Honda announced on Wednesday that their FL5-generation Civic Type R has claimed the front-wheel-drive Nürburgring record with a lap time of 7:44.881 around the 12.93-mile Nordschleife. This dethrones the previous champ, the Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R, which held the title since 2019 with a time of 7:45.39.
Although the old FK8-generation set a faster time of 7:43.8 back in 2017, the new model is considered faster because the 2019 guidelines for lap records required the time to be measured along the complete 12.93-mile Nordschleife. The previous measurement excluded the short front straight, which cut a little over a tenth of a mile from the time.
Honda did not release both 12.8- and 12.93-mile times, unlike Porsche and Mercedes-AMG. However, based on a rough estimation of the video, the Type R covered the 12.8 miles in around 7:39.681, or a little over four seconds faster than its predecessor.
The new Type R is a standard road car with four seats. The extra lap time likely comes from the tires, particularly the optional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, which provides immense grip, and small chassis tweaks.
Although the European-spec Type R makes 325 hp to the US version's 316 hp, Honda fans are still hoping for a stripped-out special Type R to compete with BMW M3s and other sports cars. The new Honda Civic Type R has set a new front-wheel-drive Nürburgring record, cementing its place as one of the all-time great hot hatches and one of the fastest on the market.
