At this point, a widebody for the 2023 Honda Civic Type R (FL5) seems like the most natural thing in the aftermarket world. Hey, itโs certainly desirable-the hot hatch has been in production for over one year, and while multiple specialists have upgraded it, their work involves factory-width body kits. The latest example of the latter comes from Japanese tuner Varis, whose 2023 Civic Type R (FL5) Arising-1 body kit is receiving a series of spectacular-looking upgrades.
The Varis Arising-1 2023 Civic Type R body kit is comprised of a CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer) lip spoiler (๏ฟฅ165,000 or $1,100), a CFRP rear wing (ยฅ198,000 or $1,324), and a hood that can be had in either CFRP (ยฅ220,000or $1,470) or full carbon (ยฅ319,000/$2,134).
And you can check out those parts, which made their debut at the Tokyo Auto Show back in January, in the video below. Coming from YouTuber ALBO, the clip gives us a brief tour of the Varis shop, which is located in the Kanagawa Prefecture, near Mount Fuji. Oh, and have you seen the eccentric Varis Mitsubishi Evo Wagon widebody that debuted in Tokyo?
Varis 2023 Civic Type R (FL5) vented hood and fender flares/trim
Just hours ago, Varis released a series of images showcasing a series of updates for its 2023 Honda Civic Type R (FL5) Arising-1 body kit. I added these in the gallery below, alongside an image of the non-upgraded body kit mentioned above, so you can easily tell the fresh parts apart.
These bits have been in the pipeline for a few monthsโmost of them are even listed in a brochure shown during the said factory visit, but now we get to see them, albeit covered in tape.
I’m referring to the CFRP side skirt extensions, the vented hood (in CFRP or carbon), as well as the front and rear fender flares. Note that Varis describes the latter as fender trim, with the rear units also including pieces that sit on the doors. For now, this is as close as we’ll get to a real 2023 Honda Civic Type R (FL5) widebody, which is something Varis does offer for the ex-generation Type R (FK8).
Plus, we get a pair of canards on each side of the front bumper. Once the tape comes off and the fresh parts go live on Varis Japan’s website, we’ll also have the pricing for them.
Now, while Varis North America does offer multiple kits for the Civic Type R, the importer’s website only listed the ex-gen package at the time of the writing, but I do expect them to add the current model at a certain point. Meanwhile, here’s a Civic Type R FK8 vs. FL5 comparison for all you Honda enthusiasts.
Of course, with Varis being somewhat understated in the US, this sort of tuner arouses my interest. So I checked the list of manufacturers attending the upcoming SEMA 2023 show (October 31-November 3), but didn’t find the company. Then again, perhaps some builder prepared to have their 2023 Type R stand out will bring some Varis magic to Las Vegas.