That Honda could have done more with the CR-Z than the lukewarm hybrid sport-hatch that resulted is no big news. But Mugen is here to highlight the point.
After teasing us with some initial details, a rendering and a shot of the engine bay, the pseudo-works Honda tuner has released the first photos of the modified CR-Z it is preparing to unveil at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
Performance figures haven’t been finalized just yet, but earlier, Mugen pegged combined output from the supercharged 1.5-liter four and electric assist at 197 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. Combined with the 110 pounds of weight shaved off the chassis, Mugen figures that ought to be enough to make the custom CR-Z match the acceleration times of the Civic Type R.
Unfortunately, this is strictly a concept car for the time being, but there’s no telling what could result from enough positive response. Follow the jump for the press release and check out the trio of images in the high-res gallery.
FIRST IMAGES OF CR-Z MUGEN REVEALED
Honda (UK) and MUGEN Euro have revealed the first official photographs of the CR-Z MUGEN – the higher-performance hybrid coupe.
Development of the supercharged Honda CR-Z is on track, with performance figures already looking promising.
Early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have given 0-60mph times around that of the Civic Type R.
After a further 15 per cent increase in power over this ‘stage 1’ engine and with over 50kg reduced from the chassis, overall performance is set to meet MUGEN’s original targets.
“Early fuel consumption tests have also been encouraging,” says Colin Whittamore from MUGEN Euro. “We’ve retained the three driving modes from the standard car and economy ranges from 50+mpg in ‘eco’ mode to mid-30 mpg when tapping into the supercharged power in a special ‘MUGEN’ mode.”
