A widebody kit for the 2023 Honda Civic Type R is not something to be taken lightly—unless it’s made of carbon, of course. Given the tuner car cult status the JDM hatch has enjoyed for multiple decades now, owners will undoubtedly receive multiple such aero parts. Meanwhile, though, we’ve brought along a virtual taste of things to come, with this 3D-created FL5 Civic Type R widebody aiming straight at one of the top assets of the Honda’s upmarket sister, the 2024 Acura Integra Type S.
Before we explain how the widebody allows the Honda to make the Acura sweat, let’s kick things off with a comparison between the two, shall we?
2023 Civic Type R vs. 2024 Integra Type S
As of last week, we know that the 2023 Civic Type R, which starts at $44,890, sits $7,105 below the 2024 Integra Type S. The two share the chassis (dual-axis MacPherson front suspension included), the four-seat sedan-like body style, the 2.0L turbo-four (315 hp for the Civic and 320 hp for the Integra), the six-speed manual and the limited-slip front diff.
That power premium for the Acura is pretty much offset by Integra Type S’ meatier nature (it sits at 3,219 lbs, while the Civic Type R weighs 3,188 lbs). The two are identical in terms of the wheelbase and track width, but the Type S is 0.4 inches wider and 5.1 inches longer than the Type R (it’s all in the bodywork). The machines also share the 265/30 R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S front tires and the 13.8-inch, four-piston Brembo front brakes.
So, why the price difference? The premium brought by the Acura is mostly justified by its extra standard features. It sports heated front seats (power control for the driver’s seat), a 5.3-inch head-up display, and a 16-speaker ELS audio system. Now, while you can’t have any of that on the Civic, the Honda is the only one offering LED shift lights in the instrument cluster and heavier-bolstered—but still soft—red seats up front.
They both pack a badass diffuser with a triple-exit exhaust in the middle. Nevertheless, the Acura skips the fixed rear wing of the Honda, while packing styling that appears just as aggressive elsewhere, albeit arguably more mature.
And to circle back to the bodywork part that concerns us for today, while the Civic Type R only gets wider fenders and doors that are different to those of the regular Civic, the Integra Type S features all-round, super-sized fender flares straight from the factory.
As you can imagine, there’s a part of the Civic crowd that won’t let the Integra fans get away with those meaner flares. Well, the FL5 Civic Type R widebody kit that digital artist Avante Design rendered addresses just that.
The Avante Design FL5 Civic Type R widebody brings a touring car look
The front fenders are large enough to turn heads wherever the car goes, but that’s before you notice the serious real estate added by the rear units.
While Honda dialed things down in terms of faux air vents when introducing the new Type R last year (here’s an FL5 vs. FK8 comparo), the UK-based artist keeps things looking functional while adding a serious tuner look all around the car. Even the hood gets reshaped air vents, and since we’d expect a meatier turbo underneath, that’s no surprise.
When this article was published, there were multiple custom aero parts available for the 2023 Type R, coming from the U.S. (Apr Performance) and, of course, Japan (Varis, Spoon, and others).
And while an FL5 Honda Civic Type R widebody kit had yet to make it to the real world, we’re expecting at least one development of the kind for this fall’s 2023 SEMA Show (October 31-November 3).
Oh, and if you’re more of a VW fan, have you seen Avante Design’s mid-engined 2023 Golf R work? Spoiler alert: it’s still infused with JDM references.
