Back in 2010, Mugen introduced its first version of the current generation Honda Civic Type-R with just a limited production of 20 units. And perhaps because they still have four of them left over, Mugen Euro decided to go back to the drawing board, finding new ways to entice owners to scoop up this version of the Civic Type-R.

This time, performance is increased to 256-hp and 177 lb-ft of torque, a 30-percent increase over factory. The “2.2″ in the name pretty much hints on what was done by Mugen, increasing the cylinder bore and stroke to 2,156-cc, essentially a 2.2-liter engine.

Despite the K20′s death in Japan, tuners all around the world still love it for its naturally aspirated performance potential. Mugen is hoping its 2.2 variant will breathe new life to their Civic Type-R model, possibly outfitting the remaining four units from 2010 with the new power plant. And even though nothing is confirmed, Mugen is considering allowing current 2010 model owners to bring their vehicles in for an upgrade. No plans of the 2.2 version have been finalized yet, which includes how many Mugen plans on selling to the public.

Here’s hoping Mugen gets a hold of the new 2012 Civic Si.

GALLERY: Mugen Honda Civic Type-R 2.2

For whatever strange reason, North America has never been blessed with receiving any of the Type-R versions of the Honda Civic, and given the huge success of the Integra Type-R, we still sit and scratch our heads on that decision. Nonetheless, the hot Civic Type-R has caught our eyes since day one, and now we’ve got a real look at its potential thank to the genius tuners at J’s Racing.

J’s Racing is notorious for bringing out some of the baddest Hondas over the years, like their trademark Honda S2000 and wickedly-fast Honda Fit. So when we spotted this Euro Honda Civic Type-R we felt inclined to share it.

Hopefully this will inspire some enthusiasts to build their own renditions, but clearly J’s Racing is utilizing this Civic Type-R as a marketing tool for their Hyper ECU line of products. But really, when you take a look at the finished product it’s more or less what we’d expect from any JDM tuner. Clean cut conservative lines, with carbon fiber mixed in and a set of tasteful wheels.

Make sure to check out a video of the car after the break that highlights a lot of the car’s features.

GALLERY: J’s Racing Euro Honda Civic Type-R

[Source: JDM Ego's Weblog]

Continue Reading…

It’s hard to say whether or not the Honda Type-R moniker shares the prestige it did a decade ago with the Integra Type-R. But Honda has recently announced the discontinuation of the Civic Type-R sedan starting August 2010. To us it makes sense, since Honda doesn’t quite have the popularity with their sedans, but rather their hatchbacks and coupes. The hatchback variant of the Civic Type-R will continued to be produced in Europe and imported to Japan, a vehicle that’s much more relevant to those markets.

It seems that North America will never get their hands on either of these vehicles right now, which is disappointing considering how well the Integra Type-R did. For those wanting to know what they’ve missed out on, the Civic Type-R sedan was powered with a 2.0L inline-four that put out 225-hp and 158 ft-lbs of torque. And in-line with all Type-R models, stiffened and tuned suspension components allowed it to handle much better than its “lower-model brethren.” There were once rumors that it would find its way over to North America, but sadly there is little left to hold on to. For now we’ll just have to settle for the Honda Civic Si sedan.

We recently reported that Honda tuner Mugen was planning a version of the Euro-spec Civic Type-R and now that story has essentially been confirmed as Mugen has released photos and a short video of its front-drive hot-hatch.

Mugen still hasn’t release any details on the model, but it is expected to follow the format set by the 4-door Honda Civic Mugen RR. That means output from the 2.0-liter four-cylinder will be massaged to 237hp at 8000 rpm and 160 ft-lbs of torque at a lofty 7000 rpm.

The photos confirm a aggressive body kit, a dual-exhaust setup and what appear to be 18-inch wheels. What we don’t know is if the rear seats will be deleted, as reported.

Also up in the air are the Brembo brakes. We would expect to see them on this car (like on the RR), but in a short video of the car that Mugen released they appear to be absent.

It does appear as though that the car will be only offered as a right-hand drive U.K.-spec model, and while that is unfortunate for the rest of Europe, it is expected as the Honda following in Briton is much higher than on the continent.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

GALLERY: Mugen U.K.-Spec Civic Type-R

[Source: 4WheelsNews]

Honda’s odd-looking Euro-spec Civic Type-R hatchback is about to get the Mugen treatment. With the success of the Honda Civic Mugen RR sedan, the Japanese Honda-tuner wants to take on the latest Type-R, adding power, dropping weight and making an already amazing package that much better.

Mugen isn’t releasing any hard and fast facts yet, but the car is expected to rely heavily on the Mugen RR sedan, so we should expect to see the 2.0-liter engine upped to 237hp at 8000 rpm and 160 ft-lbs of torque at a lofty 7000 rpm.

The light-weight 18-inch forged alloy wheels, Brembo brakes and amazing Recaro seats will also be a part of the package. And as for those rear seats, they’ll be tossed entirely for maximum weight savings.

The real trick will be if Mugen can design an aero kit that not only works (we have no doubt of that), but which can actually make the car look good.

EVO magazine estimates the price to be in the £35,000-range – which equates to roughly $58,000.

GALLERY: Civic Mugen RR Sedan

[Source: EVO]