Honda Civic Type R (FD2) | PH Private Area

What comes next for Type R Hondas? The recently announced Civic Ultimate Edition brings to an end production for the current FL5, after three years on sale and very limited availability. It’s hard to know where red-H Hondas go from here, really, with no other performance derivatives in the UK lineup and not even a suitable car for Type R treatment. Aside from the Civic, it’s HR-V, CR-V, ZR-V and e:N1. And Jazz. 

The Prelude offers some hope, though it’s unlikely to boast any more pep than a regular Civic. We’ll live in hope, because the Honda innovation has delivered some brilliant cars over the years, though it’s hard to be enormously optimistic given the dearth of even vaguely affordable performance flagships out there. Once upon a time, you’d have bet on Honda to deliver a properly gratifying hybrid or electric hot hatch or sports car – not any longer. 

The attachment is there because Type Rs have been so good for so long; the demise wouldn’t be so sad if there hadn’t been so many fantastic cars. The turbo Civics of recent years have been epic; the legend was established, however, with the naturally aspirated screamers of the ’90s and ’00s. Back then 8,000rpm or more was commonplace for super Civics, and it was just as normal for the very best versions to be kept for domestic customers. 

The first EK9 Type R never came here officially, then a better EP3 (that was actually built in Britain) was only ever sold to Japanese customers. Then came this car, the FD2, a totally different proposition to the FN2 that was sold in the UK at the same time. Nothing so simple as a little extra power or a standard LSD this time around – it was a totally different car. 

And a better one by all accounts: faster, more exciting, more capable, despite its slightly generic appearance. As such a steady stream of Civic Type R saloon imports have made their way over here since the late ’00s; on PH right now there are 10 available, which says something about the popularity of these very special Hondas. 

The reputation is reflected in the residuals as well. All the way back in 2012, we wrote about an FD2 that was £18k, which looked impressive given it was only £23k four years earlier. Now those cars, amazingly, are still from £18,000 or so, all these years later, and most £20k-plus. So they seem an extremely safe place for the cash, even if a few more come over; the Civic Type R saloon was the last hurrah for the most hardcore hot Hondas, and the appeal of that no-holds-barred attitude – VTEC revving to a million, stiff suspension, aggressive diff – will surely only have heightened in the years since its demise. 

This one looks great in Championship White with the matching wheels; of all the companies to get an aerokit for a Honda from, Mugen must be one of the best. It’s one of facelifted, more desirable FD2s, though also one of the more affordable at £16,495. That can probably be attributed to its near-90,000 miles; it should be noted, however, that the majority of those have been in Japan, this Civic only landing in the UK last year. Cars are better looked after there, generally, and it wasn’t used last winter here. So the reality ought to be as good as the pics look. 

It’s had a big service in the UK, as well as new pads, battery and aux belt. There’s an advisory-free MOT recently in place, and look at the condition, from wheels to bolsters – this is very far from the average 16-year-old Civic. Which ought to be exactly how it drives, too. There’s not much, after all, to rival like 9,000rpm in a four-door saloon.