New FL5 Civic Type R Revealed For IndyCar 2023 Pace Car 

Honda has announced their new pace car for the 2023 IndyCar season. The latest Civic Type R (called the FL5) got a new look for when it hits the track. 

Here is what the new FL5 Type R pace car looks like: 

From autoblog.com: 

 “The Type R Pace Car isn’t hiding an IndyCar engine under its hood, too, but Honda did upgrade it for better track performance. Its braking system was fully revamped with a Honda Performance Development brake package. This package includes competition rotors, racing pads and stainless steel brake lines — doesn’t sound like a bad option for track days if Honda wants to sell it to consumers.”

The 2023 Type R has a few improvements over the previous generation, the FK8 (2017-2021). Most notably is the new, less aggressive body style. It seems more refined and grown up. Other improvements include a better gearbox, and slight weight reduction. The new model actually decreased the wheel size from 20 to 19 inches, which reduces weight and rotational mass for the wheels. Most changes are small tweaks that have optimized the car.

According to this reddit post, here is how the FLV compares to the FK8 on the track:  “FL5 smokes FK8 from a dig, FK8 smokes FL5 from a roll, & FL5 smokes FK8 on the hot lap.”

Quick FL5 Stats: 

• 2.0-litre turbocharged engine
• 316 HP
• 310 lb-ft of Torque 
• Front wheel drive 
• Top Speed of 169 mph
• VTEC engine
• 6-speed manual
• Built in Yorii, Saitama, Japan
• Base Price of $43,990 USD (before dealer markups)

More About the 2023 Type R

Personally, I’ll be looking forward to seeing the new pace car when watching IndyCar racing this year. I find the FL5 Type R to be really sleek looking and it continues to feature a manual transmission like a real driver focused car should. I’m not the biggest fanboy of front wheel drive cars, but Honda made this one super cool. If dealer markups come down I would seriously consider picking one up for a daily driver.

You can see the schedule for the 2023 season on indycar.com. The series begins Sunday, March 05, 2023 and the last race is on Sunday, September 10, 2023.