The new Civic Type R is a fantastic car. Its looks are less in your face, which gives it the appearance of a serious performance car. The interior is better than cars that cost twice as much. It has one of the best manual gearboxes this side of a 911 GT3 and it's one hell of a good time no matter where you drive it. And, since it's a front-wheel-drive hot hatch with a 2.0-liter turbo four, it was always a prime contender to be made into a race car for the TCR class. This is that car.
The 2023 Civic Type R TCR has all the usual race car stuff, like new aero bodywork, a race-prepped engine, and uprated brakes and gearbox. Of course, they don't go into too much detail, because then the competition would know too much. The car was developed by JAS Motorsport in Italy in partnership with Honda Performance Development, and will run in Europe as well as in the US in the IMSA Pilot Challenge.
There is one standout thing, though, and it's a small detail that just looks rad as hell. All Type R-badged Hondas have the 'H' emblems on a solid red background. That's just how it's been since Type R became a thing. Race cars are all about optimizing cooling and aero, though, and frequently lose badges or have them painted on if they're usually on a grille. There are even road cars, like the last Z/28 Camaro, that have a hollowed-out badge to keep that airflow from being disturbed.
Honda made its own aero badge for the TCR car, and it's super great. The H is still on the grille, but it now has a mesh background to maximize airflow. But that mesh is red, so it still maintains that Type R hallmark. A small detail, but an unsurprising one given just how Honda operates. Very cool.
