By Zac Palmer, Autoblog
The Honda Civic Type R
is an absolute joy to drive on-road, but this rally build looks
mouthwateringly good from the limited photos available. Details are
scant, but Honda reportedly collaborated with Ralph Hosier Engineering (RHEL) to build the car. Its name is the Honda Civic Type OveRland, and we're totally into it.
Apparently,
Honda UK had a hand in this project, which isn't entirely surprising
after seeing the other Type R builds they supported. Let us remind you
of the Civic Type R pickup and the Type R wagon
Honda UK built. This particular build uses the stock Type R powertrain,
so it's still powered by the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that
makes 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. However, the
suspension has been lifted a massive four inches, and the track widened
considerably. A new bodykit allows room for the big knobby tires sitting
at all four corners — it also creates additional cooling vents, and
these are actually functional.
Rally-style wheels, a roof scoop (that does what, exactly?) and some
more vents round out the rest of the visual changes for this imposing
rally car. What it doesn't have is all-wheel drive, but it should still
be mighty fun on gravel with just the front wheels providing forward
motion.
As of now there aren't many images to share, but we're
hoping more present themselves soon. It almost goes without saying, but
this is a concept and won't ever actually be produced by Honda. If you
ask RHEL nicely enough, though, they might help you out.
