Good news for VTEC-crazed engine swappers, Honda is making the most powerful production engine it’s ever sold in America available as a crate engine. Yes, you can now own a Civic Type R engine completely on its own. No ridiculous wings, no outrageous dealer markups (that we know of), no actual car. Just the heart. First person to throw this into a Dodge Demon wins all of the internet points.
The mill in question is a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder found in the new, critically acclaimed, and questionably-styled, hot Honda Civic. Officially known as the K20C1, it produces 306 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm. Targeted toward racers of both the amateur and professional variety, the à la carte engine will be sold by the HPD Honda Racing Line program and carry a price tag of $6,520.
For the first time, stateside VTEC enthusiasts will be able to drop Honda’s latest and greatest powerplant into, well, anything that’ll fit it, really. Factory-turbocharged EK9 hatch? An inevitability, at this point. Want to shove this into a new, base hatch for a DIY Type R? The dealers can’t mark this one up, that’s for sure. Put a piece of glass on it and call it a coffee table? We sure hope you like being single.