For a country that can’t get enough of the Civic Type R, Honda doesn’t half give us the short end of the stick at times. The car giant can be forgiven for not bringing the original EK9 Type R to Treasure Island (even if the closely-related Integra Type R went down a treat here), but when it launched the follow-up EP3 in Europe it decided that the market didn’t need the limited-slip differential, extra grunt and stiffer chassis that the JDM cars received. More frustrating still was the fact that the Japanese cars were built on the same production line as their UK counterparts at Honda’s Swindon facility.
Then, for the third iteration of Type R, Honda pulled out all the stops and developed two different cars for its home and export markets. In Britain, we’d get the FN2, a car that had a tough time making friends after Clarkson gave it a public dressing down for being heavier than the old car with no more power to balance it out. The FN2 was better than JC would have you believe, mind, but had we received the JDM version that you see here that seminal piece of TV may have panned out differently.
Based on the four-door Civic saloon, the FD2 was essentially the righter of all of the UK-built Type R wrongs. The JDM car featured fully independent rear suspension as opposed to the FN2’s torsion beam axle and, like its predecessor, the FD2 transferred its power to the tarmac via a limited-slip differential which, again, is absent on earlier versions of the European car. The damping of the Japanese car was stiffer, too, which could make the car jittery on Britain’s pimply roads, but on smoother surfaces it was said to be extraordinary.
Then there was the engine: a K20A VTEC engine developing 225hp compared to the 201hp on tap from the K20Z4 motor in the FN2. What’s more remarkable is that despite being longer, the FD2 is 50kg lighter than its European sibling thanks to aluminium body panels and the use of adhesive over spot welds. Closer ratios in the six-speed gearbox capitalised on the racier engine, while beefier Brembo brakes brought the fun to a halt with greater urgency. So superior was the FD2 that, when Fifth Gear pitted it against the FN2 at Castle Combe, the JDM car crossed the line three seconds ahead - a mammoth gap around such a short course.
That gap may have been even greater had the show used the car you see here. It’s a titanium exhaust away from being completely stock, which in itself is rare for any JDM import, but this 2007 example benefits from the optional Modulo suspension package, lowering the ride height and firming up the damping even further. Not for the faint of heart, then, but that’s one of the many reasons why some consider it the best Civic Type R there’s ever been.
Clearly, this example looks to have been kept in good nick by its previous owner in Japan. The car’s a recent import, and the images would have you believe it’s never seen a salty road in its life. It’s up for £21,000 with 79,600 miles on the clock, which is similar money to an early FK8 and a considerable premium over the mintiest of FN2s. For half the price you can grab this one-of-200 Mugen Type R, limited-slip differential and all. But there’s something special about a car that was never meant to be driven here, especially one as critically acclaimed as this. Who fancies seeing what all the fuss was about?
SPECIFICATION | HONDA CIVIC TYPE R (FD2)
Engine: 1,998cc four-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 225@8,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 159@6,100rpm
MPG: 31.7
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 2007
Recorded mileage: 79,600
Price new: £22,995 (import)
Yours for: £21,000
1 / 5