Honda Civic Type R axed

Empty your cannons in salute, TopGearers - the Civic Type R is dead.

Honda has axed the high-revving madcap hot hatch because its 197bhp 2.0-litre engine won't comply with the upcoming Euro V emissions regulations.

See our Honda Civic Type R tribute gallery

Production of the Type R will continue until October, and sales will end in December. Until then, the company is offering massive savings on all Type R models to see it off in style.

You can even witness an automotive 21-gun salute, of sorts, later this month at Silverstone when Honda will allow owners' club members the chance to hit the track in a ‘lap of honour'.

Saddened by this news? You should be. Sure, the mega-muscle hatches of late - Focus RS, Megane RS 250, Golf R et al - blow the 197bhp Type R into the weeds, but that free-revving engine and pointy drive make it a compelling hot-hatch choice next to the staid Golf GTI and chest-wigged Focus ST.

It also means Honda's entire model line is bereft of a cooking model, with the next Civic expected to hit the UK late next year.

So here's the big one - with the plethora of hot hatches scrapping it out for your attention, will you miss the Civic Type R? Can it still make a case for itself in today's hot hatch fraternity? Answers below - and keep ‘em clean...