Claiming the title as the fastest Front Wheel Drive car around the Nürburgring, which has been held by such vehicles as the Audi R8 V10 and the Pagani Zonda, is Honda's latest super hatchback, the 2017 Honda Civic Type R. To prove that it is indeed the fastest, the company has released new footage showing the vehicle loop around the famous track in an impressive 7 minutes 43.80 second lap.
In the company of great vehicles
The previous record holder for the fastest front wheel drive car around the punishing German track was last year's Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S, which the Civic beat by more than three seconds.
The Type R also beat the times of several legendary vehicles including the 2002 Pagani Zonda and the 2009 Audi R8 V10 5.2-liter. The new Civic also beat other well-known vehicles such as 2015 BMW M4.
All-new all-improved
The latest video of the Civic's hot lap had showcased Honda's lead chassis engineer, Ryuichi Kijima, explaining to audiences how they managed such as feat with their latest product. The engineer explained that due to several factors such as a wider track, a longer wheelbase, optimized aerodynamics, and a new multilink suspension, the new Type R is able to achieve faster cornering speeds that its predecessor.
The stability of the vehicles also plays a big role in shaving off seconds in tight corners as the driver will become much more confident when handling the vehicle at its limit.
The increase in the cornering speed, braking performance, and straight line acceleration also plays a part in achieving a much quicker lap time than was ever possible with a front wheel drive Civic.
No tricks or strings attached
Honda also pointed out that unlike the lightweight special edition versions that were used by previous record holders, the vehicle that was used in the hot lap was actually a series production vehicle.
Previous record holders such as Volkswagen and Renault had used a specially developed version of their commercial vehicles to achieve their respective lap records.
The company also revealed that they only added in a roll-cage to protect the driver and removed the climate control and infotainment system to compensate for the added weight.
This means that the vehicle that was used in the lap is the same weight as the actual vehicles that will be sold in North America later this spring. During the lap, the 2017 Honda Civic Type R used a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 semi-slick tires, which are the same tires that were used by the previous record holders.
