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When the Paris Motor Show opens its doors this October, the Honda booth will likely be dominated by a “concept” version of the 2018 Civic Type R. But while the hatchback’s looks will be drawing in the eyes, much of the real story should lie hidden beneath the hood—as the new Honda Civic Type R could make 340 horsepower.
According to Auto Express, the new version of the Civic Type R will use a modified version of the 2.0-liter turbocharged VTEC inline-four that powers the current version of the hot Honda. For the Type R version of the 10th-generation Civic, however, the boosted four-pot will reportedly be cranked up to around 340 hp and 330 lb.-ft. of torque, which works out to roughly 10 percent more of each than the 2016 model. Heady figures for a front-wheel-drive car, sure—but Honda still plans on sticking with the FWD/manual transmission powertrain it knows and loves, according to the report.
On the styling front, the next Civic Type R is expected to look a little less “I live my life a quarter-mile at a time” than the current car, with a more refined design that’s in tune with the 10th-generation Civic’s elegant looks. That said, the bulked-up wheel arches and embiggened air intakes that have come to define the fastest Civic will stick around—presumably due as much to practical reasons as stylistic ones.
And while Civic Type R prototypes have been seen lapping the ‘Nurburgring wearing wings that could have been peeled off a Boeing (as you can see in the video below), AE reports that Honda instead plans to go with a smaller, less boy-racer spoiler for the production model. The big wing, however, might be available as part of an optional track package—the sort of thing buyers might spring for if they want to try and set a new front-wheel-drive lap record at the ‘Ring.
Look for the next-gen Honda Civic Type R to hit the streets in 2017 as a 2018 model. And much like Prince Akeem, it will be coming to America.
