The lightweight, Europe-only CTR covered the 12.94-mile track in 7:44.881, beating the previous record of the Renault Mégane RS by half a second.
The lightweight European specification of the 2023 Honda Civic Type R set the record for the fastest production car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Honda said the special CTR, called the Type R S, completed the 12.94-mile course in 7:44.881, beating the 2019 Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R time of 7:45.399.
The record-breaking Civic Type R S wears a pair of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which the European model must order directly from Michelin.
UPDATE 04/21/2023: We’ve updated this story to clarify that the Honda Civic Type R that set the front-wheel-drive record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife is a lightweight version called the Type R S that will be sold only in Left
-animated European markets. The regular European-spec CTR model comes with a 325-hp 2.0-liter turbo, while the US model is rated at 315 horsepower.
The new Honda Civic Type R is a front-wheel drive beast. We’ve known that for some time, but now the rest of the world remembers its greatness as Honda announced that it’s the fastest production car around the famou.
Nürburgring Nordschleife. Field focused on the track down the 12.94-mile course in 7:44.881. This time beat the previous FWD record of 7:45.399, set by the 2019 Renault Mégane R.S.
Trophée-R set. However, the CTR record is not the same as what is sold in America. It’s actually a light version called the Type R S, which will only be sold in the European left-hand drive market.
The R S version of the Civic that rolls on the ‘Ring is similar to the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Although these tires run as a $1,780 retailer for US customers, Honda says Europe, they must be ordered directly from Michelin. Car and Driver has contacted Honda to find
out if the Civic Type R S is Cup 2 equipped, otherwise it could raise questions about the car’s production worthiness. We will update this article as soon as we receive a response. In the meantime, watch CTRS set a lap record in the cockpit in the video below.
Those who remember the last generation 2017 Civic Type R boasting a Nürburgring lap time of 7:43.80 may be scratching their heads right now. That’s because some things have changed at the Nürburgring since then, as explained by our colleagues at Road & Track. In
short, the track officials have started timing the laps, which includes new rules about when the laps start and end. Originally the Nordschleife was 12.8 kilometers from start to finish, but now it is 12.94 kilometers. The addition of 0.14 kilometers to the official time
clearly means that the lap times set before the 2019 rule change cannot be compared to those that followed. So, no, the new CTR time is not slower than its predecessor. We saw the next-generation update first hand during our last Lightning Lap, where the 2023 Civic Type R
became the fastest front-wheel-drive car we’ve ever raced at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Its time of 2:58.8 is also 1.9 seconds faster than the old R Limited Edition model.
