It’s a car that’s long been a tuner’s friend. Here’s some of the best modified Honda Civic Type R builds from our archives.
We’ve featured countless Honda Civic Type Rs over the years. From the earliest EK9s, right up to the latest FL5-generation Civic. We take a look at some of the best modified examples we’ve featured from across the years.
Spoon Honda Civic Type R FL5
When it comes to modified Hondas, Spoon Sports are right up there as one of the top tuning houses in the game. So, when the news broke that they’d already worked their magic on the brand-new Honda Civic Type R FL5, we knew we had to see it for ourselves. Unfortunately, plane tickets to Japan aren’t exactly cheap, and the Fast Car piggy bank was having none of it. As a result, we decided to send in somebody who didn’t need to catch a plane; somebody already embedded deep into the land of the rising sun – the one and only Dino Dalle Carbonare.
What Dino found was this stunning white FL5 worthy of any premier car show. Its subtle yet aggressive styling tweaks are just the tonic we needed after years of overboard aesthetics with the FK generations of Civic – and then there’s what lies beneath…
Suspension masters KW teamed up with Spoon to design a bespoke 2-way coilover system for this car, intended to provide the optimal balance between tolerable ride quality and track performance. Spoon has also manufactured bespoke slotted brake rotors and pads, giving the FL5 an enhanced level of feedback through the middle pedal. Of course, power mods have been considered too – namely, a Spoon cat-back exhaust, ECU remap, and revisions to the car’s air flow channels.
The most exciting element of this build, however, is the fact that this is only the start. According to Spoon’s head honcho Ichishima-san, this is merely ‘Step One’ of a wave of reinvented FL5s soon to roll out of the workshop, each more hardcore than the last. Count us intrigued…
Read Dino’s full debrief here, or check out our comprehensive FL5 guide for all the must-know info about Honda’s latest class-leading hot hatch.
J’s Racing Honda Civic Type R FK8
From one legendary Japanese tuning house to another, J’s Racing isn’t quite as heralded as Spoon Sports, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t without their own heavy dose of street cred. Best known for their Honda S2000 touge cars, J’s Racing knows a thing or two about making fast Hondas go even faster. So, when Jason decided to modify his FK8 Type R, we can’t blame him for diving straight into the J’s parts catalogue.
The result of that decision is a very cool – and incredibly rare – vehicle. Around the world, there are just four privately owned FK8s with full J’s Racing styling and performance parts – one in Japan, two in the United States, and then this one in the UK. However, this car’s appeal stretches far beyond its mere exclusivity.
Dream Automotive undertook the majority of the build, and boy have they done a solid job with it. If you want to know about the intricacies of what this FK8 is packing under its hood, feel free to check out the full feature here.
For advice on the FK8 Type R, take a look at our buying & tuning guides. Or, if you fancy hearing our thoughts on what the car’s like in stock condition, give our hands-on review a read.
Lee’s Modified Honda Civic Type R FK2
Given the car’s short production span, It’s not that often that you see a modified version of the FK2 Civic Type R. But when you do, they’re usually rather special. Lee’s blue example is no exception.
Truth be told though, this car was never really meant to happen. Back when the FK2 first hit showroom floors, Lee had just perfected his Evo 8 build, but decided to take the brand new Civic on a test drive out of sheer curiosity. Curiosity can be a dangerous thing apparently, as within hours the Evo was sent packing.
Quite a leap of faith, then. But, having been in the car tuning game for more than 30 years, Lee knows how to get the job done right. This FK2’s overhaul started with the carbon exterior additions, the package which sprawls from the wing vents to the new aggressive hood. Adding to the look is a set of XXR alloys, which Lee even got a preview of while they were still in the CAD phase of development. From there, he caved in to the avalanche of inspiration and the mods started flying in.
We aren’t going to give you all the juicy bits here though – you’ll have to read the full feature for that. Such a tease, aren’t we? Anyway, if you want to get your own FK2, be sure to read our dedicated buyer’s guide. We’ve also got a tuning guide for these things up on the website, so make sure to check that out if you plan on adding some extra spice to your own ride.
FEEL’s Honda Civic Type R FD2
Now here’s a real rarity. From the offset, the FD2 Type R was always the Western world’s forbidden fruit. Reserved purely for the Japanese market, the sedan-silhouetted FD2 Type R was a more powerful, better handling version of Europe’s watered-down FN2 Type R hatch. So, as you can imagine, these motors are cloaked in a heavy cloud of JDM mystique.
For that reason, it’s always an event when you see an imported one, but this FEEL’s-tuned example turns that level of intrigue up to eleven. The *only* example of a fully-kitted FEEL’s FD2 outside of Japan (even in Japan there’s only two), this car has been a real labor of love.
Its owner Tom brought it to the UK in 2020, but back then it was bone stock. It certainly didn’t last that way for long though, as after sourcing a carbon hood from FEEL’s, he decided to take the plunge and commission a serious project. The company he entrusted with the work was BHP Imports of Newcastle, and despite the cross-continental language barrier, BHP managed to transform this FD2 into a complete FEEL’s demo car within the space of a year.
“Walking through the doors and seeing it there [upon collection], I was like ‘oh sh*t, that’s mine,’ it took me a while to take it in,” Tom recalls. To find out exactly why this car struck such a chord, be sure to read the full feature.
To see how the FD2 compares with its European FN2 cousin, check out this head to head battle!
Adam’s Modified Honda Civic Type R FN2
Seven hundred and 65 horsepower. That’s a whole lot of power for a front-wheel drive hot hatch. In fact, 765bhp is a whole lot of power in any car. Adam’s Honda Civic Type R FN2 has taken turbocharged Civic Type Rs to the next level.
Finished in Championship White, Adam initially started down the NA tuning route. Your typical bolt on mods featured here; induction kit, exhaust system, throttle bodies, remap etc. In this guise, it raised the FN2’s peak power from 198bhp to around 240. But that wasn’t enough for Adam.
After sorting the chassis with suspension upgrades and uprated brakes and venturing out on a few track days, Adam quickly realized he longed for more power. Extracting power through NA tuning is a costly exercise, so he embarked down the route of turbocharging.
The first step was 370bhp, then 450bhp, which quickly turned into 500bhp+. Of course, at this point, the K20 received a number of forged upgrades. The figure Adam ended up with was a cool 765bhp. Alongside transmission upgrades, torque now sits at 512lb ft of torque.
To put the power down, a fancy ECU controls wheel slip, while a limited-slip differential does its best to split the torque between the front wheels. Check out the full feature here.
Looking for your own FN2? Check out our buyer’s guide. While you’re at it, why not seek out some advice on FN2 tuning.
Chris & Connor’s Family EP3 Project
“Unlike my previous cars, the plan with this one really was just to leave it alone!” Chris said. We’ve heard that one before…
Impressively, that thought process only lasted a mere week before the first mods (wheels, suspension, exhaust) found their way onto the car. However, as time went by, Chris gradually fell out of love with the modified car scene, and so the project stagnated for a while.
What it needed was a fresh burst of ideas and energy to elevate it to a new level, and that’s exactly what happened when Chris’ teenage nephew got involved.
Weight reduction was the first thing on Connor’s mind, so Chris took a brave pill and agreed to strip the interior. A roll cage soon followed, sprayed the same beautiful teal color as Connor’s trainers. In fact, those minty accent colors would become a theme throughout the car.
Once the interior had been sorted, a remapped ECU and new inlet manifold were installed under the bonnet, raising the EP3’s performance figures to 235hp & 162 lb/ft of torque. Crazy power figures were never the aim of this particular game, and instead Chris has focused on improving the car’s mid-range capabilities – VTEC now kicks in at just 3800rpm!
Genuine carbon fiber body panels provide an attractive contrast against the swathes of silver and spots of teal. Meanwhile, the aftermarket Japan Racing alloys suit this EP3 to a tee. Treat yourselves to the full EP3 feature!
David’s Honda Civic Type R EK9
A true JDM import, this EK9 met its new owner at auction where it bore a ‘Grade 4’ vehicle listing. In reality, that translated to only a few little exterior scuffs.
The first modification to arrive was a carbon bonnet, followed by a new set of coilovers. After that, bucket seats and harnesses entered the fray, indicating that this project was well and truly on course. Everything was going as smoothly as you could expect a build like this to go, that is, until one dark day in 2012.
David recalls speaking enthusiastically with his best friend William Rennie about a week prior to the accident. The pair had been musing about what it might be like to turbocharge David’s EK9. Sadly, a road collision meant that William would never get to join David on that journey.
Armed with the lasting memory of his friend, David set about turbocharging the EK9 just as the pair had visualized. It took a good few years of saving, but in the end, he managed it; and in the process, he ended up building one of the best examples of this model in the country.
Want to know more about what’s going on underneath the skin of this EK9? Read the full feature here. Or, if you fancy putting your own twist on the classic Civic recipe, check out our dedicated EK9 buying and tuning guides.
Other relevant articles:
