SPYSHOTS: FK8 Honda Civic Type R facelift on test

It’s been two years since the FK8-generation Honda Civic Type R made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, and it seems the time is ripe for a mid-lifecycle update. Here, it appears that Honda is trialling three different exterior kits; two with the obligatory large rear wing, and one with a much more subtle bootlid item.

As suggest by the camouflage foil applied to the development cars, revisions can be expected on the front bumper, where a set of new intake slats can be seen, along the top of the bonnet, and possibly revised side mirrors. The yellow car pictured also appears to have concealing foil applied to its roof; could it be a carbon-fibre roof under there? Yellow is not on the current FK8’s colour list, so it could be a welcome addition.

A third version, here also finished in white, wears a more subtle rear spoiler which extends past the boot’s shutlines, while the rear end treatments appear identical across the three development cars spotted. Curiously, the unit without the handle wing has what appears to be a slightly longer front splitter, currently supported by blue wire. The aero bits are all functional, so testing is important.

The FK8 Civic Type R is powered by a K20C1 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 320 PS and 400 Nm of torque (our Malaysian-market cars get 10 PS less), driving the front wheels via the sole choice of a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox and helical limited-slip differential. Thus equipped, the pre-facelift FK8 Civic Type R clocked a Nurburgring lap time of 7 minutes 43.8 seconds, or 6.83 seconds quicker than the previous FK2 Civic Type R.

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