A couple of days ago, Honda USA has officially released the all-new Civic Si. It is based on the 11th-generation Civic, and as we’ve said, it is the most performance-oriented version of the Si yet.
The HPD 2022 Honda Civic Si Race Car prototype
Honda previously gave us a glimpse of the Civic Si undergoing track testing. It bore a big rear wing, and was just a few degrees shy of looking like an all-out track car. In the end however, the production version of the Civic Si took a more subtle approach with a ducktail rear spoiler, plus some black-colored trim pieces to set it apart from the regular 2022 Honda Civic.
However, Honda USA has revealed that it is also developing a race car version of the Civic Si. While still in the prototype stage, the model is scheduled to debut at the 2021 Specialty Equipment Market Association show (SEMA) in November.
HPD 2022 Honda Civic Si Race Car Prototype Reveal
Developed by Honda Performance Development (HPD), the Civic Si Race Car will be using the same turbocharged 200-horsepower, turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 engine that the regular Civic Si uses. But beyond that, it is being developed to be capable of taking on the Touring Car America racing series, club racing, and many other kinds and types of racing series.
To this end, the Civic Si Race Car prototype is kitted out with several high-performance bits like a Cusco racing limited-slip differential, a Borla turbo-back dual-outlet exhaust, a more robust fourth gear, a larger aluminum radiator, Bilstein inverted dampers, Eibach coilovers, Momo 17-inch wheels, and larger Wilwood front and rear brakes, among others.
As for the interior, HPD also deleted its sunroof and took out all of the car’s sound insulation. They also gave it a fire suppression system, racing seats with a six-point harness, and a quick release steering wheel, all of which came from motorsport equipment manufacturer OMP. Lastly, HPD is also equipping the said car with a roll cage.
From this shot, we can also see that it uses racing slicks
Apart from the aforementioned HPD Civic Si Race Car, Team Honda Research (THR) is also developing another Civic Si-based car for motorsports. This variant will be entered at the 25-hour Thunderhill Race that’s set to take place in Northern California in December 2021.
The THR Civic Si race car also comes with a different set of modifications from the HPD Civic Si Race Car. Its exterior now gets some Seibon carbon fiber pieces, as well as some interior bits from BRIDE, Fuelsafe, and Schroth that follow Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) standards.
The said race car also uses the same 1.5-liter turbocharged engine as the regular Civic Si, with THR managing to squeeze 220 horsepower out of it.
A peek into the HPD Civic Si race car prototype's interior
Apart from the race cars from THR and HPD, there are also several other Civic-based race-worthy vehicles making an appearance at the 2021 SEMA. There’s one from Team Liquid, which is based on the 2022 Civic hatchback, Fifteen52 Project’s 1996 Accord Wagon powered by a Civic Type R crate engine, and several off-road builds based on the Ridgeline pickup truck.
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