It will replace the existing NSX-GT Type S as Honda's factory offering in the premier category of sportscar racing in Japan next year, following the discontinuation of the road-going model of the same name.
The new Honda Civic Type R was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon on Friday, with Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe present on stage for the announcement. The car was painted in red, navy blue and white, the corporate colours of the HRC division.
A spokesperson for Honda explained that the marque was keen to use a base model with the Type R nomenclature as a way to boost its branding for its entire portfolio of road cars.
He added that the car is expected to hit the track for an initial test run in summer.
Even though the road-going Civic Type R has a front-wheel drive layout, the GT500 variant will be rear-wheel drive as per Class One regulations.
The precedent of a GT500 car not having the same drive type as its road-going base model was set when Honda switched to a front-engined version of the NSX-GT in 2020.
The move to the Honda Civic Type R in 2024 coincides with the introduction of new regulations in GT500, the first big rules reset since the 2020 season.
Honda could be the only manufacturer to bring a brand new car to the series next year with Nissan expecting to continue using the Z as its base model, although Toyota could be tempted to replace the GR Supra after a below-par 2022 season.
Honda has raced various versions of the NSX in GT500 since 2014 and homologated the 'Type S' bodywork as recently as last year. The Type S iteration of the NSX-GT will get one more season in SUPER GT this year as part of a freeze in aerodynamics under the regulations, before the car makes way for the new Civic Type R in 2024.
Honda last won the SUPER GT title with the front-engined NSX-GT in 2020 and came close to repeating that success the following year, when a late-race contact with a Honda GT300 car eliminated the Kunimitsu machine of Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino from the battle.
