Honda's Mugen Civic Type R - Hot
Hatch
By Jay Williams - 16/June/2009
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Honda Civic Type R
The Mugen Civic Type R will
have around 179kW (240bhp) of power.
Expect
to pay £35,000 - £40,000 for the track ready Mugen Civic type R
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Northampton,
England
–
Mugen was founded in
Japan in 1973 as a Honda tuning arm by Soichiro Honda's son, Hirotoshi.
Until now its European arm has been based in Switzerland, but it
recently opened a UK operation in a former Cosworth facility in
Northampton.
Mugen Motorsports performance
tuning is about to launch a hardcore version of the Honda Civic Type R.
This
stripped down track focused Honda Civic Type R may have
around 179kW (240bhp) of power, which sets it in the sights of
rival Ford's Focus RS and the Renault Mégane R26R.
Mugen
hope that the new hot hatch will be a lucrative business opportunity,
because of the demand that these kind of cars hold in the UK.
Some enthusiasts are prepared to
spend up to £90,000 tuning their high-performance hot hatches.
That
figure might explain why Mugen reckons £35,000 - £40,000 isn't too much
to spend for a full, manufacturer approved Mugen Civic Type R.
The name says it all, Honda
translates to 'unlimited'.
However
rivals such as the 223kW (300bhp) Ford Focus RS costs £25,745 while the
Renault Mégane R26.R starts at £24,040.
Which means Honda has some
steep competition.
£35,000 - £40,000 buys a 179kW
(240bhp) engine conversion for the standard 2.0-litre VTEC, a body kit
that features carbon fibre details, stripped-down interior (rear seats
removed).
Mugen will probably only release a
limited
number of the tuned Civic Type R's and are likely to be sold in the UK
from autumn 2009.
The Mugen Civic Type R will be
aimed
at Britain's track day enthusiasts. The Mugan Civic Type R will
probably do away with most creature comforts and the chassis will be
upgraded with new wheels, tyres and suspension upgrades, according to
those close to the project.
Potential owners will also
be offered a variety of performance and personalisation options which
will allow them to customise the level of moifications.
Expect a full range of performance
cars in the years ahead.
Related Links:
- Mugen
Honda Civic Type-RR (2008)
- Honda
Accord Euro Type S (2009)
- Honda
Accord Euro (Road Test)
- Honda
City (2009)
- Honda
Jazz (Road Test)
- Honda
FC Sport (2008)
- Honda
Civic Hybrid
(Road Test)
- Honda
Insight (2008)
- Honda
Accord V6 (Road Test)
- Honda
OSM Concept (2008)
- Honda
Accord Euro (Road Test)
- Honda
Crime Avoidance Sat Nav (2008)
- Honda
Civic Type R (Road Test)
- Honda
CR-V (Road Test)
- Honda
Legend
(Road Test)
- Honda
HF-S Concept
(2007)
- Honda
Accord Tourer Concept (2007)
- Honda
Accord USA (2008)
- Honda
Civic Type R - sedan (2007)
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