Honda Civic Type R Spied Attempting Nurburgring Record

We've been waiting for the reveal of the new Honda Civic Type R for some time now, and over the last few months, our excitement has only increased as we've watched the car take on the Nurburgring. If its lap times at Suzuka are anything to go by, the front-wheel-drive hot hatchback is going to be even better than its predecessor. We've been patiently waiting to hear details on when it will be revealed in all its glory, with the latest news informing us that the camouflage will finally come off next month. So why is Honda back at the Nurburgring with the Civic Type R? Surely, by now, development is complete. Well, we have a theory.

The spicy hatch has always had a reputation for being one of the finest-handling front-driven cars out there, and the Type R is now synonymous with Nurburgring lap records, just as the Renault Megane RS Trophy once was. In fact, it's safe to say that Honda fans would be disappointed if the Type R didn't achieve at least one lap record per generation. And according to our spy photographers who captured these images, people from the Honda garage were shooting video and capturing images while our guys were clicking away. All of this adds up to a record attempt. Either Honda was attempting the record on the day (we don't know if the track was closed or not), or Honda was shooting promotional material for a new record that it has already achieved.

When the car is finally revealed to the American audience at the Indy 200 in July, we'll know all about its performance credentials and lap times. For now, we're expecting the Japanese hatchback to launch with an enhanced version of Honda's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Earth Dreams engine. In the 2021 model, the engine produces an impressive 306 horsepower with 295 lb-ft of torque. Its latest rival, the Toyota GR Corolla, generates a competitive 300 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, but each of these cars is about so much more than just straight-line speed, so it's quite possible that any power bump for the Type R will be slight. We'll report back with more information as soon as we have it.