What has 340 HP and five wins in the TCR class of the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge?
Your new car.
Or it could be, because Honda Performance Development — the marque’s motorsports division in charge of cars for the likes of Indy, Le Mans and Super GT — is now letting the general public buy the Civic Type R TCR, the race car developed by their partner JAS Motorsport in Italy.
Isn’t the normal Civic Type R hatchback enough power for a daily driver? We’ll let you be the judge. The regular 2019 model packs a 2.0-liter VTEC turbocharged engine kicking out 306 HP and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. The TCR race model gets a boost to 340 HP and 310 lb.-ft. of torque, but it goes far beyond an extra Tim Taylor dose of more power.
As HPD notes, “The Type R is fitted with a race-tuned suspension and anti-roll bar package, along with an aggressive, aerodynamic body kit that accentuates the performance-based styling of the Civic Type R.” And with no mechanical failures during the entire 12-race Pirelli season, you can bet it’ll hold up under your, shall we say, less demanding driving.
There’s no word on price, but you can bet it’s a pretty penny more than the $35,700 the 2019 Civic Type R goes for. But that’s not even the big catch. As the Drive notes, this humdinger isn’t street legal.
But that’s for you to know and the powers that be to find out.
Main image via American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
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