Honda FD2 Civic Type R

Evo and STI-chasing Civic Type R sedan was as raw as sashimi

- DANIEL WONG

IT’S NO SECRET that Japan’s automakers like to keep their best for the home market, and the Honda FD2 Civic Type R was one such example. While Australia had to share Europe’s lacklustre FN2 Civic Type R hatchback, Honda Japan built what is still the only Civic Type R sedan.

Beneath its Evo-like rear wing and reprofiled front and rear bumpers, Honda’s engineers went to work, stiffening the sedan’s chassis and lightening it by 13.4kg, mostly by removing sound-deadening, while fitting a tweaked version of the beloved Integra DC5 Type R’s drivetrain.