Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Japan, Honda
0-300 in 10 minutes: Honda Civic Mugen RR a sellout in Japan
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The Honda Civic Mugen RR (based on the new JDM Honda Civic Type R) is limited to a total production run of 300 cars. Japanese track fiends with ¥4.7million to spend on a spiffy, street-legal time attack weapon are its target audience -- and a receptive one at that. On September 14th at 9:00 AM local time in Japan, reservations for Mugen's ultimate Type R officially began being taken. By 9:10 AM, according to the Japanese enthusiast site, Carview, the 300th reservation was placed. However you want to parse the numbers (we're sure additional reservations were taken, in case some prospective buyers bail out), one thing's certain: all 300 cars are spoken for well in advance of the expected January delivery date.
Those lucky enough to secure the Mugen RR receive a lighter, more powerful and track-tuned Civic Type R that in the right hands is capable of lapping Japan's Tsukuba circuit in 1:06:38. At least that's what the folks at Mugen were able to wring out of it. We're sure some of the car's buyers will be looking to top that number as soon as they have a chance. With this thing, life is a driving game, and Time Attack mode is always on.
[Source: Carview]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
SPG 7:11PM (9/18/2007)
This car is awesome. Looks great and is a performer.
Why can't ricers make their cars look like this?
I don't see a huge wing or a ground touching bodykit.
No oversized rims either.
It does have a large spoiler and rims though.
The right ones for the car that is.
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R 9:53PM (9/18/2007)
Because everyone's definition of 'rice' is different. To me, it's non-functional crap. The hoodscoops on the older mustangs that did nothing? I consider that rice. For others, it's aesthetics. Some people would consider that wing on the RR to be huge. I think it's fine. Some immediately jump on black rims as rice because if it's not plain old vanilla silver, it must be rice.
WillTheThrill 4:53AM (9/21/2007)
Because when you "customize" something, you make it how you see fit or to stand out from the rest. Some are overdone that's true, but people don't customize their cars to make them look like everyone elses.
Tyson 7:22PM (9/18/2007)
I'm not feeling that F1-esque rear brake light. Obviously its supposed to evoke Honda's Formula One involvement, but it just looks like a trailer brake to me. I doubt it flashes continuously like it does on a real F1 car, I mean... that would be silly.... (huge doses of sarcasm)
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Drewboy 7:36PM (9/18/2007)
Wow. Normally I'm not into cars like that, but that's a NICE looking car.
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Jo 7:36PM (9/18/2007)
That is over 40k for a civic...
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why not the LS2LS7? 7:58PM (9/18/2007)
Did something change? Last I checked, Mugen didn't make performance enhancements for street cars, only cosmetic parts.
When did this change? Or is this a track car?
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cc100 8:19PM (9/18/2007)
that's incorrect, Mugen has made bolt-on parts for sometime now. You must not be familiar with import aftermarket tuners.
Don 8:28PM (9/18/2007)
OooOOooo...very Faster and Furiouser.
Or not.
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common sense 8:38PM (9/18/2007)
wow.....another 92hp, 3 cylinder yawner from the japanese.
if 4.7mill yen is actually, 40k us.........300 people just flushed their money down the toilet.
i don't see many japanese collector cars out there......and i doubt you ever will.
underpowered & ridiculous styling (when they're not coping from another manufactor) don't make collectors pieces.
note to autoblog--enough of this japanese only release crap. no one cares.
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MKIV 8:50PM (9/18/2007)
common sense
There are people that's out there who enjoy turning left and right and stepping on the brakes rather than going in circle or straight. Your little mind can't comprehend much more than what you can see in front of you and the little understanding you have of the subject.
Last time I checked better part of the consumers don't buy a car expecting it to be a collector's item. Ironic that you call your self Common Sense. You seem to lack that very thing.
Note to Autoblog... Some of us are enthusiasts and enjoy reading about ALL form of automobiles and we do care.. Keep up the good work.
uncommon sense 10:13PM (9/18/2007)
The car is equipped with a 240hp n/a engine. One of the highest, if not the highest, output 4-cylinder production engines in history. Plus, it probably gets around 30 mpg on the freeway. I'd like to see an american car of the same caliber do this with a 2 liter 4-cylinder.
Daniel 8:58PM (9/18/2007)
Autoblog, keep it up. Some of us actually see things from more than one point of view.
8.5k RPM redline??? Count me in.
I love american muscle, don't get me wrong, but this car's engine has better technology than most cars that cost MUCH more.
Daniel 9:04PM (9/18/2007)
Oh and also,
1. How can you possibly, for a second, say that the new Civic's styling was copied from another company (I personally love it)?
2. Even without the high output engine, this car is probably the best handling FWD car available
Harrison 9:45PM (9/18/2007)
Right...
"...if 4.7mill yen is actually, 40k us.........300 people just flushed their money down the toilet."
The Japanese economy works differently from the US. Everything there's much, much, much more expensive than the comparable American product.
To the Japanese, a product like this is worth it, since it's basically their equivalent of a Nova SS, not to mention all the parts thrown in by Mugen.
Besides, as some of us already said, a Type-R is bought not for looks, but for usable performance. It's basically a much more practical Lotus Elise and if you can't afford this thing, you could always buy the 15K version.
R 9:47PM (9/18/2007)
I care.
@Daniel. It's called hate. It doesn't have to make sense. Which is ironic...
why not the LS2LS7? 11:24PM (9/18/2007)
uncommon_sense:
I doubt this car gets 30 mpg. Given that the S2000 (which has similar specs) gets such poor mpg and it's a lot smaller.
The Pontiac Solstice GXP, on the other hand, makes 261HP from a 2.0L 4-banger (it isn't n/a though) and gets 31mpg highway.
And common_sense:
Some people do care about foreign cars. Keep it up, autoblog.
Scott 9:31AM (9/19/2007)
"The car is equipped with a 240hp n/a engine. One of the highest, if not the highest, output 4-cylinder production engines in history. Plus, it probably gets around 30 mpg on the freeway. I'd like to see an american car of the same caliber do this with a 2 liter 4-cylinder."
Then check out the Solstice GXP/Sky Redline. Yes, they're boosted, but they get better than the numbers you listed out of a 2L.
The real question is what's the TORQUE rating on this Honda engine? Is it a gutless glory like the S2000?
R 11:50PM (9/19/2007)
@why not the LS7/Scott
I'd just like to point out, while a good effort, straight from the Pontiac site, the mileage for the GXP is 19/28, which really isn't better than the S2000's.
And I wouldn't really call the S2000 gutless, at least not compared to the GXP. The GXP, with an unpowered soft top, has 130 pounds of fat on top of the S2000, which has a powered soft top. Take out the motor for the soft top on the S2k, and you're probably looking at another 20 pounds shaved. Finally, the S2000 appears to have much more structural reinforcements out the door. Because of it's "midship" design, it was possible for Honda to add a giant cross beam that goes between the front wheels, alleviating the need for a strut bar. From the engine bay shots of the GXP, I see nothing like that.
Finally, the transmission in the S2000 has been decorated by car periodicals many times, whereas, not so much the GXP. But overall, the GXP's an excellent deal.
http://www.kcrscca.org/solo/results/2007/
I look forward to running against one some day.
R 12:27AM (9/20/2007)
As an addendum, I'd also like to point out that the Solstice GXP does not include a spare tire (or run flats), whereas the S2000 does include a spare. Take out the spare and you're looking at another 20 pound reduction...but the fact is, the S2000 does include a spare, and it does include a powered soft top (with a usable trunk when the top is down, even though it's supposed to be the smaller car), and it's still lighter, so please, if you're gonna knock the car, at least not against the GXP, because that just tells me you don't know what you're talking about.
Otherwise, I can just claim the Solstice is a fat, poorly engineered roadster just as easily as you can claim the S2000 is a gutless glory, but I'm not going to say that, because I still think the GXP is a pretty good bargain.