| Honda Civic Type R - oxygen not supplied | | | | little Honda Civic really delighted with the |
| | | | Japanese firm clearly utilising their Formula |
| The hatchback brings with it two main | | | | One programme for the good of their hot |
| demographics that tend to part with their | | | | hatch. The Civic Type R became the biggest |
| cash more than anyone else in society - the | | | | selling performance hatchback in the |
| very young and the very old. For the old, a | | | | noughties - with over 35,000 units sold - so |
| shiny hatchback represents an economical, | | | | it was no surprise at the 2006 British Motor |
| safe and pleasant way to get to and from the | | | | Show when everyone's legs turned to jelly |
| shops, bingo and church. The Honda Civic | | | | when they clasped eyes on the new one. |
| range has been king of the grey-haired | | | | |
| brigade for decades and brings with it an | | | | The new Civic is all triangles and space-age |
| unassuming, sensible and reliable transport | | | | - a highly risky direction change for a |
| solution for getting from A to B. | | | | company happily catering for such a diverse |
| | | | range of customers. However Honda have always |
| For young people - mostly males with fluff | | | | wanted to shed their image of being an |
| stuck to their upper lip, the Honda Civic and | | | | old-persons car maker and the newest Civic is |
| it's hatchback rivals represent the cheapest | | | | a styling exercise with the sole intention of |
| way of getting a car, insuring it and then | | | | keeping its young fan base and stealing the |
| thrashing it to within an inch of it's life | | | | middle aged away from their Volkswagen Golfs. |
| every night in a McDonalds car park. The fun | | | | The Type R for the record didn't just turn my |
| doesn't stop there either. Since the initial | | | | legs to jelly at the motor show - I needed a |
| conception of Max Power magazine in the early | | | | crash team and some oxygen. |
| nineties, car modification has gone through | | | | |
| the roof. Even Hollywood has got in on the | | | | The production model is only a tad watered |
| act with the Fast and the Furious trilogy | | | | down from the final concept in 2006, with the |
| seeing more neon lights in cinema car parks | | | | body kit identical. That means that unlike |
| than an Ibiza club. | | | | the previous Civic Type R, you don't need to |
| | | | check the badge to know this isn't the base |
| Much like the punk movement, it's the DIY | | | | model. I don't know where to start to be |
| aesthetic of personalising your car from a | | | | honest - seeing one will say everything I |
| million different options and standing out | | | | need to, as you'll either love it or hate it. |
| from the crowd that appeals. With its bullet | | | | It looks as though a spaceship has crashed |
| proof reliability and extensive catalogue of | | | | into the Pyramids and driven off - but for |
| performance and styling parts, the Honda | | | | me, it works. |
| Civic has simultaneously become the favoured | | | | |
| choice at both ends of the circle of life - | | | | Crucially Honda haven't messed with the |
| but for very different reasons. | | | | engine, so the new Type R retains the 2.0 |
| | | | litre, 197bhp engine from its predecessor. |
| Honda aren't stupid and having seen the mass | | | | Although this will of course save on Honda's |
| market appeal for 'hot hatches' thought | | | | design costs, it's a clear case of 'if it |
| they'd better produce one for the British | | | | ain't broke, don't fix it'. Honda say they |
| market - and thus was born the Civic Type R | | | | have made this new model more refined, with a |
| in 2001. Top lip fluff brigade were beside | | | | suspension that isn't as racy the previous |
| themselves with excitement. Grey haired | | | | model, yet it's somehow firmer and |
| brigade were happy with the standard issue | | | | unfortunately not refined in the slightest. |
| model. Either way, Honda was onto a winner | | | | This criticism aside, the new Type R has |
| with a huge percentage of the population. | | | | every reason to feel confident in an already |
| | | | crowded market place most notably featuring |
| The Type R was an exceptional car too, with a | | | | the Ford Focus ST, Renault Clio 197 and |
| 0-60mph time of 6.6 seconds and the | | | | Volkswagen Golf GTi. |
| ever-eager VTEC engine revving to 8,250rpm. | | | | |
| Stylistically it wasn't too different from | | | | Brand loyalty counts for a lot and when the |
| the standard model, with 17 inch alloy wheels | | | | last model sold 2333% more than anticipated, |
| and a spoiler adorning the rear the main | | | | the fluff brigade are surely going to be |
| differences. It was on the road that the | | | | reaching for the oxygen and their cash too. |