Honda to race Civic Type R GT500 in 2024

Now that the NSX has ridden off into the sunset, Honda would need a worthy successor that would take its place in the top-flight GT500 class of Japan's Super GT racing series. And well, they did not have to look too far.

Enter the Civic Type R GT. Unveiled at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon, Honda Racing chose the Type R as its weapon to go toe-to-toe with the Nissan Z and Toyota GR Supra.

Painted in white, red, and navy blue to represent the colors of HRC, the Civic Type R GT gets the full GT500 treatment with the wide aerodynamic body kit and a huge rear wing, while its roof has been chopped to possibly lower its center of gravity.

Currently, the Civic Type R GT remains a concept, and the reason is that the 2024 Super GT regulations have not been finalized yet. Even though the production Civic Type R has a front-wheel-drive layout, the GT500 version could likely follow the NSX GT's footsteps in not having the same drive type as its road-going counterpart. Should the Class One regulations of Super GT remain unchanged for 2024, we could see the Civic Type R GT500 race in rear-wheel-drive form.

The Civic Type R GT has some big shoes to fill, as its predecessor, the NSX-GT, won the GT500 championship in 2018 and 2020. Not to mention, it's also the first time that a four-door sedan will compete in the GT500 class, so the new Type R has a lot to prove when it starts racing in 2024.