• The FL5 Civic Type R is one of the most lauded car releases in recent memory, boasting the latest 315hp K20C1 engine.
• Aftermarket companies have jumped at the new platform, allowing owners to modify it to their diverse tastes and styles.
• Before it makes its SEMA debut, the Turn 14 Distribution FL5 Civic Type R will be fitted with high-quality upgrades from its line card.
• Our esteemed partner list includes ARP, ClutchMasters, DBA, LiquiMoly, Mahle, Turbosmart, and more.
• Our local speed shop, R/T Tuning, will help us transform this car from start to finish within a truncated timeline.

We often feature cars that are well-modified, purpose-built, motorsport-ready, or rare examples. And sometimes, they are all of the above. For enthusiasts who have any of these parked in their garage, you can confess there are two sides to the coin. The first is the good stuff, the sheer enjoyment, experiential thrill, and passion for what you’ve created. The second is the ever-present worry about driving a modified, impractically low, or rare car around in the real world. Indeed, that uneasiness is why so many of us have multiple cars. We leave the brunt of negotiating traffic, texting drivers, or the general population who aren’t very good behind the wheel to a car with less consequences. But that also means you’re spending most of your time driving a car that just isn’t very exciting.

ONE TO DO IT ALL

So, we’ve covered the problem that most enthusiasts face. The solution would be a car that can absorb daily duty but still be entertaining. Something that is fast enough to be considered sporty but reasonable to run. For years, the perfect, reasonable, dual-duty car would be easy to spot: it’d have a BMW M badge. But now that an M car with four doors commands a cool 100K, there’s really only one real choice for enthusiasts who crave a sensible, pedigree-badged sports car: a Honda FL5 Civic Type R.

Admittedly, this isn’t the first time the newest Type R has come up here. Sam and I had some valuable face-to-face with the FL5 after its launch—and rather nice things to say about it, too. But the real reason why the Type R is a hot topic for Turn 14 Distribution again is rather note-worthy: we’re building one for the 2024 SEMA Show. Readers with a good memory will be scratching their heads, and yes, we did announce that the T14 x SuperPro Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro would be in our SEMA booth last month. This FL5 will be its sidekick at the show, both making official debuts to showcase our expansive line card’s components.

MOTORSPORT TIE

Aside from being one of the most exciting platforms available today, this FL5 build is a nod to what we’ve been doing all year in IMSA. Dai Yoshihara and Karl Wittmer have piloted the Pit+Paddock Civic Type R TCR in the Michelin Pilot Challenge this year under Montreal Motorsport Group’s flag. By the end of the season, we bagged the first win for any FL5 Civic in motorsports, a handful of pole position awards and podiums, and became the leading Honda combatant in the entire series. It was fitting, then, for Turn 14 Distribution to give a nod to our on-track achievements with this street-focused SEMA project.

BRINGING IT HOME

Although our ambition was set, we still had to do one important thing: find a car. Although the FL5 came out a couple of years ago, the demand for Type Rs is still high. We found plenty, but by the time we discussed it as a group, it’d sell out from under us. Mercifully, we eventually found one—less than ten miles away from T14 HQ, no less—and we immediately drove over to make sure it was ours.

Sitting right in the middle of the showroom at Fred Beans Abington Honda was our FL5 in the quintessential Type R combo: Championship White exterior and red guts. The newest Type R goes so far as to bring back the old-school red carpets as well, which I think is a really nice heritage touch. When we got it back to the Turn 14 Distribution office, it’d only clocked 18 miles, which is as showroom fresh as you could possibly need.

SAVING GRACE

Fortunately for us, the first checkbox was relatively easy to sort. We got on the phone with our local speed shop, R/T Tuning, and called in a not-so-small favor to fit us into its shop schedule. Over the next week, we’ll be committing ourselves entirely to this FL5 build from start to finish and crossing our fingers that we don’t run into any snags.

More than doing the work, our partner list for the build made us eager to dive right in. Fifteen52, Antigravity Batteries, ClutchMasters, CSF, DBA, Eibach, EVS Tuning, Fuelab, HKS, LiquiMoly, Mahle, Turbosmart, and Yokohama were gracious enough to get involved to help transform the Turn 14 Distribution FL5 Civic Type R into a SEMA-worthy car—one that will make an impression amidst the crowded show floor, but also be a vehicle we’d all like to park in our garage after the show is over. Stay tuned for updates from R/T Tuning this week and see you all at SEMA soon.

Gallery