Crate engines allow you to purchase factory-fresh engines directly from the manufacturer without the rest of the car. If you’ve always wanted to give your Honda a bit more oomph, there’s a new crate engine for you.
Honda announced Monday that it will offer up a crate version of the K20C1 turbocharged I4 that resides in the 2017 Honda Civic Type R. This hi-po four-banger puts out 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Presumably, you’ll need to mate it to a six-speed manual — your standard Civic’s CVT is probably not capable of handling its torque.
If this doesn’t fit into a 1992 Civic hatchback shell, I will make it fit.
Honda
This isn’t the first time Honda’s offered a Type R crate engine. Previously, the automaker has offered crate versions of Type R engines in Europe and Asia, but this marks the first time one is available in the US — just like the Civic Type R itself, in fact.
The engine can be ordered through the HPD Honda Racing Line program. You’ll need to apply for a membership with Honda, but once you’re in, you’re given what’s claimed to be “the most direct access” to Honda’s performance-parts division.
The program is built with motorsports in mind, and Honda mentions that the crate engine is for “US grassroots and professional racers for verified, closed-course racing applications,” so it doesn’t sound like you’ll be able to buy one for your project car, sadly. That said, there are probably ways to procure one for that reason.
Of course, crate engines aren’t cheap, and Honda’s CTR engine is no exception. The crate K20C1 retails for $6,519.87, less shipping costs. That also doesn’t take into account labor or any of the mess of parts you’ll need to make the engine jibe with the donor body.