In a press release issued today, Honda announced that it will exhibit not one, but two race-car concepts based on the new Civic Si sedan at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this year. The first car, designated as the HPD Honda Civic Si, is a turnkey factory race car designed to compete in the SRO TC Americas series. The second car, designated as the HPD Honda Civic Si, will compete in the SRO TC Americas series. The other is a one-of-a-kind vehicle built by a group of Honda engineers with the goal of competing in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill race scheduled for December in California.
HPD Honda Civic Si will represent the company's next generation of grassroots racing, replacing the wildly popular Civic Si TCA, which was a great deal of fun to drive. In accordance with the SRO TC Americas rulebook, it is constructed entirely of white plastic and is crammed with all of the safety and performance equipment required to compete on the track. When it comes to drivetrain upgrades, there's a tune for the 1.5-liter turbo inline-four, a strengthened fourth gear, a specialized exhaust, and a limited-slip differential designed for racing. Among the other upgrades are Bilstein dampers, Eibach coil springs, adjustable control arms, Wilwood rotors with six-piston calipers up front, and adjustable control arms.
With similar safety equipment but significantly more drivetrain modifications, the one-off Si intended to compete in this year's 25 Hours of Thunderhill is slightly more customized. A new engine tune, an oil cooler, a larger radiator, a titanium exhaust, a custom transmission gearset, and specific engine mounts are some of the features of the car, which was assembled and raced by engineers from across the company's divisions. There are Paragon brakes all over the place, along with Pagid endurance racing pads that are cooled by custom brake ducts. The dampers are KW competition units, and they are paired with H&R coil springs that are designed for racing. The car is also equipped with custom-made forged wheels, an aerodynamic vented carbon hood, and custom-made LED exterior lights.
During a competition for a class win on December 3, the Si Civic intended for Thunderhill will be the first of the two Civic models to make a public appearance after SEMA. We anticipate that the SRO car will be ready to compete in the 2022 season. Honda has not yet released pricing information, but we anticipate that it will be in the $60,000 range. Even though it appears to be a substantial sum, it is actually a bargain when you consider all of the expensive components required to make the product legally available for competition.