Honda reveals Civic Type R pickup truck concept

MANILA: Honda stole the limelight at the 2018 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Test Day, as it revealed the truck concept version of their renowned Civic Type R. Dubbed as the ‘Project P’, this unique version was developed by  a team of specialist engineers from the Product Development team of Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM).

The engineers took a pre-production version of the Civic Type R and removed most of the upper bodywork behind the car's B-pillar and replaced it with some roll bars and a diamond-plate metal bed. Sweeping lines start from the roofline and go all the way to the rear hiding the flatbed where initially the trunk and rear seats were placed. The engineers have kept the hatchback's signature giant rear wing but kept it removable for accessing the bed for loading cargo. Interestingly, all of this was done outside of working hours as a passion project by the engineers.

There’s no alteration to the engine and just like the standard Type R, it draws power from the turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four engine which produces a max power of 306 hp and peak torque of 400 Nm, mated to a six-speed manual transmission and adaptive suspension. Honda claims that the pickup can reach 0-60 kmph in under 6 seconds and can clock a top speed of 265 kmph which is just a tad lower than the standard Type R.

Alyn James, the project lead for the Type R pickup said “We have a special projects division at the factory in Swindon and this project was a fantastic opportunity for the team to show just what their creative minds could do. The passion that our engineers have for Honda is shown in our latest creation and we are even considering taking it to the Nürburgring to see if we can take the record for the fastest front wheel drive pickup truck!” Don’t forget that the standard Type R already holds the record for clocking the fastest front-wheel-drive lap around the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit with a run time of 7 minutes and 43.8 seconds.

You must have got all excited by now, but hold onto your horses. Sadly, you can’t buy this one for yourself as Honda has no plans to put this concept into production.