--- title: "Honda Is Considering New High-Performance Trim Above Type R and Type S" date: "2025-01-26" modified: "2025-01-26" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/honda-is-considering-new-high-performance-trim-with-race-parts-above-type-r-and-type-s" categories: - "Honda News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Racing" tags: - "honda" - "sports car" --- # Honda Is Considering New High-Performance Trim Above Type R and Type S ![]() *\Acura\* Despite the mass appeal of profit-rich SUVs, [Honda]() continues to build some of the most accessible enthusiast-focused cars money can buy. Models like the [Honda Civic Si](), Type R—and their [Acura]() siblings the Integra and [Type S]()—offer a solid balance of street performance and track chops. But what about a spicier, more hardcore trim above Type R or Type S? Speaking to the media at the [2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona](), Honda Racing President Koji Watanabe said that Honda should create higher-performance models than it already offers with genuine HRC parts. “Today I cannot tell the exact plan yet, but yes, we should create such kind of performance model together with HRC racing technologies," said Watanabe. "The American side \[HRC US\] already started developing performance parts.” Watanabe's comment was in response to whether Honda would consider building and selling ultra-high-performance models as Ferrari does with its XX program. However, when I asked Watanabe if this would involve something like its ARX-06 IMSA GTP prototype or the [RB17-style hypercar he discussed in 2024](), he clarified that these higher-performing models would be based on existing Honda and Acura nameplates. ![]() ![]() ![]() “We don’t have any concrete plan yet, but the first one would be based on the current existing models like Integra Type S or Honda Type R," Watanabe told *The Drive*. While Honda's racing boss did not expand further, his mention that the American side of HRC is already working on performance parts for existing models proves that this is more than a pipe dream. During last year's Monterey Car Week, the brand unveiled the track-focused [Acura Integra Type S HRC Prototype](), a one-off build that got a thumbs-up from F1 driver [Yuki Tsunoda]() after a brief test drive, who even asked the company president to import one into Japan for him. One of the key figures behind that prototype is HRC US senior vice president Jon Ikeda, who explained to *The Drive* that this next level up could very well be an HRC trim. "You have the Type S or Type R for the road and \[on the other end\] you have a race car that you can buy for the track—so this would be something in between—right at the verge of where your significant other won't want to ride with you," said Ikeda. "If you're going to put the HRC brand name on it, that's what you're saying \[that it's the ultimate expression of that model\], and it has to be street legal." Ikeda clarified that at this moment he's not aware which parts or modifications could pass safety regulations and other necessary certifications, but that "The idea is for customers to click on 'I want this part on it and that on it'—that's what Porsche and everyone else does. But it all has to be certified because we're not gonna skimp on safety." Both HRC executives stressed that this is all preliminary and there's no concrete timeline, but it's exciting to think about the performance value a factory racing-derived Civic or Integra could offer. We'll be watching. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()