HONDA

Phoenix Yellow Civic Type R Limited Edition

There are two colors that have always been synonymous with most of Honda’s Type R model range. The first is Championship White, which has been a staple in every Type R model to this day: from the NSX to the current FK8 Civic. The other is Phoenix Yellow; first introduced in the DC2 Integra Type R and the EK9 Civic Type R back in the 90s. Unlike Championship White though, Phoenix Yellow was not really offered for the newer Type R models.
Now, if you suddenly find yourself missing that classic yellow color, Honda has a bit of a throwback for this year. With the introduction of the facelifted 2020 Civic Type R, the Japanese automaker has now brought back the Phoenix Yellow color as well. Unfortunately, it won’t be a standard color for the updated 2020 model FK8. Instead, it will only be offered on the track-oriented Civic Type R Limited Edition.



While the name may sound basic, the Type R Limited Edition is intended to be Honda’s challenger to retake the front-wheel drive lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. In order for it to beat the Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R’s time of 7:40, the current record holder, the Type R Limited Edition needed an upgrade in performance.



For starters, Honda put the Type R on a diet. In order to reduce weight, the standard wheels have been ditched in favor of BBS forged aluminum units that save unsprung weight by 8 kg. An additional 12.7 kg were shed through the removal of the rear heating ducts, tonneau cover, wiper blade, and sound-deadening materials. European-spec versions of the Limited Edition will also not have an infotainment system and air-conditioning to further save on weight.



Weight isn’t the only change though. For better performance on the track, the standard Continental tires have been swapped out for Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. Carried over from the 2020 model update are the revised suspension setup, and lighter two-piece front brake rotors. The steering was also recalibrated for improved precision and feedback.
Under the hood, the FK8 continues to draw power from the same 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder K20 engine. Power is still rated at 310 PS and 400 Nm and it shifts via a 6-speed manual transmission with rev-matching.





All Type R Limited Edition models will be painted Phoenix Yellow and will have a serialized plaque in the center console. Only 1,000 units of the Limited Edition will be sold globally. 600 examples going to the US, 200 for Japan, 100 for Europe, and 100 for Canada. As such, don’t get your hopes up in seeing one of these in the Philippines.

by Jose Altoveros