Having been colour changed to Honda's hero Milano Red, this Honda Civic Type R is truly unique
And as one of Honda's best kept secrets, it's one you should probably be putting in your garage whilst you still can.
Honda were truly mad in the late 2000s.
They went to the obscene effort of building two versions of its niche small performance car: the Honda Civic Type R. Honda built one version on a sedan body type for its native market of Japan, and one export version on a hatchback platform for Western markets like Europe and Australia.
At one point, Honda were building cars in the United Kingdom, sending engines over from Japan to fit to the cars it built in the UK, then exporting those UK built cars with Japanese engines back to Japan.
Regardless, it’s the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) only Honda Civic Type R that was the best of the wider bunch. A bonafide showroom race car, the ‘FD2R’ generation Type R has a pretty amazing powertrain to back its excellent chassis tune.
Not only does it have the highest output K20A engine (165kW/215Nm) found in a series-production Honda car, but also the sharpest gearing of the lot. Its transmission is equipped is the 5.1 final drive ratio and TorSen LSD out of the box!
That insanely short diff ratio gives the FD2R a certain fizziness that other naturally-aspirated cars just don’t have. It feels modified and uncompromised out of the box, and even with a six-digit odometre, they still feel tight as a drum.
They are a true driver’s car and one of the best of the modern era. Another ace up its sleeve is a low kerb weight, as the 2008 Honda Civic Type R weighs just 1270kg.
The car pictured – 2008 Honda Civic Type R
Our Honda Civic Type R was built in June 2008 and is finished in Milano Red.
This example has been professionally colour-changed to Milano red (originally white) inside-and-out in Japan. The vehicle has been painted to an extremely high standard and arguably looks factory – if not better.
It has factory black Alcantara interior. Like all Honda Type R products, this example features a a six-speed manual with TorSen LSD, Brembo brakes, and sports-tuned suspension. The car also has climate control air conditioning, remote central locking, ABS brakes, and traction control.
It’s powered the mighty 2.0-litre ‘K20A’ four-cylinder engine with 165kW/215Nm – the highest output version of its type. Ths factory black Alcantara interior presents well and features minor wear on the lower door cards, kick panels and side seat bolster.
What made this one special:
- 2008 Honda Civic Type R (FD2R)
- Colour changed to Honda’s hero Milano Red
- Inside-and-out paint job
- 119,900km – timing belt done!
- Vehicle was originally sourced from a renown Japanese dealership
- Six-speed manual with TorSen LSD
- Brembo brakes
- Genuine Mugen front grille
- Genuine factory option LED driving lights
- Factory black interior
- 2.0-litre ‘K20A’ engine with 165kW/215Nm
- Japanese de-registration paperwork available
These lightweight, naturally aspirated Type Rs are a purist's dream. Our FD2 generation in particular signs off on Honda's 30-year-long, single-minded commitment to its sports car vision.Justin Narayan, Drive.com.au, 2007 Honda Civic Type R / 2021 Honda Civic Type R comparison
