LONDON: Honda has revealed a limited-run “Ultimate Edition” of its Civic Type R to commemorate the model’s 28-year performance legacy as European sales draw to a close in 2026.
Just 40 examples of the special edition will be made available across the region alongside remaining standard models.
Finished exclusively in Championship White, each Ultimate Edition features bespoke red graphics on the bonnet and flanks that echo the Type R badge, a contrasting black roof and exposed carbon-fibre components including the rear wing and doorstep garnish.
The cabin continues the carbon motif with a reinforced centre console panel, while ambient lighting accentuates the door linings, cup holders, console, footwells and seat undersides. A welcome projection of the Type R logo greets occupants upon entry.
Owners will also receive a numbered emblem (one through 40), a carbon key ring, custom-stitched floor mats and a dedicated car cover, all presented in a purpose-built gift box.
These items are intended as keepsakes for enthusiasts ahead of the model’s discontinuation in Europe.
Honda Motor Europe’s head of strategy and product, Hannah Swift, said the edition offers customers a “unique opportunity to celebrate” the Civic Type R’s role as the brand’s “ultimate expression of driving excitement” while acknowledging evolving European regulations that will see the hatchback depart showrooms next year.
First launched in Japan in 1997 alongside the sixth-generation Civic hatchback, the Type R has since progressed through five further generations and numerous special editions, cultivating a global following.
On track, it has repeatedly reset front-wheel-drive production lap records at the Nürburgring Nordschleife and other renowned circuits such as Magny-Cours, Spa-Francorchamps, Hungaroring, Estoril, Suzuka, Silverstone and Mount Panorama Bathurst.
Competition success has extended to the World Touring Car Championship and World Touring Car Cup, where lightly modified versions of the mass-production Type R secured multiple drivers’ and teams’ titles.
The Ultimate Edition cements the Civic Type R’s status as one of the most celebrated hot hatches in motorsport and road-going history.
