Although it is not officially sanctioned motorsport, the competition to set the fastest lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife by a road car is eagerly contested by motor manufacturers. Although the 14 mile circuit was abandoned as a Grand Prix venue in the 1970s, for motor manufacturers the lap time they can boast from ‘The Green Hell’ is huge for prestige.

The outright record is 6 minutes 30.705 seconds set by a Mercedes-AMG One in October 2022. Developed around a current-generation Mercedes Formula One power unit that supercar was road legal and ran on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

Recently Honda claimed the record for a front wheel drive [FWD] car, a road legal Civic Type R recording a lap of 7 minutes 44.881 seconds in an official factory attempt fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Honda reports that the lap time was set using a Type R that is a lighter version of the mainstream model, this known as a Type R S grade and available to order in European LHD markets only.

The most powerful model in Type R’s 30-year history, Honda reports of the 2023 version: “The engine is the K20C1. Horsepower, torque and response are improved by a redesigned turbocharger, increased air intake flow rate, and a new more efficient exhaust system that features a straight through design and an active exhaust valve. The size, shape and number of the turbocharger's turbine wheel blades have been optimised along with the flow path of the intake charge, enabling the turbocharger to generate pressure in a wider range and more efficiently.”

Engine output is now quoted 315 bhp @ 6500 rpm (SAE net) with 310 lb.ft. torque across the range 2600 – 4000 rpm (SAE net). Those represent improvements of 9 bhp and 15 lb.ft.

Civic Type R Development Leader Hideki Kakinuma remarked, “we strived for the ultimate FWD sports car… Six years after the [FWD Nordschleife] lap record was set by the previous-generation Civic Type R (FK8), we reached this new dimension.”