---
title: "Does the Upcoming 2020 Honda Civic Type R Have a Carbon Roof?"
description: "Honda's updated Civic Type R spotted around the Nurburgring"
date: "2019-05-03"
modified: "2019-05-03"
authors:
  - name: "Jonathon Klein"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jonathon-klein"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/27815/does-the-upcoming-2020-honda-civic-type-r-have-a-carbon-roof"
categories:
  - "Honda News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Civic"
  - "compact"
  - "Hatchback"
  - "honda"
  - "sports car"
---

# Does the Upcoming 2020 Honda Civic Type R Have a Carbon Roof?

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/05/Civic-TR.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

Though Honda’s Swindon, U.K. plant is set to be [shuttered](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/26538/honda-civic-factories-in-the-uk-and-turkey-to-be-shuttered-due-to-global-restructuring>) in the very near future, the factory’s pièce de résistance [Civic Type R](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/24540/2018-honda-civic-type-r-review-this-35000-front-drive-hot-hatch-impresses-like-a-supercar>) will see one last update before it goes quietly into that good night. And based on the prototype running around the [Nürburgring](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/21858/porsche-919-hybrid-evo-sets-all-time-nurburgring-lap-record-at-519-55>), the eighth-generation Civic Type R is set to once again set our pants on fire.

Details surrounding the updated Civic Type R are still [quite murky](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/26833/next-generation-honda-civic-type-r-will-be-a-hybrid-report>), but based on the camouflaged prototype, the 2020 Civic Type R is going to get a handful of upgrades, possibly including a carbon fiber roof. As with most pre-production prototypes caught at the “Green Hell,” the Civic Type R prototype is wearing a number of camouflaged panels to hide updates and upgrades. And while camouflaged side-mirrors are fascinating, the camouflaged roof has us scratching our heads.

https://youtube.com/embed/RYdRZfixicM

More and more performance manufacturers have been producing hardcore editions of performance cars with carbon fiber or magnesium roofs. This allows the engineers to both shed performance-sapping weight, as well as lower the car’s center of gravity to increase its cornering prowess and stability. And though this is still speculation, Honda did recently undertook a [partnership](<https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15358848/fiber-won-ford-honda-vw-and-toyota-team-up-on-carbon-fiber-research/>) with Ford and Volkswagen to research carbon fiber applications for more common consumer automobiles.

Even more interesting is a second Civic Type R prototype running on the Nürburgring’s tarmac that is wingless. There have been a number of consumers and journalists alike that believe the Civic Type R’s styling could be a little less aggressive. Especially in the rear aerodynamic department. A “Touring” model—borrowing from Porsche’s lexicon—could be the answer to those calls.

The current Honda Civic Type R is one of the [best performance offerings](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27599/the-honda-civic-type-r-is-better-than-these-8-more-expensive-performance-cars>) on sale today. It outclasses many of its more expensive counterparts. We’re eager to see what Honda has up its sleeves to seemingly “improve” on such a winning formula.

## Author
Jonathon is the former Managing Editor for Commerce at The Drive and has been writing about cars and motorcycles for over a decade, but he's been known to scribble pretty things about adoption, tattoos, life, gear, adventures, food, technology, nature, and more.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jonathon_klein>)