Like many of us who came up Honda scene, when the FK8 Type R first dropped stateside, Trae Edwards didn’t instantly warm-up to it. Not from a beauty standpoint anyway. See – the FK8 Type R tends to be regarded as a busy/boyish design. Meanwhile on the contrary, golden-era Hondas draw people in for their understated, timeless simplicity. Over the last decade, Trae had actually walked away from Hondas a little bit… building a 700hp Evo & FA WRX. At the time, Trae & his wife were driving together for Reliable Carriers – the car transporters. They ended up delivering a new FK8 Civic Type R in Sonic Grey Pearl, and that’s when the seed really got planted for Trae.

Trae found a gently used Sonic Grey Pearl Civic Type R for sale…

And the dealership wanted to play ball. He traded 2 cars, shook some hands, and a deal was made. On the way home, Trae’s wife said, “So, this isn’t gonna be another Evo is it?” See the Evo was overbuilt & temperamental. “Naaaaah no way.” said Trae. “This is just gonna be a fun car… back to something clean & enjoyable to drive.” Yeah well, things snowballed. And somehow this Civic Type R became Trae’s most expensive, most personal, and most carefully-detailed build to date. But who’s counting.

 

Own the car, don’t let it own you…

That’s one thing Trae learned with the Evo & WRX. See, Trae & his wife are still out there truckin’ today… all over this great country. And when they head back home to North Carolina, it might only be for a week or two. Trae doesn’t want to come home to car problems. He wants the Type R to be his recharge. There’s usually a bundle of new packages/parts waiting to be installed. And other than that, Trae just wants to drive the car… a lot… everywhere. 

Civic Type R  – Wheels, Stance, & Fitment…

The Type R sits on Volk CE28SL wheels, size 18×10 +25. And wrapped around those gems are Dunlop tires in 275/35. The front fenders were rolled & massaged until clearance was achieved. And with the design of the rear quarters/flares on the Civic Type R, you can’t really roll ‘em. So Trae had to carefully cut, shave, & trim the inside of the quarters until he found room for the meaty 10” wide wheels with 275 tires. The car is running -3.3° camber all around. Also, to tighten everything up & prevent rubbing, Trae upgraded to Swift springs on his Fortune Auto coilovers – 11K in front & 10k in the rear. 

Trae never set out for a Mugen catalogue car… 

That was never really the goal. In fact, initially, he ran a set of blue Bride seats with carbon kevlar backs. They were discontinued, uncomfortable, and exactly what he wanted lol. Sidenote: You may notice Trae has removed all the red accenting on his Type R. He felt like blue/teal/yellow are a better match of the Sonic Grey Pearl paint. But eventually, the tightness/discomfort of the blue Bride seats were keeping him from making longer trips with the car, so he switched-it-up to these Mugen MS-Z seats… along with Mugen harnesses (ditched the OEM red seatbelts), and a Mugen steering wheel. 

Inside the Type R… 

The Hybrid Racing shifter is a focal piece of the CTR interior, and is accented with Chasing Js pieces. Trae also added an Evasive rollcage, and partially stripped the rear. He always loved the style of the stripped, painted, & re-cleared interiors in modified golden-era Hondas, so he wanted to work that into the more modern FK8 chassis. Therefore, he deleted the rear seats, stripped the sound deadening, & repainted/cleared the interior… but kept the rear Mugen limited-edition camo carpet & stereo/sub. (See modlist below.) 

FK8 Type R exterior…

Again, the intention was never to have a Mugen ‘add-to-cart’ car. But nevertheless, this FK8 Type R features a Mugen front lip, side skirts, and rear side-spats. Trae didn’t like the “Thanos chin” mid section of the Mugen rear, so he left that off & just did the Blitz rear garnish. It’s impossible not to admire the Voltex Type 2V wing & Varis Arising-l  carbon fiber hood on this FK8 Type R. And other aesthetic/aftermarket details can be found in the modlist below. Because here’s the thing…

This CTR has so many accent pieces, it’s overwhelming… 

When I mentioned earlier this was Trea’s most expensive build to date… that’s why lol. He got consumed in the details. For example, Trae said he’s probably got $10,000 in Chasing Js titanium bolts & accent pieces on this car. The teal Project Mu pads with yellow calipers… that wasn’t by chance lol. Obsession is the only word lol. However –  it’s always been the details that defined Honda culture… and it’s exciting & inspiring to see Trae taking that rooted Honda approach to the modern platforms. 

FK8 Type R engine…

One thing I love about the FK8 & FL5 Type R: They still rev fast & drive light, like the golden-era Hondas. This Type R has all the usual bolt-ons & tune that make it an ultimate hot-hatch. It’s not a 700hp time bomb, but more of a 420hp therapy/adrenaline session. But again, what separates this Type R from the others – is the details. Picture this: There’s nothing like a 90s Honda hatch with its hood popped-high, boasting glamorous/glorious VTEC-era valve covers & hard-flexing aftermarket parts. And it’s awesome to see Trae take that energy/upbringing, and apply it to the modern (often over-plastic & over-harnessed) engine bay. Yellow, teal, and titanium give this Type R’s engine bay a draw that most modern cars fall short on. 

Trae was young when the Honda scene first exploded…

And he wasn’t really in the position to play. Then as the 2nd-wind of Honda Culture hit in the mid-2000s, and the trends transitioned from big fiberglass bodykits & wings… to more of a stripped-down, no-nonsense, JDM-inspired approach… Trae was in the military. He scraped together what he could to build a Del Sol, and in the process, he met an enlisted friend, Brian Beaird (whom a lot of you may know). Both from the South, and both stationed in Southern California, Brian had been around both the early Import Alliance events in Nashville, and around the Southern California scene, Eibach meets, etc. Brian ALSO had a Del Sol at the time… with a GSR swap. He opened Trae’s eyes to the new styles. And to this day, Brian Beaird’s the reason Trae is ‘the way he is’… and also the reason he’s as broke as he is lol. But ever since then, it’s been a never-ending roller coaster of fun with cars. 

Photos by Bryan Meyers

Fk8 Honda Civic Type R

ENGINE

Eventuri carbon fiber intake & carbon fiber turbo inlet.  GReddy hose clamps for intake.  HKS intercooler, piping, and BOV.  EVS bov relocation kit.  XDI high pressure fuel pump  PRL catless downpipe, front pipe, and flex fuel kit.  PTP Lava turbo blanket & downpipe blanket. Hasport full motor mount kit.  Apexi catback exhaust.  Js Racing valve cover.  Tuned on Hondata by “phearable”.  All Chasing Js parts are Yellow Anniversary Edition.

Chasing Js Engine Parts…

Valve cover bolt kit.  Spark plug cover “honeycomb”.  Battery tie down.  Oil, radiator, & brake master cap.  Window washer cover.  Fuse box cover (honeycomb).  ECU cover.  Dip stick.  Motor mount bolt kit.  Hood latch bolt kit & hood bolts.  Cover for coilover dampers.  APR carbon fiber coolant plate & fender cover.  Radium Engineering coolant overflow.  Hondata flash pro.

EXTERIOR 

Varis Arising-l carbon fiber hood.  Voltex type 2V wing.  Blitz rear garnish.  PRL rear wiper delete.  Chasing Js wiper cover, wing bolt kit, and Mugen bolt kit (custom) for lip kit.  JDM side markers & fog lights.  Racebred splitter brackets.  Traelyfe design splitter.  APR canards.  Spoon mirror covers.  Roof wrapped black.  Black limited edition Civic badge.  EVS tow hook.  HKS tow strap.  Top Secret aero catch (for hood).  35% tint & 40% tint windshield.

Mugen Exterior Parts…

Side skirts.  Rear lip.  Grille garnishes.  Window visors.  Door guards.  Taillights.  Tailgate spoiler.  Rear bumper step decal.  Titanium Mugen badge. 

INTERIOR 

Mugen MS-Z seats.  Bride lo rails.  EVS rollcage.  Rear seat delete (painted & cleared in Sonic Grey Pearl).  Mugen 4-point harness.  RSpro harness collars.  Custom Recaro door insert.  Hybrid Racing shifter.  Chasing Js shift knob & shifter extension (both yellow anniversary).  Also, Chasing Js shifter boot delete, pedals, door skids, steering wheel & hub bolts (yellow anniversary).  Mugen limited edition camo floor mats & trunk mat cover.  Also, Mugen push-start, kick door covers, and steering wheel.  Works Bell short hub, SRD switch kit, and rapfix gtc.  Zoom rear view mirror.  JL Audio subwoofer – TW3 10in sub in custom enclosure.  Also, JL Audio RD500/1 amp, C2-350 center speaker, C2-650 door speakers and C2-650 tweeters.  

SUSPENSION / BRAKES

Fortune Auto 500 coilovers, upgraded Swift Springs (11k/10k).  HKS suspension error canceller.  SPC rear camber arms.  Girodisc 2pc front & rear rotors.  Project Mu spec-b front & rear pads.  Js Racing front strut bar.  Chasing Js strut bar replacement bar (yellow anniversary).  Also, Chasing Js strut tower bolts & camber bolts

WHEELS & TIRES

Volk CE28SL wheels, size 18×10 +25. Dunlop Direzza Ziii, size 275/35/18. Chasing Js lug nuts & valve stem covers (yellow anniversary).