it away in a collection?
SPECIFICATION | HONDA CIVIC MUGEN TYPE RR
Engine: 1,998cc four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed manual, FWD, limited-slip differential
Power (hp): 241@8,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 160@7,000rpm
MPG: 31.7 (standard FD2 Type R)
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2008
Recorded mileage: 13,285
Price new: c.£32K (4.8m yen, in 2008)
Yours for: £POA
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