2022 Honda Civic Si Makes First Appearance—as a Race Car!
On the eve of its full reveal, the new Civic Si practices its racing moves.
Update 10/19: The 2022 Honda Civic Si is here. Read all about it by checking out ourFirst Lookof Honda's 200-hp sport sedan.
The debut of Honda's latest Civic Si performance compact is nigh—the sporty Civic is due to appear sometime this month. This story does not cover that debut. While you wait for official Civic Si info, however, we can show you the new Civic Si's racing variant, which currently is undergoing testing by Honda Racing.
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As in the past, the new Si will be offered to privateer racers in stripped-down, track-ready form. That is the version you see here, slathered in camouflage and wearing a towering rear wing. Whereas previous Civic Si racers built by Honda Performance Development (HPD) were based on coupes, this 2022 version is a sedan—mostly because Honda killed off the production Civic coupe.
Another reason for the sedan body style? The four-door is likely the only option for Si-seekers this time around. The Civic hatchback offers a Sport model, and will again form the basis for the new Civic Type R. The Si, hatchback, and Type R models will be the only Civics available with a manual transmission, too.
This camo'd race car doesn't tell us much else about the new Civic Si, unfortunately. We can make out dual exhausts—the regular Civic sedan has a single outlet on the right side—and what appear to be distinctly not-stock hood vents. Hopefully this means the production Civic Si takes on a subtle, under-the-radar appearance, which would be the proper approach for the compact sport sedan, we think. Look for full details on the 2022 Honda Civic Si soon.
A lifelong car enthusiast, I stumbled into this line of work essentially by accident after discovering a job posting for an intern position at Car and Driver while at college. My start may have been a compelling alternative to working in a University of Michigan dining hall, but a decade and a half later, here I am reviewing cars; judging our Car, Truck, and Performance Vehicle of the Year contests; and shaping MotorTrend’s daily coverage of the automotive industry.
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