It’s no secret that we love hot hatchbacks at RFD and as of late manufacturers have been on a tear in these things. It seemed that in 2014, every few months a new front wheel drive Nürburgring Champion was crowned. Now just three months in to 2015 that crown shifts once again. This time to the 2016 Honda Civic Type R.
“The 2016 Civic Type R’s 7:50.63 seconds lap time of Nurburgring is unmatched in the front-wheel drive hot hatch class. This lap time was achieved during the development test in May 2014 by a contracted pro test driver.” -Honda
On Honda’s YouTube page they say the new 2016 Civic Type R was piloted by a professional driver in May 2014 when it lapped the record time of 7:50.63. Honda says the test was achieved using a “development car” with identical engine tuning, suspension, drivetrain, exhaust, brakes and aerodynamics of the upcoming production car. Certain equipment was removed from the vehicle, however, including the air conditioning, front passenger seat and audio equipment. Honda says this was done to offset the weight of a roll cage, which was, “installed specifically for safety reasons and not to add rigidity.”
Time will tell if the Civic Type R can reproduce that 7:50 lap time in showroom trim.
In case you’re wondering, below are a list of several cars that are slower than the Honda Civic Type R around the Nurburgring. The entire list can be found here.
| Make & Model | Nurburgring Lap Time |
| Ford GT | 7:52 |
| Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 | 7:52 |
| Porsche 911 GT3 (996) | 7:54 |
| Ferrari F430 | 7:55 |
| Honda NSX-R | 7:56 |
| Chevrolet Corvette C6 | 7:59 |
