Daniel used the Honda Performance Development (or HPD for short) CR-Z Hybrid R concept from last year's SEMA aftermarket show as a base to build his rendered vision of the CR-Z Type R.
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And for those of you wondering, unfortunately, Honda has no plans to offer the car in other markets – at least for the time being.
The production model is named CR-Z iCF and it has been developed in partnership with Mugen's European arm. At the heart of the car lies a modified version of the CR-Z's 1.5-liter hybrid powertrain that gains a supercharger, a new induction system and a reprogrammed ECU.
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According to company’s European division, the CR-Z Mugen sets out to prove that hybrid cars can be exciting to drive, with the one-off special producing “Civic Type R-like performance” while also remaining true to the original, eco-friendly character of the run-of-the-mill CR-Z.
Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro explains the philosophy behind the creation of the CR-Z Mugen:
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The prototype CR-Z is the collaborative work of Honda UK and its in-house tuning shop Mugen Euro. The hotted-up hybrid sports car feature modifications to the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine with the addition of a supercharger as well as to the Honda IMA system.
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The Japanese company says development of the CR-Z Mugen is on track, with “performance figures already looking promising”. Honda revealed that early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have given 0-60 mph (96 km/h) sprint times around that of the European market Civic Type R (6.6 seconds). Later on, Mugen increased output by another 15 percent and reduced the chassis' weight by 50 kilograms, so that overall performance is expected to be even better than the Type R's.
Two cars, two different approaches on the same topic. But which one is better? To answer this question, British magazine Auto Express took both sports cars and tested them to see which one comes on top in typical everyday use.
If you read between the lines - or in this case, the tester's words, the RCZ is a better car picking up the title in fuel economy, performance, interior styling and quality, as well as exterior looks. But -there's always a but, isn't there?- the entry-level RCZ Diesel costs £5,251 [about US$7,900 or €6,500] more than the basic CR-Z, which ultimately makes the comparison unjust.
Video and some quick facts we gathered on both cars after the jump.
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The CR-Z is offered exclusively with a mild-hybrid drivetrain comprising of a 102HP 1.5-liter iVTEC 4-cylinder engine and a 20HP electric motor that deliver a combined output of 122HP and 128 lb-ft. of torque at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm with the standard six-speed manual gearbox and 123 lb-ft with the optional CVT that costs $650 and includes steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
"Jason Barlow, former Top Gear presenter [that's the attention grabber...], takes the new Honda CR-Z on a journey of discovery through Japan," Honda Europe notes in the video release. Watch the film and tell us what you think about it after the jump.
But just so you can get an idea, the "Live Every Litre" is supposed to be a documentary-style road movie in which numerous members of the public have been nominated by the project's online community to realize their dream in the new Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe.
In this case, Agent Lynch, aka Kate Rawlinson (originally from Newcastle), wanted to perform the world's first guerrilla burlesque routine in the streets of Monmartre in Paris.
