Now they pay unexpected dividends, gripping your body and keeping you clamped down. The brakes bleed speed effortlessly and are easy to manipulate at the limit of traction. Only the steering lets the Type R down, its precision hampered by heaviness in the wheel and a lack of overall feel. Whereas other front-drive sport coupes seem peppy and sporty on the street but quickly become a wet noodle dynamically when they are pushed to their limits, the Type R is almost the opposite. It becomes better the harder you drive it.
Proof comes from real racing.
In SCCA Pro Racing's Speedvision World Challenge race series, race-modified Type R's have won the Touring Car championship every single year since the car's '97 debut. They dominated the 1998 and 1999 race seasons, taking the first, second and third slots in the final standings. Eventually, though, the curvy pavement ends, and it's back to the real world. This isn't to say that the Type R can't be used as a street machine. It certainly can, as all of the previous-year Type R owners can attest to.