The Honda Civic Type R Takes The Title Of The Fastest FWD Car Around The Nrburgring

The ‘Ring now has a new record holder: the Honda Civic Type-R.

The iconic Nürburgring Nordschleife is one of those tracks that separate the wheat from the chaff in sporty cars. Often used as a measuring stick for high-performance cars, the 20.832-kilometer super complex is the ultimate test of a vehicle’s abilities. Now, the track has a new record for front-wheel-drive production cars – the Honda Civic Type R, which did the lap in 7:44.81.

Before you say “Hey, aren’t there two cars quicker than the Civic Type R?” That’s only half correct; one of the cars, the Lynk & Co 03+ Cyan Concept, was a concept not made for public sale. The second car, the Renault Megane RS Trophy R, used a different regulation to calculate its time. Before 2019, the official Nürburgring track length was 20.6 kilometers, not the full 20.832 that Honda used to calculate its record. So, the Megane’s 7:40.1 lap time was actually 7:45.399. Therefore, Honda snatched the crown from Renault by not quite a second.

According to Honda, not much was done to the standard car to achieve the record. Honda fitted Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect tires, swapping out the standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Other than that, the Civic Type R looks to be the same beast you can buy from any dealership.

This isn’t the first time the Civic Type R has been on the list. Honda and Renault have multiple entries on the fastest FWD list, with the Civic Type R and a hyper-powered Megane duking it out at least since 2009.

“We still had one more mission to fulfill, which was to claim the title as the world’s fastest FWD car with a record Nürburgring lap time, wrote Hideki Kakinuma, Civic Type R Development Leader. Six years later, their dream came true. The Civic is the fastest FWD car around the Nürburgring. At least, for now.

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