R​IP, CIVIC TYPE R.

H​onda Australia has just recently confirmed that the current-gen Civic Type R's order books are closing, and that potential buyers looking to own one of the greatest modern hot hatches better hurry up, as the remaining stock on dealer forecourts plus two more shipments due later in the year are the last new ones left for sale. The announcement heralds the end of the CTR's life globally, as the Swindon plant that makes them will die down not far behind it. So as we say farewell to the ultimate FWD hot hatch, I thought it'd be best to remind ourselves just what it accomplished in the four years it was on sale.

2​017. The mad-looking Civic Type R sets a Nurburgring lap record for the fastest FWD car, beating bitter rival Renault's Megane with a time of 7 minutes and 43.8 seconds. In the hands of pretty much every auto journalist and reviewer in the world, it attracts an overwhelming amount of praise on its driving dynamics. It also attracts an equally overwhelming amount of critisism on it's styling, which I've always kind of liked. Over the course of the next year, Honda would bring the CTR on a world tour of the worlds' greatest tracks, sweeping up FWD lap record at every site it visited. As part of the "Type R Challenge", Honda claimed the FWD lap records at Spa-Francorchamps, Magny-Cours GP, Silverstone, Estoril and Hungaroring. It was unstoppable - right until the introduction of the Mégane R.S. Trophy-R, which put Renault back on top of the hot hatch scene, despite not really being a hatchback as such (it had no back seats). Honda addressed the problem with a refresh for the entire Civic range that brought two new Type R models: a Sport Line model, which was a more subtle looking thing than the standard car, and a Limited Edition model, which was not a more subtle looking thing than the standard car. In fact, the 700 golden, lightened, hardened version were created, first and foremost, to be track weapons with back seats. And it paid off - Honda now holds the FWD lap record at Suzuka.

H​onda Australia's website

H​onda Australia's website

U​nfortunately, this is the end for the current-gen FK8 Type R. According to Honda Australia's website, the Civic Type R is unavailable to order due to "higher than expected demand". The production is due to end in July 2021, as the Swindon plant that makes it closes down.

I​mage credit: Caradvice.com.au

I​mage credit: Caradvice.com.au

B​ut not to worry - Honda recently announced the new 2022 Civic Hatchback, and Type R test mules have been photographed in these spy shots. With all the praise that the outgoing model recieved from critics, journalists and customers, it's unlikely Honda's wild hatch is going anywhere anytime soon.