Shared by @grunty_diecast (Instagram)
This is a '99 Honda Civic Type R, internally designated the EK9 and often known as such. Designed by Masakazu Udagawa and Yoshi Kigoyoshi, the EK9 was the first Civic to receive the Type R nameplate. The contributing base model was the EK4 hatchback, known as the SiR; the car was transformed into the Type R through a extensive reworking, by making it fit all the characteristics which Honda felt would make a car have high performance on a circuit.
Introduced on 19 August 1997, the EK9 shared many characteristics with its forebearer, the Integra Type R, such as the deletion of sound deadening, a hand-ported 1.6L B16B inline-4 engine with 182 BHP on tap, helical limited slip differential, close-ratio 5-speed manual transmission, red Recaro bucket seats, red Type R floor mats, a titanium shift knob and a Momo-wrapped leather steering wheel. The B16B engine powering this car was noted for having one of the highest power densities (power output per liter) at the time, and likely still now. Similar to many Type R models (until the FK8 generation Civic), the EK9 was only sold in the Japanese Domestic Market, although numerous gray imports exist. This car was only available as a hatchback. Production ended in 2000 with 16,241 produced.
Now this casting was designed by the late Ryu Asada and introduced in 2021 in the HW J-Imports series of the mainline. This casting has seen four known releases, the last being the red edition.
