2017 Honda Civic Type R busted in California

YouTube user thedailyrey recently spied the 2017 Honda Civic Type R testing out near the company's headquarters in Torrance, California. The 2017 Honda Civic Type R will be the first-ever Honda-badged Type R model to be sold in the U.S. market.

Up front, the all-new Civic Type R Prototype sports a winged carbon-fibre splitter with red accent line, additional slatted ducts, diamond-mesh inserts in the sculpted air intakes, red "H" badge, hood air scoop and smoked lenses for the LED headlights, indicators and side indicator repeater lights.

On the sides, the 2017 Civic Type R Prototype accentuates its aggressive character with 20-inch piano black alloy wheels and carbon-fibre side skirts with red accents. The rear-end, perhaps the most expressive angle of the car, features exclusive vortex generators at the rear edges of the roof, a massive rear wing, three tailpipes with the central one finished in bright metallic red, and a beefy carbon-fibre diffuser.

The 2017 Honda Civic Type R will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. The outgoing model's engine delivers 306 hp, and rumour has it that the 2017 Civic Type-R's engine will develop 340 hp, and route power to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission.

Unlike the European models, there won't be a fancy four-wheel drive system or a dual-clutch transmission, even optionally.