The Honda Civic Type R Lost Its Nürburgring Crown To The Golf GTI, But It Doesn't Matter

Honda By James Kelly Published Jul 10, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT James Kelly didn't grow up knowing he wanted to be a writer, but once he fell into the whacky world of automotive journalism, he hasn't wanted to leave. In college, he found ways to make every paper he wrote related to automobiles and even hosted a show on the campus radio station called "The Engine Block." James's experience involves road-testing brand new cars, breaking old cars, and everything in between. Sign in to your CarBuzz account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap In a town as car-centric as Nürburg, Germany, it’s hard to imagine the town crier’s job being easy. Announcing the latest record holder on the Nordschleife for different classes of automobiles is likely dangerous work, dodging projectiles if enthusiasts don’t take too kindly to out-of-towners rolling in to rip records out of the hands of the local heroes. In the front-wheel-drive category, Honda has held tightly to the record for much of the last ten years. In May 2026, Volkswagen showed up to take back the record by hundredths of a second.