Honda Has Gone and Made a Type R Civic Pickup

Project pickup?

Straight out of Hondas's U.K. factory located in Swindon comes this very special Type R that offers more by taking away the rear seats and adding a little bed. While a head scratcher for sure, it does have the advantage of being able to haul aftermarket parts aplenty of all kinds of shapes safely in the very practical bed. The funny little vehicle is internally called "Project P" and was built by a team of product engineers.  

Quirky, but we like it

That same team of engineers is responsible for Hondas U.K. voluntary race team, Synchro Motorsport. According to Honda, those crazy folks took a pre-production Type R and modified it from the B-pillars back. The telltale Type R wing got to stay but was put in place so that it could be moved to allow for easy access to the bed. Speaking of that bed, it does look very spiffy and equably durable as it is carrying a Honda lawnmower in the rear.   

>>Join the conversation about the Type R Civic pickup experiment right here in Honda-Tech.com.

Ready for Black Friday

The little car/truck retains the same suspension, gearbox, and powertrain as a stock Type R. While not as fast as a normal Type R it still can hit 0-62 in under 6 seconds and has a top speed in excess of 165 mph. With those numbers on file, Hondas says it is “potentially one of the fastest pickup trucks on U.K. roads.” As of this writing, Honda U.K. will be using the funky little car to "to transport Honda's lawn and garden products as and when required.” 

>>Join the conversation about the Type R Civic pickup experiment right here in Honda-Tech.com.

So Honda is just letting y'all build whatever for fun?

“We have a special projects division at the factory in Swindon and this project was a fantastic opportunity for the team to show just what their creative minds could do,” project lead Alyn James said in a statement. “The passion that our engineers have for Honda is shown in our latest creation and we are even considering taking it to the Nürburgring to see if we can take the record for the fastest front-wheel-drive pickup truck!”  

>>Join the conversation about the Type R Civic pickup experiment right here in Honda-Tech.com.

No plans for production

Sadly, for those who pine for a new El Camino kind of car, Honda has no plans to put this concept into production. Last year Honda did say that they were considering various kinds of other Type R models including one that would be even more powerful than the existing 306hp model. Other variants mentioned were a grand tourer and an all-wheel-drive variant. We'll keep our eyes peeled to see if these creative vehicles come to fruition in the near future.