Even before its official reveal, the new Honda Civic Type R is already setting records. The compact five-door model went around the challenging Suzuka circuit in Japan in 2 minutes and 23.120 seconds. For the sake of comparison, the previous-gen model in the hardcore Limited Edition needed 2 minutes and 23.993 seconds to get the job done. It's not a massive improvement, but shaving off nearly one second is still a notable achievement.
In both instances, the feisty hatchback lapped the 3.6-mile (5.8-kilometer) configuration of the race track. Much like its predecessor and previous record-holder Renault Megane RS Trophy-R, the upcoming Civic Type R had a rolling start. It should be noted we're strictly talking about a record for a front-wheel-drive car, one that hit 143.5 mph (231 km/h) at one point during the hot lap.
