Hasport Prelude Club Racer Gets Civic Type R Turbo Power
Hasport Performance has turned the new Honda Prelude into a dedicated time-attack car by installing the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine and six-speed manual transmission from the Civic Type R. The Club Racer also uses a custom Borla exhaust and suspension tuning drawn from the Integra Type S TCX race car, making it fundamentally different from the 200-horsepower hybrid Prelude sold by Honda.
Honda Racing Corporation USA included the Hasport Prelude Club Racer in its 2026 SEMA Show display in Las Vegas, running November 3–6. Honda describes the car as a track machine built for time-attack events, where competitors race the clock rather than each other in wheel-to-wheel heats.
What Honda has confirmed
| Item | Hasport Prelude Club Racer | Production 2026 Prelude |
|---|---|---|
| Primary power source | Turbocharged 2.0-liter Civic Type R engine | 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine with two-motor hybrid system |
| Transmission | Six-speed manual from Civic Type R | Direct-drive hybrid unit; no conventional manual, automatic or CVT |
| Published output | Not announced | 200 hp combined; 232 lb-ft from traction motor |
| Suspension | Tuning derived from Integra Type S TCX race car | Dual-axis front suspension and adaptive dampers |
| Exhaust | Custom Borla system | Production system |
| Intended use | Time-attack track events | Street-legal hybrid grand touring coupe |
| Customer availability | No sale or conversion program announced | U.S. MSRP originally announced at $42,000 before destination |
The Type R engine is a 1,996-cc turbocharged four-cylinder in current U.S. production form. Honda rates the 2027 Civic Type R at 315 hp and 310 lb-ft, paired exclusively with a six-speed manual and a helical limited-slip differential. Those production specifications are useful context, but Honda has not said whether Hasport retained the stock engine calibration, boost pressure, differential or gear ratios. The Club Racer should therefore not be described as a 315-hp car until Hasport or Honda publishes its actual tune.
Why the powertrain swap matters
The showroom Prelude takes a very different route. Its two-motor hybrid system combines a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine with an electric traction motor for 200 hp. Honda lists 232 lb-ft from the traction motor, front-wheel drive and EPA estimates of 46 mpg city, 41 highway and 44 combined.
Honda S+ Shift gives the production car simulated changes through paddle controls, engine-speed management and generated shift sensations, but the road car does not have a conventional stepped transmission. Hasport’s six-speed manual conversion replaces that experience with a physical clutch and gearset from the Type R.
That change also raises engineering questions the initial release does not answer. Honda has not detailed engine mounts, driveshafts, cooling, electronics, fuel delivery or how the swap integrates with the Prelude’s body control and safety systems. Hasport is known for Honda and Acura engine-swap components, but no customer kit or parts list has been announced for this car.
Race-derived suspension, without a published setup sheet
Honda says the Club Racer receives suspension tuning from the Integra Type S TCX race car. That establishes the development direction, not a complete specification. Spring rates, damper settings, alignment, ride height, bushings and anti-roll bars remain undisclosed, as do the wheels, tires and brakes used on the SEMA build.
The production Prelude already borrows important chassis hardware from the Civic Type R, including its dual-axis front suspension concept and Brembo four-piston front calipers. Honda lists adaptive dampers, 19-by-8.5-inch wheels and 235/40R19 tires on the street car. Hasport’s project goes beyond those factory links by combining the Prelude body with a complete Type R-style turbo/manual powertrain and dedicated track calibration.
The car is a build, not a new Prelude trim
Honda calls the Club Racer a dedicated track machine and has not announced production, pricing, homologation or a customer ordering path. There is also no published curb weight, lap time, dyno result, aerodynamic package or confirmed competition debut. The car’s SEMA appearance should be treated as a completed show-and-track build, not evidence that Honda will sell a manual Prelude or factory Type R variant.
The styling includes a livery inspired by Hasport’s earlier Prelude Circuit Monster. That heritage reference reinforces the project’s car-culture role, but the mechanical story is more significant: the build demonstrates that the sixth-generation Prelude can serve as a serious track platform when its production hybrid system is replaced with familiar Honda turbo hardware.
Honda’s SEMA program is broader than a single car. Chiefs Review has already detailed the first retail HRC Performance Parts arriving in March 2027 and the 1,300-hp Passport Baja Spec hybrid Trophy Truck. The Hasport Prelude fills a different niche: an independent builder’s track-focused interpretation of Honda’s new hybrid coupe.
It also creates a useful contrast with the 2027 Civic hybrid’s expanded S+ Shift availability. Honda is using simulated shifts to add engagement to more road-going hybrids, while Hasport chose the mechanical directness of a true six-speed for competition.
What remains unknown
- Actual horsepower and torque after Hasport’s modifications
- Vehicle weight and weight distribution
- Tire, brake and aerodynamic specifications
- Whether the car retains any production hybrid hardware
- Track testing results or a confirmed competition schedule
- Whether any swap components will be offered to customers
Until those details arrive, the verified takeaway is narrower but still notable: a current-generation Prelude now exists with Civic Type R turbo power, a real six-speed manual, Borla exhaust hardware and race-derived suspension tuning. It is not a production announcement, and Chiefs Review has not driven or independently tested the car.
Featured image: Production 2026 Honda Prelude displayed at Rétromobile in Paris on January 30, 2026. This is an archive/illustrative image of the production model, not the Hasport Prelude Club Racer. Photo by Charles via Wikimedia Commons, released under the CC0 1.0 public-domain dedication; source file. No changes were made other than WordPress image scaling.
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