It probably hasn’t escaped your attention that the Honda Civic Type R is no longer available in the UK. The go-to hot hatch of the past two generations (and good fun in every single one of them), last year’s confirmation of its demise was as disappointing as it was inevitable. The conventional combustion hot hatch has become increasingly hard to justify, and given Honda’s recent predicament it’s easy to understand the move. Let’s hope the Super N is good…
Alongside the standard model, there have been some memorable Civic Type R special editions over the past quarter of a century as well. Remember the old Mugens, for example, and even the most recent Ultimate Edition that had ‘prized collectable’ written all over it from the first line of the press release.
Interestingly, though, the FL5 end-of-the-line special edition was noticeably less extreme than the car that had gone before it: the FK8 Limited. They were similar in arriving at the end of a generation, but the Limited was far more significantly overhauled than a red stripe and a carbon keyring. Almost 50kg was taken from the Civic Type R, with forged wheels and Cup 2s standard - plus a Suzuka lap record to show for it. Usability was impacted somewhat by, er, eliminating any kind of media interface (including the USB port), but we’re talking about specialness here. As far as Civic Type Rs officially sold in the UK go, the Limited was right up there.
Only 100 were ever made for Europe, with 20 allocated for Britain (that’s how much we love Civic Type Rs!) and all in the yellow. Furthermore, while the last FK8s probably feel about three or four years old now (they do to us), the Limited was actually launched back in 2020. And that’s not three or four years ago. Even with the omission of a stereo, you’d expect all Limiteds to have enjoyed some use by now. It was a fabulous thing.
Not this one, though. Registered in 2021, it’s showing just 10 miles. The original plastic is still on the seats and steering wheel, there are delivery stickers on the glass and the paint is obviously as vivid as ever. The original owner was apparently dead set on preserving their Limited in its original state. There are brand new cars that aren’t presented as well as this.
The Civic did have an MOT, so perhaps that’s where the miles have come from. Otherwise it sits as an unused example of probably the most hardcore Type R hatch we’ve been offered here. And where once asking prices were beyond £50k, this one is for sale at £44,995 - or only £5k more than the original RRP. A heck of a lot more than any other FK8, sure, but also less than any Ultimate is going to be for sale at. And they aren’t yellow…
SPECIFICATION | HONDA CIVIC TYPE R LIMITED (FK8)
Engine: 1,996cc, 4-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 320@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 295@2,500-4,500rpm
MPG: 33.6 (WLTP)
CO2: 191g/km
Year registered: 2021
Recorded mileage: 10
Price new: £39,995
Yours for: £44,995
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