Honda Civic Type R

Go to a Honda dealer and there's about a 10-percent chance he'll actually have a Civic Si in stock. There's virtually no chance he'll have one available for you to test-drive. And there's no way at all he'll be knocking bucks off the sticker to get you into one. Yup, the 2K6 Civic Si has been nothing but a sales sensation. Too bad it's so wimpy.

Captured here in all its prismatic egg-shaped glory is a prototype of the three-door Civic Type-R that will soon be available in Europe, Japan, and probably Antarctica, but not here in America. While our Si gets 197 bhp from its 2.0-liter i-VTEC K-Series four, conventional wisdom (and Honda PR) says that the Type-R should have 200 bhp thumping from its otherwise similar powerplant. That's three more horsepower! Hard-core! And there will be a six-speed manual transmission and big wheels and thick tires and oversize brakes and a cool interior... the usual Honda sporty-ish car stuff. In fact, the car looks almost indistinguishable from the Civic Type-R "concept" shown at the Geneva Auto Show back in March.

But maybe those rumors are wrong. So join us as we try desperately to convince ourselves that this car has a turbo engine aboard!

Note in the front view how deeply the front fascia dips toward the pavement. In shape it's similar to the lower bumper on the U.S.-market Si, but with a more aggressive lip at the bottom. Maybe that lip is there to feed an intercooler? Hmmmmm... Okay, so let's take a look at the hind end. Are those two triangular exhaust tips back there? You know the Si only needs one exhaust...while the new Acura RDX mini-ute, which has a turbo K-Series under its hood, uses twin pipes to expel its waste gases. Hmmmm...

Ah, hell, even if it doesn't, this thing should have a turbo motor aboard. If for no other reason than that it needs a turbo in order to effectively compete in Europe, where much of the direct "hot hatch" competition is also turbocharged. The turbocharged 2.3-liter K-motor in the RDX makes 240 bhp and our guess is that a 2.0-liter version in the Civic Type-R would generate at least that many ponies while spinning with dizzying VTEC confidence.

In case Honda hasn't noticed, much of the direct competition here in America also have either turbos or superchargers aboard as well. That includes the MazdaSpeed3, the Dodge Caliber SRT-4, the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, the VW GTI, and if you stretch into the AWD realm, the Mitsubishi Evolution and the Subaru WRX. The Type-R is needed over here for those of us who think the Si is just flat-out timid. Come on Honda, PULL THE DAMN TRIGGER!

We'll find out which rumors are true--and how effective we are at guessing, hoping, and praying--when the Civic Type-R enters production next year at the same English plant that produced the unloved '02 Civic Si hatchback.