Honda is at it again, conquering the world’s racetracks and claiming bragging rights with the Honda Civic Type R. But this time, they did with the Limited Edition version of the pocket rocket and at their own race track, the Suzuka Circuit. But was its lap time quick enough to beat the Ferrari F40 around the same track?

The 2021 Honda Civic Type R’s improvements help a lot

The Honda Civic Type R was completely upgraded for the 2020 model year including an upgraded suspension, brakes, engine cooling, and some bumper and aero adjustments. The Civic Type R’s front grille is now 13 percent wider which, according to Honda, makes it run 18 degrees cooler on the track. Additionally, a new front splitter was added to the front bumper to aid in adding downforce. As far as the suspension components, the car’s Adaptive Damper Suspension computer reads inputs ten times quicker in order to adjust the suspension accordingly. As you can imagine, this computer trickery makes for more responsive handling and a better ride for the daily drive.

Additionally, the Civic Type R’s suspension components, such as the ball joints and bushings, are now 10 percent stiffer and the brakes are a two-piece construction, which cut unsprung weight by 2.5 pounds each. Of course, Honda took things a step further with the Limited Edition model by reducing weight even more via removing sound deadening material and other unnecessary pieces of the car, like the rear window wiper. Additionally, a set of lightweight BBS wheels were also added to reduce even more unsprung weight.

The Civic Type R beat the Ferrari F40’s time

All of that weight savings, as well as the suspension and brake modifications, apparently amounts to a lot when it comes to driving the car on the race track. Back in February, Honda took the 2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition out to the Suzuka Circuit and achieved the best lap time of 2 minutes and 23 seconds. Takuya Izawa, a famed Super GT driver, piloted the fabled Civic Type R Limited Edition around the track, besting the fastest lap time set in the Ferrari F40 of 2 minutes and 25 seconds, which was piloted by none other than Keiichi Tsuchiya, the “Drift King.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise

This victory shouldn’t be too much of a surprise considering Honda seems to always have their cars dialed in when it comes to making them ready for any race track. Cars like the Integra Type R and the NSX have seemingly never have had any issues when it came to conquering race track lap times and we’re sure the new Civic Type R will follow suit. Honda’s tried-and-true method adding lightness to the car, as opposed to adding horsepower, seems to work it in its favor.

Just to recap, only 600 Civic Type R Limited Edition units will make their way over to the U.S., which are sure to sell out quickly. Canada was only allocated 100 units and those all sold within minutes, so if anyone wants one of these track-terror Type Rs, then we hope they have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to making a reservation. But as far as the Civic Type R making the race track rounds and conquering lap time, we’ll just be excited to see it take on the Nürburgring next.