Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition Becomes Official Safety Car

Speed regulation is not the first thought that crosses one's mind when thinking about theHonda Civic Type R. It's a hot hatchback like few others, thoroughly immersing the driver in the action with its pin-sharp handling and turbocharged four-cylinder engine encouraging you to wring its neck. The lighterCivic Type R Limited Edition, of which just 1,000 will be produced globally, is even more hardcore.

But the Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition you see here has a much more practical, essential task on its hands: it's the official safety car for the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR). The honor underscores the Civic Type R's inherent performance, balance, and dependability, all virtues it will need to call upon for its track duties.

The Type R Limited Edition was first unveiled in Milan at JAS Motorsport, a motorsport collaborator of Honda. This extreme version of the Type R will be painted in eye-popping Sunlight Yellow and it rides on 20-inch forged BBS alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

A stripped-down interior saves just over 100 pounds when compared with the Type R GT. It retains the same 2.0-liter VTEC turbo engine, but here produces 316 horsepower. It'll reach 62 mph in a time of 5.7 seconds. That's more than enough power for the new WTCR safety car to bring matters under control if an incident occurs.

This year's WTCR season takes place at various locations in Europe and encompasses six rounds, beginning in Austria on September 12. The Limited Edition won't be the only Type R in attendance, because four Type R TCRs will be competing alongside competitors like the Hyundai i30 N TCR and thereturning Lynk & Co 03 TCR, which helped the Cyan Racing Lynk & Co team win last year's teams' championship.

The Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCR promoter, is Francois Ribeiro, and he couldn't be happier about this year's safety car choice. "With its excellent safety rating, its sporty, dynamic qualities, as well as its affordability, [the Type R] fits perfectly with the philosophy of WTCR."