he Honda Civic Type R is the highest performance version of the Honda Civic made by Honda Motor Company of Japan. The Type R designation is given to models that have been specially developed and tuned in house for the sole purpose of circuit competition and as a high performance vehicle from Honda's stables. Its lineage can be traced directly to the 1992 Honda NSX Type R, featuring a lightened and stiffened body, specially fine tuned engine and upgraded brakes and chassis. Other characteristics are the use of the special colour from the days of Honda's successful F1 winning car from the 60's called "Championship White" and a Honda emblem with a red background. Red is also used in the interior to give it a special sporting distinction and to separate it from other Honda models. In Japan, a one-make series of Honda Type R cars where privateers can purchase a off-road Type R and compete in a series championship is a stepping stone for many aspiring racing drivers. The Type R has helped to increase Honda's overall image in racing as well as in the sports car consumer market.

VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) is a valvetrain system developed by Honda to improve the volumetric efficiency of a four-stroke internal combustion engine. This system uses two camshaft profiles and electronically selects between the profiles. This was the first system of its kind. Different types of variable valve timing and lift control systems have also been produced by other manufacturers (MIVEC from Mitsubishi, VVTL-i from Toyota, VarioCam Plus from Porsche, VVL from Nissan, etc.). It was invented by Honda R&D engineer Ikuo Kajitani