Honda Civic Type R Ultimate Edition Marks European Sales Exit
The Honda Civic Type R will no longer be sold in Europe after next year.
Honda's hottest hatch is leaving the market due to emission rules, but it's bidding farewell with the limited-volume Ultimate Edition.
Honda will sell 40 copies of the CTR Ultimate, which gets red exterior decals and various carbon-fiber trim pieces.
If you live in Europe and are considering buying a new Honda Civic Type R, you may want to act fast. Honda has announced that it will stop selling the hot hatch in the market next year. To say goodbye to Europeans, the CTR is getting a special send-off in the form of the Ultimate Edition.
Farewell, Civic Type R
Why is the Civic Type R exiting Europe? Honda says the decision was due to "European legislation," meaning the racy hatchback's 324-hp turbo four is too rich for the region's emission rules. That means Honda will sell 40 Ultimate Editions along with the rest of the CTR inventory, which should run out in 2026.
Honda
The Ultimate treatment includes a red stripe that runs down the middle of the hood. It's paired with red decals on the car's body sides that fade into hashes. The black-painted roof contrasts with the CTR's classic Championship White paint, which is the only color you can get on the Ultimate Edition. As the Euro version of the ultimate Civic drives into the sunset, an exclusive carbon-fiber wing will adorn its rear spoiler.
Special CTR Trinkets
Inside, the Type R's red carpet and fantastic front seats remain, but Honda has added more ambient lighting as well as carbon-fiber trim. The latter material graces the hatch's center-console panel and door-sill plaques. And when you open the front doors, the Type R logo is illuminated onto the ground. Each of the 40 Ultimate cars will also come with a gift box with an individually numbered emblem.
Honda
Honda
Honda hasn't said how much the Civic Type R Ultimate Edition will cost, but considering it's only building 40 of them, the collector cars will likely come with a sizable premium. The upcharge will also include a special car cover, floor mats, and a carbon key ring. Meanwhile, those of us in the States might miss out on some desirable European-only models, but at least we can still buy a new Civic Type R for the foreseeable future.
Eric Stafford
Managing Editor, News
Eric Stafford's automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual '97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a '90 Honda CRX Si. Read full bio
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