The new Honda Civic Type R Mugen*

Hiro Toyoda, vice-president of Mugen Euro, has bad news: "Environmental pressures mean naturally aspirated engines are rapidly being superseded by other engine architectures and technologies. We may never see the like of the K20 in a mainstream production car again". Quite.

It would appear Jeremy's words in last month's Top Gear magazine are coming to pass. If we are to save the Leatherback Turtle from demise, some of the best naturally aspirated engines ever built are to be destroyed.

But if the salvation of the Brazilian Merganser and the Irawaddy Dolphin rests solely in the cataclysmic eradication of Honda's K20-series engine, then at least it's getting one last hurrah. Although the K-20 has been officially killed off in Japan, the famed Honda tuner has just unveiled a newer, more powerful version of the Civic Type R Mugen as a tribute. Good.

The current Mugen Civic's 2.0-litre four pot has been stroked and bored to 2.2 litres, resulting in a power boost from 237bhp to 256bhp, and more torques, to the tune of 177lb ft (up from 157). The rest of the Mugen Civic remains the same, including sports suspension, uprated brakes and that subtle, restrained and rather conservative bodykit*.

*not subtle, restrained or rather conservative at all

Of the 20 limited edition 2.0-litre Mugen Civics launched last year - which we drove, incidentally - four remain unsold. These might be bored out to the 2.2-litre spec, while existing owners could also be invited to return their cars to Mugen to have it rebigulated. Final confirmation will be announced shortly.

If this is indeed the last hurrah for the K20, then it will mark a sad point for Mugen. After all, "it has been at the very heart of everything Mugen has achieved since the company was formed in 2006." The company reckons some 400 examples have been built or tuned for race and rally competitors around the world.

And it would appear Mr Toyoda has confirmed Jeremy's darkest fears. For the sake of a turtle, free-breathing, naturally aspirated engines are being allowed to die.