The Honda CR-Z MUGEN was initially teased in a sketch a couple of months ago, but now the first hi-res photos have arrived, along with some additional information. Based on Honda’s hybrid CR-Z, MUGEN’s tweaks have focused on extracting extra horsepower from the car’s 1.5 litre engine thanks to a supercharger, and also reducing the car’s overall weight. One of the early prototypes, based on a standard CR-Z with a mildly tuned engine, offered zero-to-sixty times roughly similar to the Civic Type R’s. Which should put it comfortably in the 6-7 second range.
But since that car was tested, MUGEN’s engineers have managed to coax an extra 15 horsepower out of the car, while at the same time eliminating an extra 50 kgs (110 lbs) from the chassis. That means MUGEN and Honda are well on the way to hitting their original performance target of 200 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque.
“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.”
The car will be making its debut run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.
Source: Honda and MUGEN Euro
