If someone told you that Honda’s engineering team had undertaken an initiative they referred to as “Project P,” your mind might race with the mundane possibilities of a 17th cupholder in the Pilot, or maybe a voice-activated parking brake.
But the real Project P is none of those things, and I have to say that the reality was a big surprise from Honda and I’m not sure I like it – you be the judge: it’s a concept that’s half pickup truck, and half Honda Civic.
Business Insider playfully dubbed it the “Civic-amino” in a nod to Chevy’s classic car-pickup hybrid the El Camino. Honda UK’s engineering department grabbed a pre-production road car – the type R Civic – and basically cut the roof off the back, putting a truck bed in place of the backseat.
The hybrid is built on the same platform as the Civic – meaning the suspension, gearbox and powertrain are unchanged. A 306-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine propels this tiny beast to 165 miles-per-hour top speed and, reportedly, to 60 miles per hour in less than six seconds.
Project lead Alyn James believes that the new vehicle might actually be in the running for fastest front wheel drive pickup, though it’s looking doubtful that it will ever reach the streets. A Honda executive said they have no plans to produce it, but reserve the right to use it onsite to transport larger items that the trunk of the classic Civic just can’t make work. So, like… pretty much everything.
