Whenever a Honda has been given the Type R treatment, it’s always resulted in something rather special. The Integra Type R is lauded as the best-handling front-wheel drive car to date, various Civic Type Rs have been at the top of the hot hatch table for decades and the Accord Type R brought a little bit more practicality while not sacrificing any playfulness. The original NSX received a wonderful Type R variant, too.
My issue with Type R is that these special cars have come around far too infrequently. The last time that we had two Type Rs on sale in the UK at the same time was in 2002, with the Swindon-made Civic and Accord, and that was only for a few months, too.
With performance sub-brands the list is almost endless: BMW’s M division, Mercedes-AMG, Ford ST, Vauxhall VXR/GSE – the Type R brand perhaps should’ve been Honda’s rival to these, expanding Honda’s nous into other, potentially more lucrative segments. Toyota has certainly proved the formula in recent years with its Gazoo Racing brand taking to Le Mans and WRC, while trickling down into range-topping trim levels of the Corolla, Hilux and RAV4.
Honda cruelly denied us a S2000 Type R and a Type R version of the hybridised, second-generation NSX, but even less obvious sporty variants of the firm’s other offerings could’ve had their place. A CR-V Type R could’ve been a great foil to the Cupra Ateca, and the Jazz could’ve shrugged off its OAP image with a hot version to take on the Ford Fiesta ST.
