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The Honda Civic Type R Becomes A Pickup Truck

What’s the point of a pickup truck? As the name suggests, it’s able to move things that wouldn’t fit in a normal car. So why are we so enticed by a fast, tyre hungry vehicle with the towing capacity of a van? I suppose it’s a very Australian thing – mixing the stats of a commercial vehicle with those of a sports car.

So while this one isn’t knighted with the legendary Holden badge, can the ‘Project P’ still give us the same rock & roll image that the muscly Australian Ute exudes?

We should probably start with the obvious: It’s a Honda Civic Type R after an episode of Texas Chainsaw Masacre. Everything from the B-Pillar backwards is removed to make way for a canopy with a single wing sat upon it. Honda tells us this wing is movable, which hopefully means you can completely remove it to really show off that back end.

Where this project tails off is the powertrain. It is untouched and therefore remains at 316bhp and 295lb ft – a little disappointing since the rest of the specimen oozes hints at high power, rear-wheel drive and an Australian muscle noise. But we mustn’t forget, this is Honda, and reliability and efficiency comes first in their books which means this pickup can still reach 62mph in under 6 seconds and hit a top speed of 160mph or more.

While this car will go no further than an idea, I hope the idea catches on. I’m bored of the constant barrage of Crossover SUVs based on the same template. So in a mission to add more cool new cars to the road for the everyday man, please car companies, add a ute to your to-do list.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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