"That one's pretending to be a Type R," I hear someone say with a snicker. Instead of walking away from the pair of Honda Civics (the Type R and its RS wannabe) upon hearing that remark, I decide to play Spot The Difference.
My eyes gaze from one car to the other, wondering if performance upgrades are included. Haters gonna hate, but it does a swell job at dressing up as a Type R.
Jenkins Chua of Kingz Accezz Online notices what I'm up to, and offers to show us the Type R bits inside and under the hood of the 'Type RS' (that's an unofficial name we made up). It turns out Kingz Accezz Online is the direct importer of the kits, and he says the look peg is the 2017 Honda Civic Type R FK8 Concept.
The performance upgrades are minimal, with the mill primarily getting a Type R engine cover and a fender cover. A custom strut bar, blowoff valve, short ram intake, and hood damper kit are thrown in as well. Instead of the 20-inch aluminum wheels, 18-inch copies are fitted.
Inside the cabin, red accents abound and small details like carbon fiber bits and Type R nameplate are present. You'll have to pretend that the seats are Type R bucket seats, though.
Several Civic RS and even 1.8 E owners have upgraded their sedans to look like the Type R, Chua shares. And how much does it cost for a full-blown Type R aesthetic makeover? Chua says it's about P150,000.
"It's selling like hotcakes," he discloses. "About 30 owners have already kitted their Civics with these."
Well, it's not surprising. For P150,000, Civic owners can transform their sub-P1.7 million rides—visually, at least—into a P2.98 million hot hatch.
So in case you're thinking about a full-blast conversion, below is a list of what you're getting. Interested?
Exterior
* Type R hood
* Type R grille and grille emblem
* Type R front bumper set with chin
* Type R front fender vent
* Type R side skirt
* Type R vortex generator roof spoiler
* Type R sharksfin antenna
* Type R rear fender flares, wing, trunk cover spoiler, and rear emblem
* Type R rear bumper set with diffuser
* Type R trip tip tail pipe extension
* Genuine Honda red emblem set
* Genuine Honda amber fender lights and lane watch
* OEM power folding side mirrors upgrade
* Auto door lock upgrade
Interior
* Type R leather steering cover with red stitches
* Type R dashboard carbon fiber red trim
* Type R A/C vent red trim and door carbon fiber red trim
* Type R concept seat cover, center console red stitch leather cover, door sidings, and leather cover with red stitches
* Type R red stitch leather shift boot
* Type R nameplate
* Genuine Honda Type R console illumination
* Genuine Honda Modulo stainless steel pedals
* Modulo step sill with red LED
* Red ambient foot light and rubber floor mat
Engine
* Type R engine cover and OEM fender cover
* Custom Civic strut bar
* SK Customs blow off valve and short ram intake
* Hood damper kit
Wheels and suspension
* Type R FK8 18-inch wheels; ET35
* Achilles 123S Competition Series 235 40 R18
* TEIN S Tech lowering springs
