The Honda Civic Type R is being pulled from sale in the UK and Europe due to increasingly stringent legislation – bowing out with a new special edition that commemorates its 28-year production run.

Honda said it's removing the Type R from its line-up in 2026 because "the industry is changing and our model range is having to evolve with it in accordance with European legislation".

Although Honda hasn't been as explicit as to blame the EU’s General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2), which mandates the fitment of kit such as driver attention monitoring and a speed limit warning buzzer, it's most likely the reason for the model’s early demise.

GSR2 contains a provision allowing non-compliant cars with fewer than 1500 sales annually to remain until July 2026. This coincides with the end date for European availability of the Civic Type R.

The same legislation is to blame for the early demise of the Toyota GR86 and, once the exemption window closes, will also kill the Alpine A110.

The decision to pull the Civic Type R from sale will also ease the pressure on Honda in the face of Europe's increasingly stringent fleet CO2 emissions standards, given it's one of the brand’s higher polluters: it produces 189g/km of CO2, compared with the 114g/km produced by the regular Civic.

The Ultimate Edition is intended to celebrate the legacy of the Civic Type R as it bows out in Europe, having first arrived as a grey import some 28 years ago. 

It's painted in the signature Championship White shade, with contrasting red racing stripes calling to the model’s traditional interior colour.

Inside, there's an abundance of carbonfibre details, such as on the door skidplates and around the centre console.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but it's likely to cost notably more than the regular Civic Type R (£48,900).

Only 40 will be built in total, with 10 of those bound for the UK. These will be sold on a first come, first serve basis, Honda said. 

It's the latest in a series of hot hatches to have been axed in the UK and Europe: Autocar last week reported the demise of the Focus ST, and that followed the Hyundai i30 N, pulled from sale last year.

Few front-driven, petrol-powered hot hatches remaIn, such as the stalwart Volkswagen Golf GTI, the smaller Volkswagen Polo GTI, the Mini Cooper S and its hotter sibling, the John Cooper Works. 

The four-wheel-drive hatch market is in a healthier state, comprising cars such as the Golf R, Toyota GR Yaris and Mercedes-AMG A45 S, but all are threatened by emissions regulations and several brands' moves to electric performance cars.

The Civic Type R's run in the UK spanned 28 years and six generations – although the first (launched in late 1997) wasn't officially offered by Honda UK, rather a grey import from Japan.

The second-generation model arrived in 2001 with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-pot producing 197bhp. It was built in Swindon and indirectly replaced the Integra Type R that had been offered in the UK between 1997 and 2001.

It was an immediate hit, thanks to a well-judged chassis set-up, a superb free-revving engine and a relatively low price, and it remains among the most affordable examples of the hot hatch.

The UFO-like Mk3 was launched in 2007. Europe got an entirely different model to Japan, with a radical coupé-like silhouette, rather than the saloon body offered in its home market.

It retained the great 2.0-litre powerplant but was 134kg heavier and had less sophisicated rear suspension so was something of a letdown – especially compared with the Japanese version, which was both lighter and more powerful.

The fourth-generation car landed in 2015 and marked a return to form, retaining its tearaway character dsepite adopting a turbocharger.

The fifth and sixth generations brought further refinements and are widely regarded as being among the finest driver's cars of the modern age.