Honda has surprised the motoring world by revealing a one-off pick-up truck version of the Civic Type R at an industry test day.
The Civic Type R Pickup Truck concept was showcased at the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders test day at the Millbrook proving ground and was developed by specialists from Honda’s product engineering department at the brand’s factory in Swindon.
Called Project P during its construction, the team of engineers used a pre-production version of the FK8 Type R and only altered the car rearwards from the B-pillars.
With the rear roofline replaced by roll bars and the rear seat and boot area changed into a flatbed loading area, the car has been turned into a fully-functional pick-up truck – with Honda even keeping the boot and iconic rear wing.
Fitted with the same suspension, powertrain and transmission as the regular car, Honda claims that the Type R Pickup would achieve similar performance to the standard Type R – so that means a sub-six second sprint to 60mph and a top speed in excess of 165mph. It even comes with all the same driving modes, so could theoretically drive as well as the regular hatchback.
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Project leader Alyn James said: “We have a special projects division at the factory in Swindon and this project was a fantastic opportunity for the team to show just what their creative minds could do.
“The passion that our engineers have for Honda is shown in our latest creation and we are even considering taking it to the Nürburgring to see if we can take the record for the fastest front wheel drive pickup truck.”
Phil Webb, Honda UK head of cars, added: “This Civic Type R Pickup Truck concept by the special team at our Swindon-based plant demonstrates the passion and commitment of the team there – going above and beyond outside working hours to deliver the final product.
“There are no plans to put this in to production but we will be using it to transport our lawn and garden products as and when required.”
Unfortunately, Honda has no plans to put the concept into full production, so however great it looks, it is very unlikely you’ll ever see this car on the road.
