Honda doesn't sell new Honda Civic Type R, but claims Nürburgring record

The recently released Honda Civic Type R is one of the most capable sports compact vehicles available in the market today. Indeed, it is distinguished by its exceptional speed. This morning Honda announced that its new Honda Civic Type R broke the time record for a front-wheel-drive car on the Nürburgring's North Loop.

The exclusive car managed to cover the famous Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 44.881 seconds, overtaking the Renault Mégane RS Trophy-R which held the previous record with a time of 7 minutes and 45.39 seconds, set in 2019.

Still, people who watch Nürburgring track performance closely will recall that the previous generation Honda Civic Type R (FK8) (the one John Cena drives every day) clocked 7:43.8 in 2017. It is therefore surprising that the Renault Mégane RS Trophy-R and the new Type R achieve slower times than this to set a new record. How is it possible ?

Although it's slower than the old Civic Type R, it's still faster

In 2019, the Nürburgring introduced new guidelines regarding lap records, which means that time must now be measured over the entire 20.83 km of the Nordschleife. Previously, times were recorded over a length of 20.59km, which excluded a short section of the T13 straight where the finish line is located.

That's why some automakers, such as Porsche and Mercedes-AMG, provide times for both lengths, so fans can compare records made before and after 2019.

Although Honda has not confirmed the exact duration, a video of the lap released by the manufacturer suggests that it took around 5.2 seconds to cover the extra distance. If that estimate is correct, then the Type R covered the 20.59 km in around 7:39.681, more than four seconds faster than its predecessor.

It's a very impressive time, especially considering that the Mégane RS Trophy-R was a limited production model designed specifically for circuit racing, without even rear seats, which was reflected in its price, which amounted to around 85,000 euros with the Nürburgring Record package.

The Civic Type R, which holds impressive records, yet is nothing more than a standard version of the Type R, offering four seats, 325 horsepower and standard tires - a Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 set of 265 /30R19 to be precise.

Of course, this performance does not come at a low price - the car is sold for 54,850 euros, well beyond the cost of a special series. However, due to Honda's supply difficulties and high demand for this car, it is currently not available in Europe or Japan, giving priority to the US market.

This has led to speculation about the few Civic Type Rs already delivered. While this is beneficial for Honda, it would be ideal if they produced more Civic Type Rs, otherwise the car could become more exclusive than the Megane RS Trophy-R.