Honda NSX and Civic Type R concepts to star at Goodwood

The Honda NSX and Honda Civic Type R concepts will appear in public in the UK for the first time at next month's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The two cars will be on static display on Honda's stand at the West Sussex event. Honda is previewing the sports car and performance hatchback ahead of the debuts of the production versions in 2015.

The Civic Type R concept will highlight the styling direction for the exterior design of the production car. 

Honda is touting the Civic Type R as "the most extreme" version yet, using the World Touring Car Championship racing version of the hatch for styling inspiration. The concept version was revealed at the Geneva motor show earlier this year.

It is more than 30mm lower than a standard Civic and distinguished by bulging wheelarches, a massive front spoiler and perhaps the most distinctive rear wing ever to see service on the back of the hatchback. Only the roof, front doors and unadorned rear tailgate are shared with a regular Civic hatch.

The Type R concept has been put together by a team of just three people in Honda’s Swindon design centre, led by senior project designer Masaru Hasegawa.

The Type R will be powered by a brand-new, 2.0-litre turbocharged motor. Honda says it is already good for “over 276bhp”, although privately engineers admit that it has hit 300bhp, with 300lb ft of torque at just 2000rpm.

Honda believes that competition for the Type R will come not from the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST, but from more extreme models, such as the Golf R and Focus RS.

The hybrid NSX, meanwhile, is being benchmarked against cars such as the Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911, Audi R8, Ferrari 458 and McLaren 650S. The brief for the car, says Honda, is to "provide the excitement of the 458 at the price of the 911".

Visitors to the Honda stand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed can also race remote-controlled Type R and NSX concept models around a miniature racetrack.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from 26-29 June, kicking off with the Moving Motor Show on Thursday 26 June, before three days of action on the hillclimb.

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