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The fastest Honda Civic ever made is finally coming to America

The 306-horsepower 2017 Honda Civic Type R is the fastest and most powerful Civic ever made.

Honda's hotly anticipated Civic Type R made its world debut.

Once upon a time, "forbidden fruit" dotted the global automotive landscape. These legendary special-edition cars were reserved by automakers for only certain markets.

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In most instances, the US was not one of them.

Names such as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and the Nissan Skyline GT-R come to mind.

Because of globalization, these models are now widely available around the world.

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On Tuesday, the world got a little smaller once again.

At the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, Honda unveiled its 10th-generation Civic Type R, which will finally be available in the US.

"The fastest, most powerful Honda ever sold in America, the Type R caps off the incredible success story of our 10th-generation Civic lineup," Jeff Conrad, a senior vice president at American Honda Motor Co., said in a statement. "We're happy to inform our US enthusiasts that the long wait for the forbidden fruit of Honda Type R performance is nearly over."

The Type R, long regarded as one of the kingpins of the hot-hatch market, is expected to live up to its lofty reputation.

Under the hood of the five-door hatchback is an Ohio-built, 2.0 liter, turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine pushing out 306 horsepower and 295 pounds per foot of torque. The powerful engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels through a limited-slip differential.

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Performance upgrades on the Type R include a brand-new Dual-Axis front suspension, adaptive steering, and four-wheel adaptive dampers. In addition, Honda has stiffed the new Type R's body by as much as 45% while reducing weight by 35 pounds.

Inside, the Civic Type R is available with a touch-screen infotainment system; a 12-speaker, 540-watt stereo; and heavily bolstered sports seats.

Developed at Germany's Nürburgring race track, the Civic Type R will compete directly against Ford's Focus RS and Volkswagen's Golf R.

The 2017 Honda Civic Type R will go on sale this spring in the US with a price tag in the mid-$30,000s.

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