Cosmetically, Dany’s blue Honda Civic Type R is nearly stock. Save for a carbon wing and hood, Braid wheels wrapped in Falken RT615K tires, and a lowered ride height, it could almost pass as factory. However, underneath its electric blue hide, there are a slew of modifications which make the Honda Civic very fast around the technical sections of the Nürburgring Nordschleife—fast enough to hang with a well-driven Nissan GT-R.

Photo credit: typer.cz

No Stone Unturned

The suspension, the interior, and the engine have all been thoroughly worked over. Lightweight Recaros keep Dany sorted amidst the jarring and quick direction changes made possible by polyurethane bushings, nitrogen-filled XYZ coilovers, Hotchkis swaybars, and those sticky Falkens.

Deceleration is strong—1.3 G-strong, in fact. Weighing only 2,623 pounds helps, but its due to six-piston XYZ brakes at the front, Honda Type R brakes at the rear, 13-inch rotors, and a combination of Raybestos and Ferodo pads that bring the Honda Civic to a quick stop.

The motor has had most things thrown at it, including Toda valvesprings, lightweight valves, Skunk2 Stage 2 cams, a Hondata ECU, and a SuperSprint exhaust. In total, the screaming K20A makes 257 horsepower at 8,250 rpm. It sends that power to the front wheels through a lightweight flywheel, shortened gears, and a 1.5-way Cusco LSD. For the full modification list, read further here.

A Forceful Style

The traction and turn-in is strong, though we can see how the front gives up when Dany dials in too much steering lock at moderate speeds. His steering isn’t exactly the smoothest, and this wrenching of the wheel does compromise some of his mid-corner speeds, but he makes up for his lack of finesse with guts.

Photo credit: typer.cz

Late braking helps too, especially after his accurate run through Fuchsröhre (2:30-2:49). It’s in technical sections filled with direction changes like these where he can easily stay flat—provided he remains on the right line—and claw back against the heavyweight ahead. Where the GT-R might require a confidence lift, Dany can keep his right foot pinned and the minimum speeds up in his Honda Civic. In fact, it’s only in the tightest hairpins where he’s able to generate any real power-understeer, and that’s after the front’s washed away (3:56). In some cases, low or no torque is a real asset.

Some traffic helps him keep in touch with the GT-R, but more than hanging with the techno titan is his impressive laptime. Without the moving chicanes taking a huge chunk out of his time, it’s likely he’d be completing a lap of the Nordschleife somewhere around 8:15, and if he’d soften his inputs just a hair to let his front tires take a set, he could lop at least another five seconds off that.