Stoffel Vandoorne takes the first Honda Civic Type R in Australia for a spin

Featuring a 2 litre turbo engine pumping out 235kW and 400Nm the Type R Civic is a beast by any measure and this week in Melbourne new McLaren drive Stoffel Vandoorne became the first person to take the wheel of the Type R on Aussie soil.

Vandoorne is in town for this first F1 race with McLaren having taken the seat with the team after Jenson Button’s retirement at the end of last year.

This is first public showing in Australia for Honda’s much anticipated Type R after the global launch at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month.

“It’s a superb looking car and faithful to the ethos of what makes the Type R great — a superb engine, excellent dynamics and Honda’s proven quality and reliability,” Vandoorne said. “As a high-performance hatch showcasing Honda’s technological expertise, it’s also perfectly at home in the world of Formula 1.”

Honda Australia Director, Mr. Stephen Collins, was keen to see the differentiation between the models in the range for the vastly different buyers.

“We now have a defined Civic family look that unites all three models,” he said. “The sedan and hatch are bold and distinguished while the Type R justifiably represents the pinnacle of performance in the Honda Civic line-up.”

While a public showing is great, the car won’t go on sale in Australia until much later in the year unfortunately, so after this tease you’ve still got a long wait ahead.