Honda Will Let You Make Anything a Type R, but There's a Catch

Honda has announced it will sell the 306 horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Civic Type R as a crate engine.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean anyone can just go out, buy the engine and drop it in a project car of their choosing. Honda says its K20C1 engine will be available to “U.S. grassroots and professional racers for verified, closed-course racing applications.” In other words, Honda will sell you the engine if you can prove that you’ll only be using it for sanctioned racing events.

In crate engine form, the Civic Type R’s turbo four will make the same 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque it makes in the road car. Available through the Honda Performance Development (HPD) motorsports arm, the crate engine will cost a very reasonable $6,519 before shipping costs. The automaker says the engine is a “direct manifestation of Honda’s racing spirit, experience, and heritage,” and “builds upon Honda’s long-term commitment to the support of grassroots racing.”

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Apart from the crate engine, Honda will have several exciting new racecars on display at its booth at SEMA. The recently unveiled US Formula 3 car will be shown, which is powered by a 260 hp version of the K20C1 motor, along with the US F4 car, which uses a non-turbocharged version of the same 2.0-liter. A concept 250cc shifter kart, the Global Rallycross Civic, Pirelli World Challenge Civic Si and a Baja Honda Ridgeline off-road race truck will be shown as well.

If you’ll be attending the 2017 SEMA Show this week, be sure to pay Honda and visit to see what its HPD motorsports division has been up to.