Everyone Knows Type R, but How Much Do You Know About the Civic’s Early Racing History?

 Original – Honda誌 / 日系車迷誌 / 2025-04-09 12:42:47

The EK9 Type R was Honda's third model to undergo the Type R transformation. I believe most Honda fans are already very familiar with the specifications of the EK9. But there's a question—have you ever wondered why, after applying the Type R treatment to their flagship sports car NSX, Honda chose the Civic as the third Type R, rather than other models?

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Although Honda didn’t release that many models, the Civic wasn’t their only option. Cars like the Today, City, or even the larger Accord could have been Type R-ized. So why did they choose the Civic?

First off, let me say that Honda has never officially answered this question, so what follows is just my own speculation. Choosing the Civic for a Type R variant may partly be due to its “people’s car” positioning, but I think it has a lot to do with the 🏁 Civic’s motorsport heritage.

You need to know that the Civic has a long history in racing, and there are even a few Civic race cars that left lasting impressions—or even shocked Europe. 🇪🇺 For example, the EG that battled E30s and AMGs on the Guia Circuit in Macau with just a 1.6L engine. I'm sure veteran fans still remember that race.

And that's just one chapter in the Civic’s racing story. 📃 Let’s take a closer look at the Civic’s motorsport history.

From the first-generation Civic, racing involvement had already begun. Although this wasn’t an official factory team, it was actually a group formed by Honda’s in-house engineers. The experience gained from this car wasn’t only applied to future race cars—it also contributed to road cars, such as the creation of the Type R.

This car was equipped with the EJ-series 1300cc engine, which originally only produced 68 horsepower, but after enhancements by the engineers, its power was increased to 150 horsepower, more than double the original.

In addition to the power boost, this car was also lightened, reducing its weight from 680kg to 600kg.

The Civic’s motorsport history can be divided into several generations, and it all traces back to the first-generation Civic. The first to use the Civic for racing wasn’t an outside team, but rather engineers from Honda Japan’s headquarters R&D lab.

In 1978, some of the engineers formed their own racing team called TEAM YAMATO. They began modifying a then-relatively new first-generation Civic SB1 for racing.

Because this was not an official Honda team, their budget was extremely limited, and all modifications could only be done in their spare time after work. This SB1 race car retained the EJ-series engine from the production model, but it was extensively modified—such as with quad-throttle direct injection and high-rev tuning.

After all these enhancements, the EJ-series engine’s output jumped from 68 hp @ 5500 rpm to 150 hp @ 7800 rpm. The weight was also reduced from 680kg down to 600kg.

After the SB1 retired, Honda officially entered racing with the third-generation Civic (AT) and partnered with Mugen to build the engine.

Because of the car’s large rear window, it earned the nickname “Big TV.” In 1983, it swept the JTC (Japanese Touring Car Championship) field, winning both driver’s and team titles.

The SB1 initially competed at Fuji Speedway against rivals like the Nissan B310 Sunny and Toyota KP47 Starlet, both rear-wheel drive. At that time, RWD layouts and aerodynamics provided a clear advantage.

Yet the SB1 still managed to stand out and win races. It competed from 1978 to 1984, and was retired when Group A regulations were introduced in Japan in 1985.

This Civic was equipped with a DOHC ZC engine, and after being rebuilt by Mugen, its output rose from 110 hp to 225 hp, while still maintaining a 1600cc displacement.

In 1985, with the introduction of FIA Group A regulations, the race was renamed All Japan Touring Car Championship (JTC). New rules mandated production-style bodywork, making the series a valuable marketing platform.

Honda entered as a factory team, using the third-gen Civic Si (AT) with a ZC DOHC engine. Competing against the turbocharged Toyota AE86, Honda turned to Mugen for engineering help. The ZC engine was reworked to produce 225 hp, and legendary F1 driver Satoru Nakajima joined the team.

Since the car only ran select races, it couldn’t stop Toyota from winning the season championship.

During the EF generation, both the EF3 (early) and EF9 (late) models raced. The EF9 Civic SiR came equipped with the powerful B16A engine.

In 1986, Toyota switched to the Corolla FX (AE82), which was also FWD. That year, Honda’s Civic struggled. In 1987, with drivers Osamu Nakako and Hideki Okada, Honda made a comeback—winning all 6 races and securing both driver and team titles.

That same year, the fourth-gen Civic (EF) was released, and the third-gen race car retired the following season.

By the EG generation, the B16A engine, paired with advanced suspension and chassis design, made the car nearly unbeatable—it was like it had a “cheat code.”

In 1988, Honda began racing the fourth-gen Civic, initially the EF3 with the ZC engine. By 1990, it upgraded to the EF9 Civic SiR with a DOHC VTEC B16A engine, competing against Toyota AE92 and AE101 models.

Honda couldn’t completely dominate the season but still won the manufacturer’s championship.

With Mugen tuning, the B16A produced over 230 hp. Combined with double wishbone suspension, it could even challenge larger-displacement rivals.

In mid-1992, Honda introduced the fifth-gen Civic (EG), based on the EG6 SiR, with the B16A engine now outputting over 230 hp. This generation became legendary in Civic racing history.

The only real competition came from other EG-based cars like the EG6 and EG9 models.

Due to rule changes, the EG6 was no longer eligible to compete, leaving only the EG9 on track.

The EG9 had to race against cars in the 2000cc class, which was unfair for a 1600cc car—but unavoidable due to its dominance. This led Honda to eventually replace it with the Accord CD6.

Although the Gathers EK9 never raced in JTCC, it competed in the Japanese N1 endurance race, even ending Nissan Skyline’s 50-race win streak.

The Civic’s racing history stretches far beyond what we’ve covered here. But from the SB1 to the EG9, we’ve witnessed the Civic’s journey through its first half of motorsport life, growing stronger with each generation.

Back to the original question—with such a rich racing legacy, if the second Type R wasn’t given to the Civic, who else could possibly deserve it?