EVOLUTION OF THE SPECIES

The crimson Type R badge is synonymous with high-performance motoring inspired by Honda's rich racing heritage. The latest Civic Type R package has a point to prove to those who may have lost faith

- Kyle Kock

Performance-focused Hondas have Palways garnered respect from the broader motoring fraternity. After all, the very first Type R, the 1991 NSX-R, was developed with input from F1 legend Ayrton Senna, and the DC2 Integra Type R is considered by many to be one of the best-handling front-wheel-drive cars ever made.

South Africa's firsthand fascination with the Type R badge was born at the moment the FN2-generation Civic was launched in 2007. It made use of the same highly strung naturally aspirated four-cylinder K20 engine also found in the previous-generation model from 2001. Unfortunately, the new model also gained mass compared with the outgoing car, and together with taller gearing for improved cruising ability, many fans were left feeling a tad frustrated.

Furthermore, by the time the FN2 was launched in South Africa, many of its direct rivals had already adopted turbocharging for added performance. Consequently, at this publication's January 2008 Performance Issue testing day, the hottest Honda at the time felt somewhat off the pace compared with the likes of the then-new Ford Focus ST, Opel Astra OPC, Renault Mégane RS, Subaru WRX STI and Volkswagen Golf 5 GTI.

That all changed when the FK2-generation Civic Type R arrived in 2015. Complete with a new turbocharged 2,0-litre powertrain, the newcomer would soon start to trouble the likes of the Mégane RS both on straights and through the bends.

With this further-evolved, even sharper FK8-generation Type R, Honda may have finally felt that it had the measure of its closest rivals - only for Volkswagen to raise its own hot-hatch game too, with its GTI Clubsport S rewriting the rules of what was thought possible for a front-wheel drive car around the notorious Nürburgring Nordschleife at the time.