Ready to have your preconceptions about front-wheel-drive blown right out of your skull? Honda just released video (embedded in this post) of a 2015 Civic Type R prototype lapping the Nürburgring in 7:50.63. That's just 10 seconds off the pace of the Porsche Cayman GT4, and only 30 seconds behind the brand-new Porsche 911 GT3 RS that also just debuted.
It also soundly trounces the old front-wheel-drive record, a 7:54.36 set by the Renault Mégane RS 275 Trophy-R. This, of course, is no everyday Civic. It's the upcoming 2015 Type R, a Europe-only turbocharged beast with 306 horsepower and a top speed nearing 170 mph. Oh, and three-pedal manual as the only gearbox.
Honda says the 'Ring lap shown in the video was filmed way back in May 2014, using a preproduction prototype. "The development car was in a standard state of engine tune, with suspension, drivetrain, exhaust, brakes, and the aerodynamic package identical to those of the production Civic Type R," Honda insists. The lap car, notably, had its A/C, stereo, and front passenger seat removed, to offset the weight of a full roll cage—which Honda says was added "specifically for safety reasons and not to add rigidity."
To some, those sound like a lot of caveats, and to be fair, we won't know for certain whether the box-stock Civic Type R can repeat this performance until it hits the market later this year. And even if Honda's futzing gives you some pause, running such a lap on the notoriously challenging 12.9-mile Nürburgring is still nothing to sneeze at. Behold the lap here, because, at least if you're in the U.S., this is about as close as you'll get to Honda's insane, Europe-only muscle-hatch:
- 10 Nürburgring Facts Revealed
- 2016 Honda Civic Type R Photos and Info: It's Just Your Everyday 168-mph Civic
- Honda Civic News, Pricing with Options, Specs, Photos, Reviews, and More
A version of this story originally appeared on roadandtrack.com.
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