The year was 2020, we were in the grip of Covid lockdowns, and I’d started to get back into mountain biking. I picked up my first modern mountain bike, a carbon, full suspension Giant Trance and I needed something a bit more practical than the GT86 to transport my bike.
I was at the local Ford dealership getting the C-Max serviced when I spotted a red FK8 Civic Type R in their forecourt. It looked a bit out of place amongst the Kugas and Fiestas, so I had to find out more. Fast forward 20 minutes and I was out for a solo test drive (one of the best things about Covid restrictions was the solo test drive!) and I instantly fell in love with it.
James May from Top Gear owned the same model and described it as the perfect car for drug dealers. The example in question didn’t disappoint – accelerating onto the local dual carriageway on my test drive, I was greeted with the pungent odour of cannabis wafting from the air vents. Returning to the dealership later, I pointed this out to the salesman. They offered to deodorise the car, but it felt pretty on-brand, so I bought it as-is.
About a year into ownership, I decided to buy the private place G11 HUK – a nod to the official press cars that regularly adorned the front of Top Gear, Evo and other car magazines. Honda owned G7 HUK and G8 HUK, and G11 HUK was the closest available plate.
I had some great adventures in the FK8. I took part in my first competitive sprint racing at Kames and took second place, splitting the two race-prepped 4WD Subaru Imprezas and beating the rest of the field by a good margin. I also took a few podiums in the Autosolo, beating a field of much smaller and better-suited MX5s and trackday specials.
After two-and-a-half happy years of ownership, where the car only cost me brake pads and tyres, I traded it in for a small profit. Overall, tax, insurance and consumables included, I reckon the car cost me about £600 per year. The cheapest car I’ve ever owned.
I traded the CTR in to get Tara a new eco-friendly Toyota hybrid. I then inherited her old C-Max which I quickly traded in for an F31 3 Series.
Grant Gibson 