All you "Red liners" better start warming up those VTEC engines as on Thursday, the 14th of September, Honda's going to officially unveil the all-new 3door 2007 Civic Type R. Although unfortunately, there're no pictures floating around the net, I managed to get inside info on the preliminary specifications on the car.

Design: As you all probably know, the production version is based on the Civic Type R Concept we saw at this years Geneva Show in March. While the exterior remains virtually identical to the prototype (photos), we still haven't set eyes on the interior. According to my sources though, the Type R will differentiate itself from the base versions thanks to front bucket seats with characteristic red stitch lining and centre logo, two individual rear seats, special sport steering wheel, red illuminated dials on the console etc.

Under the hood: There's no significant changes here as the 2007 CTR (Civic Type R) will get a slightly updated version of Honda's high-revving 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine producing 201 Hp at 8.000 rpm (previous model 200 Hp at 7.400 rpm). Practically, that means that you won't hear the rev limiter stopping the course of the needle before 8.500 rpm !

Performance: Despite the slight increase in weight, thanks to the more responsive 2.0 i-VTEC engine and the closer ratios of the 6speed gearbox, the 2007 Civic Type R will retain its predecessors performance figures. So, the new CTR will nead around 6,6 sec for the 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) sprint while top speed will remain near the 235 km/h -146 mph range of the previous Civic Type R.

Special Editions: As it was announced at the British Motor Show in July, the new Type R will be available in various versions ranging from the "Lux" GT, which will offer extra equipment such as dual zone air conditioning and automatic rain and light sensors to a yet unnamed version, aimed at the "purists". The latter will defy any luxuries like radio, dual-zone ac -even insulation material, in an attempt to save weight.

According to my information, the stripped out Civic Type R will weigh about 50 to 60 kg (110 to 130 pounds) less than the base edition. Although the difference in performance isn't expected to be significant -a 0,1 sec gain on the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sounds logical to me, it'll probably give the lighter Civic Type R better road handling credentials.

When is it coming? : After this week's "online" unveiling, the 2007 Civic Type R will make its world premiere at the Paris International Motor Show (28 September) with sales starting in Europe in February & March -depending on the country. Still, there's no word yet about an US version, but we'll know more about that after the Paris Motor Show.

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