Mugen concepts take Honda Civic Type R styling over the top
The… polarizing... hatchbacks are on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon.
The Honda Civic Type R does not exactly have subtle styling from the factory, and now tuning firm Mugen has taken things to the extreme with two design concepts on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon.
Mugen has a long history of modifying Honda products, both for performance and aesthetics. The first of the two Type R concepts on display is called the RC20GT Package and is described as a pre-production model. Nearly every exterior body panel is new, with perhaps the most obvious change being the bizarre and huge new grille design up front.
Mugen aimed to improve the car's aerodynamic and cooling performance.
Much of the body kit, including the bumpers, side skirts and rear wing, is made from carbon fiber, while the car's standard unconventional triple-tip, center-exit exhaust has been replaced by just a single exhaust outlet.
Mugen says it has also equipped the RC20GT with upgraded Brembo brakes, an oil cooler, new suspension, a new steering wheel and a high-flow air intake system. Bucket seats inside the cabin are also included, along with four-point harnesses for track work. The entire package is intended to be sold, and Mugen said its engineers worked to improve the Civic Type R's "aerodynamic performance, power performance and cooling performance."
This is, amazingly, the subtler of the two concepts.
Also on display is the Mugen Civic Type R Prototype, a slightly subtler visual upgrade for the hot hatchback. Mugen says this concept wears parts that are currently still being developed. Notably, the hood has a new vent design near the base of the windshield, the front bumper is restyled, there are new wheels and accessories like window rain guards and new mirror caps. Around back, the Type R Prototype sports a new, adjustable wing design, as well as a twin-tip exhaust setup and a new diffuser design.
While those are certainly the wildest and most exciting Mugen transformations at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the tuning firm doesn't only focus on Honda's sporty models. Mugen is also using the show to reveal versions of the Insight hybrid, CR-V crossover and N-Van kei car with its styling kits.
