Basic mods makes this Civic Type R a decent Horizon Festival contender!
Heya! Fun cars are not very common in the Horizon Festival, right?
Most of the entrees actively use cars in the higher performance index – Lamborghinis, Paganis, even Japanese tuner cars that have been modified to its mechanical limit to play against supercars. The “old-timers” are often not found, yet its almost magical finding one.
This original Civic Type R was originally an official CIDM (Celestar Islands Domestic Market) “reverse-imported” back into Japan for use by its current owner partaking in the Horizon Festival as a wristband holder. Its temporarily registered in Japan for the forseeable future as a festival car until the vent is concluded, where it will be reimported back into its home country.
It started its life as a weathered unit that has since been restored and re-modified for the Horizon Festival. In its current form, the EK9 is strictly not a meta build but a beaming piece of street fun. Aside from an K&N air filter, MUGEN 4-1 headers, SPOON pistons, Horizon big-brake kit, OHLIN coilovers and a custom carbon fiber bonnet, there is no substantial difference to a factory-condition Type R.
In Horizon C-class level (cheekily presented on the trunk), the Type R won’t be a contender for the high ranks of A-class and beyond, but the owner’s focus was keeping the car in original-enough condition with a few pieces all around to keep the pace relevant for Horizon Festival standards and still be revert-able.
An increment of 19 horsepower to 201 horses from the original 182 horsepower output and an increase to 177Nm of torque keeps the EK9 in a more rev-happy mood that needs only nine-tenths commitment to utilize its maximum potential.
Stiffer coilover settings allows the Type R to sit lower with a more intimidating stance with equal cornering capability. Though it suffers badly on the rare poorly-paved roads in Japan, the suspension rides nearly as silky smooth as the tarmac it drives on.
Combined with the overall stiffness of the Type R and the handling proves to be more tail-happy on off-load cornering, where driver mod is required to keep the car within its lane and importantly away from the adjacent grass. The pointiness of the Civic is still chef’s kiss, still amongst the fastest and simultaneously engaging front-wheel drive cars for tricky sections of tarmac.
The 1.6-litre B16B VTEC engine screams just a little louder with the MUGEN headers but by retaining the stock downpipe and muffler, it keeps majority of the original soundtrack standard for passersby but just that much more intoxicating for the driver.
The brakes are a confidence boost for barreling down mountain stretches and a recommended essential for other festival drivers. The original system was already an upgrade over the normal Civic range, and has been improved via the big-brake kit with more bite and durability.
The ergonomics remain comfortable and hand-holding – factory red RECARO SR3s with matching red accents on the doorcards, carpets and interior emblems is nothing short of a racer’s dream come true straight from the factory gate with little to improve. The complaint of fake carbon fiber littered around can be made, but compared to newer performance toys, it feels deserved and “in-period”. The gauge cluster is easy to read, with yellow needles and heavy contrast between typeface and background that keep it simple and jaw-dropping, especially with the tachometer “maxxing out” at 10,000RPM.
In summarizing the Civic Type R, it is a piece of forbidden fruit now reserved to collectors or hardcore driving enthusiasts who wouldn’t take a supercar to conform with Horizon Festival performance indexes. If fun is what the wristband holder seeks, the EK9 is a lower-cost machine that has a higher fun factor than most of the C-class performance index.
~Emiri
Gallery:
Read more: Fictional: Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart Version R
Consider subscribing to our website! Most of our posts are uploaded before they reach our social medias, so such means you get to see posts early and some that we may not feature. Cheers!
Subscribe to our newsletter!
