The first photos, and a video, of the much-rumoured officially sanctioned, tuned version of the European-market Honda Civic Type-R hatchback have been released on the internet.

Although the video and photos are the only official confirmation we’ve had that the car exists, it doesn’t tell us anything about the actual specifications. The latest rumours suggest that it will get a 240bhp version of the Type-R’s 2-litre VTEC motor and an all-carbon fibre body shell. However, we can tell from the pictures that the stories suggesting that it will be a completely stripped-out R26.R rival may not be entirely true. Having said that, the way the car behaves on the video suggests that there may have been some changes to the chassis.

The Mugen Civic will be one for collectors and brand aficionados, with strictly limited numbers and a price tag thought to be in the region of £40k.

Check out the video below, in particular the direction changes about a minute in:

Click here to view video