Civic Type-R beat these 10 cars on Nurburgring [list]

[Guzmannn]

You may have seen the video of the development Type R vehicle going ape nuts around the Nurburgring but check out the list of awesome cars it was faster than:

10. Porsche Panamera Turbo

But the truth is that tie-games are awful; nobody likes them. That’s why we have overtime, shootouts and deflated footballs.

Second place is just the first loser and in this case it’s the Porsche Panamera Turbo, or as I like to think of it, the vehicular “mom jeans” for people who live in Miami Beach.

9. 996 Generation Porsche 911 Turbo

Astoundingly that’s not the only Porsche product on this list. In fact, there are three, of which two are from the 911 family. The next one to fall before Honda’s new tuned-up special is the 996 generation 911 Turbo. Here’s the funny thing about this car relative to the Civic Type R: you can probably find one of these in decent shape for less money.

8. C5 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

And if you can’t find the aforementioned Porsche at a discount to the world’s Earth DreamiestHonda hatchback, there are certainly no fewer than 247 middle-aged men on AutoTrader who are willing to sell you their C5 Z06 from roughly $42,000 (which is still probably less than a new Type R) down to one guy named Earl who is willing to part with his for just 20 grand, though he has offered to lower that price even further if you have a Harley to throw into the mix. Apparently he has gambling debts and is behind on child support. We also suspect he has an intravenous drug addiction but we cannot confirm this.

7. Ferrari F430 F1 gearbox

The next vehicle on this list is significantly less plentiful and considerably more expensive. That’s right, a front-wheel-drive Honda economy car just bettered the Nürburgring performance of a FerrariF430. My how times have changed.

6. Caterham R500 Superlight

It’s impossible to dislike Caterham products. Go ahead, try. What’s that? Stop lying.

Anyway, the Caterham R500 Superlight clocked a 7:55 lap time, a figure that does not include how long it took to pick all the bugs out of the driver’s teeth following this blistering performance. The R500 is less of a car and more of an incredible toy. It uses a Ford-sourced 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that only makes 263 HP but here’s the thing, it doesn’t need more than that. The R500 Superlight only weighs 1,100 lbs, which means from a power-to-weight standpoint this thing is absolutely ludicrous.

5. Renault Mégane RS 275 Trophy-R

Basically the story behind this car is that Renault (France) doesn’t think very much of Seat (Spain) so it did not sit well with them that the Leon Cupra 280 was lapping the ‘Ring in 7:58.

Several dozen hand-rolled cigarettes later, Renault announced that it had a new high-performance front-driver. It weighed less than the Megane Trophy, had stickier tires, a pricier suspension and one more thing, a faster lap than posted by those dastardly Spaniards. The only trouble is this beast was A LOT of work to build so they only made 250, then probably went on strike or something. Maybe it was lunchtime. Certainly there was some wine involved …

4. 997 Porsche 911 Turbo

Well, we haven’t discussed Porsche in a few hundred words so why not take another crack at ‘em? The 997 911 Turbo conveniently clocked a 7:54 lap time. That’s pretty darn good, but hardly enough to best Honda’s latest Civic-on-steroids, a car that’s essentially wearing suction cups for tires, a key reason for its blistering performance.

Editor’s note: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires don’t actually have suction cups. Yes they are awesome, but please don’t try driving upside-down with them. It won’t end well.

3. Nissan GT-R

Speaking of turbocharged six-cylinder, all-wheel-drive performance cars that cost an arm and a leg to own, the Nissan GT-R is, according to most people who comment on automotive Websites, the greatest vehicle of all time. It can beat anything around the Nürburgring in reverse.

Of course, it is capable of achieving this by using turbochargers, four-corner grip and 30 pounds of fairy dust that generates 1 billion newton meters of awesome power-torque.

Actually, the original R35 GT-R lapped the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 54 seconds. Of course, subsequent versions of this car boast significantly better times than the original, but the point is that a damn Civic is capable of outshining a car you and I have both spent many lustful hours — *ahem* — thinking about.

2. Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG

Then there’s the Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG. Only 180 of these cars saw the light of day over the course of a single production year.

Inspired by the DTM race cars of the day it made 582 hp from a 5.4L supercharged V8, enabling a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph!

1. Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4

Believe it or not (you don’t have to listen to what we’re saying) there’s a stock Honda Civic that’s quicker than the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4. Yes, you read that correctly. With fewer than half the cylinders and engine displacement, not to mention only 50 percent of the driven wheels, Honda’s new boy-racer has enough gumption to give the Gallardo an old-fashioned shellacking. Who knew? Master carpenter Norm Abram would be proud of this finish.

 

[Rainbow Warrior]

That is just incredible.. and the price comparison with these cars would be even more mind blowing.

 

[s2ker]

I knew 7:50 lap was fast but had no idea until seeing it on a list compared to the cars that the Type R beats! There's exotics from not too long ago on that list gdamn....

 

[Tap Out]

That should shut up anyone saying FWD is wrong-wheel-drive!!

 

[Whoosh]

That should shut up anyone saying FWD is wrong-wheel-drive!!

People will still say it but it shows if they are engineered correctly with the proper weight and handling mechanics, you don't even need much power to keep up with or beat these exotics at the track.

 

[Moichi]

That should shut up anyone saying FWD is wrong-wheel-drive!!

It kinda is wrong wheel drive on most cars... but the Type R is not your typical FWD It's got anti-torque steer technology built in. I got a feeling this next gen Civic is going to be one of the best Civic generations in terms of driving dynamics.

 

[s2ker]

Here's the REALLY exciting part that I read in another article. Think about the possibilities of a fully stripped track duty Type R with PS Cups or some Trofeo tires.

Even more extreme Honda Civic Type R is possible
Yagi-san, project lead for the new Honda Civic Type R, has hinted that a faster and more focused model could be on the way.

Honda announced it had broken the Renault Megane 275 Trophy-R’s 7:54.36 front-wheel-drive Nurburgring lap time. The new Honda Civic Type R – which goes on sale later this year – posted a 7:50.63, beating the Renault by over three seconds.

In an interview with Auto Express at the Geneva Motor Show, Yagi-san confirmed that should another manufacturer go on and trump the Civic’s time, the company had tricks up its sleeve to counter.

“The Nurburgring is a very representative track. In order to be the fastest front-wheel-driven car in the world, it was essential to also have and break the lap record on the Nurburgring. It was one of the key requirements of the concept.

“Of course, if that record is going to be broken one day, that would be the starting line again for a new challenge from our side – in order to gain back the attribute of being the fastest front-wheel-driven car on the Nurburgring.”

As a result, he agreed there was definite potential for a stripped-out, lightweight, track-ready version, with more power and grippier tyres.

“The Civic Type R shown today has all the standard equipment including safety features and security systems. If we talk about a further specialised car, we’ll really be focusing on track usage, with lightweight and more. Increasing the power to weight ratio will be necessary and we believe there is still quite some room for improvement in that direction.”

Like the Renault Megane Trophy R, the faster Type R is likely to scrap things like rear seats, air-conditioning and a radio, in favour of a higher-output engine, a scaled-back interior and a rigidity-improving roll cage. Exact details may not be revealed until a later date – or indeed until Honda’s 7 min 50 second Nurburgring lap time is broken.

 

[Tuttle]

That's a ridiculous list of cars its beats. Just hope that the production model performs as well as the prototype(?) model they used to achieve this time.

 

[Tegster]

Production model will have rear seats and no roll cage but they would be foolish to publish these times if the production car can't achieve this kind of performance.

 

[10thG]

Production model will have rear seats and no roll cage but they would be foolish to publish these times if the production car can't achieve this kind of performance.

Good pt.

The US version better not be heavier than international version cuz of our safety equipment requiements!

 

[Guzmannn]

Good pt.

The US version better not be heavier than international version cuz of our safety equipment requiements!

This does happen but if a car is developed to be global from the get go they usually account for it by offsetting added weight in certain areas to removing weight in others. It's bad press to offer a performance vehicle in a big market for first time and have it be a porker compared to the Euro version.

 

[H_P]

Wait what it beats a R35 GTR?! Holy $@#T

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