2017 Honda Civic Type R Is The Fastest FWD Car Around The Nürburgring

Back in 2016, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S went out on the Nürburgring for a spin. It returned to the pits after shattering the FWD lap record which was previously held by the Honda Civic Type R. Posting a time of 7:47.Nineteen, the VW walked away with the laurels. Rapid forward to April two thousand seventeen and the two thousand seventeen Honda Civic Type R has taken back the crown in glorious style.

The fresh Type R hit the track with the exact same number of horses as the VW – three hundred six hp. Completing the 12.9-mile course in a breathtakingly quick 7:43:80, the fresh Type R dethroned the previous record-holder by a substantial margin.

A 3-second lead over the Golf GTI Clubsport S and a 7-second improvement over the previous-generation Honda Civic Type R. Long story brief, the fresh “King of the Ring” is now the fastest front-wheel-drive (FWD) production car around the legendary circuit.

We have put together a “Monster Gallery” on our Facebook Fan Page with a truckload of promo photos released by Honda.

Ryuichi Kijima, the lead chassis engineer for the two thousand seventeen Honda Civic Type R had this to say about the feat.

The cornering speed achieved in the fresh Type R is higher because the car features a broader track and tires, a longer wheelbase, a fresh multi-link suspension in the rear and optimized aerodynamics that improve stability. For example, drivers typically come in the corner after Metzgesfeld at around one hundred fifty km/h (93 mph). Even at this medium-speed corner, the speed is around ten km/h (6 mph) higher due to the fresh Type R’s excellent stability. So, with improved cornering spectacle, we can increase the speed across the lap, helping the fresh Type R to achieve a much quicker lap time.

It was a pre-production Civic Type R which hammer the pulp out of the Golf GTI Clubsport S. Before you reach for the whistle and the crimson card, Honda assures that the car which did the lap was in production spec.

Courtesy: Honda Media Newsroom

The only switches were the installation of a total floating roll box to keep the driver safe in the event of things going terribly wrong. They took out the rear seats and the Display Audio system to balance out the weight. Tires were track-focused and street legal. VW fans won’t be excited with this latest development. But they will just have to be patient here and wait for the Germans to strike back with a more potent GTI.

Honda has uploaded three movies on their YouTube channel to feast both the achievement and the team which made it possible. The playlist above includes “Hot Lap”, “Driver Forever” and “Ghost Car”. All of them are worth checking out. The “Ghost Car” in particular is the standout clip, as it compares the new-gen model’s track spectacle with that of its two thousand fifteen predecessor.

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