Our Cars: Honda Civic Type R

‘Well, somebody knew they were in such a terrible state,’ said Rik Twinam, master motor engineer, ‘because the rest of the undertray is held up with tie wraps…’

Rik had just finished inspecting my new Honda Civic Type R (an FN2 for those who follow this sort of thing, aka the spaceship-shaped one for those who don’t). With just 23,000 miles on the clock, I’d thought this 13-year-old car was as good as they got. One of the last off the line (in sunny Swindon, of course) and the last Honda to be fitted with that extraordinary K20A 198bhp/142lb ft 2-litre naturally aspirated engine with the oil-pressure actuated switchable cams.

This one was super shiny, with a comprehensive service history and only a few owners. I’d crawled all over it, loved the largely intact interior with unmarked Recaros, and noted the usual Honda tropes such as lacquer peel on the Milano Red paint and the slight reluctance for the front brakes to ease their grip on the discs, which indicates a front brake calliper in need of a rebuild. The seven-year-old 225/40 R18 Goodyear F1 tyres still had lots of tread…