With several test sessions at the circuits of Aragon, Barcelona, Le Castellet, and Valencia, the new Honda Civic WTCC car is all set to take on the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship which starts on April 13.

“We are very proud that we can bring the new Civic WTCC 2014 at the start of 2014 FIA WTCC season. It has been hard work all through winter and the late rule changes did not make our lives any easier,” said Alessandro Mariani, Managing Director and Team Principal of J.A.S. Motorsport.

Honda says the new Civic WTCC car now has muscular looks and equipped with more power due to the new FIA technical rules. J.A.S. Motorsport was the one in charge with building and developing the chassis, while Honda R&D took the job for the car’s engine.

“On top of having created a new casting for the block & sump, we also made great progress on the intake and combustion. After these first track tests, I am satisfied that the simulations we have carried on the test bench have been confirmed in real life on the track. Our only job is now to fine tune the engine management,” said Daisuke Horiuchi, Large Project Leader for WTCC engine development at Honda R&D.

The team said that the new Honda Civic WTCC car is different compared with last year’s WTCC vehicle. “The new Civic WTCC does not have much in common with last year’s Civic. Everything is new: the chassis, the engine, the suspension, the aerodynamic parts, even the size of the tires has changed. Considering we started the project in September 2013 and were able to perform a shakedown of the new Civic WTCC in January 2014, our staff really have done an incredible job in a short amount of time,” said Andrea Adamo, Chief Designer, J.A.S. Motorsport.

The 2014 Honda Civic WTCC car is powered by a 1.6 liter 4 cylinder direct injection turbo-charged petrol engine that is capable of producing 385PS.