At least £30,000

If a madder hatchback has yet been made, I haven’t driven it. After a test drive that felt more like an Alton Towers white-knuckle ride, I can confirm that the Honda Civic Type R makes the Ford Focus RS seem sedate and the Renaultsport Mégane R26.R feel positively tame. If it makes it into production it will break new ground for sheer off-the-wall hatchback lunacy.

The fact that there is at present only one in the world should make rival hot-hatch manufacturers feel relieved, though Honda’s declaration that a limited production run is “very likely” means they won’t sleep easily in their beds. The Mugen takes its name from the Japanese tuning company founded by Soichiro Honda’s son, so this car is to a Honda what an AMG is to a Mercedes.

Its most astonishing feature is a 2-litre engine that will produce 240bhp without the aid of a turbocharger, though that accounts for only part of the Mugen’s buttock-clenching speed. A gutted, two-seat interior, ultra-light wheels and plastic wings, bonnet and bumpers bring a 105kg reduction in mass, giving the power-to-weight ratio a big boost. Track-specification suspension, brakes and tyres make sure that the car slows as well as it goes, clinging to bends like hot jam to a jumper.

There is nothing subtle about the car, though there is just enough ride comfort to make it feasible for use on both road and track. While the Focus RS, for instance, may be even more powerful and considerably more civilised, if you wanted more pure driving pleasure from a front-wheel-drive car than this, you would have to turn the clock back 20 years or so and buy a Peugeot 205 GTI. For the engine alone, and the noise it makes between 5600rpm and its screaming 8700rpm redline, the Mugen offers an unforgettable driving experience.

A shame, then, that few are likely ever to enjoy it. Mugen says the car will cost at least £30,000, which is a large amount of money to pay for any hot hatch, let alone one with just two seats. The only similar two-seater is the aforementioned Mégane and, despite a much lower price tag and almost uniformly rave reviews, Renault has struggled to shift it.

Perhaps that’s why Mugen says any production run would be limited to about 25 vehicles, in which case its sheer scarcity might make sense of the price. That may seem a lot to pay for a Honda hatchback, but I expect there are at least a couple of dozen people out there prepared to spend that kind of money on what would be, after all, nothing less than the most exciting, exclusive hatchback on sale.

Engine 1998cc, four cylinders

Power 237bhp @ 8300rpm

Transmission Six-speed manual

Fuel / CO2 Not available

Acceleration 0-60mph: 5.8sec (estimated)

Top speed 155mph (estimated)

On sale To be announced

Rating

THE RIVALS

Ford Focus RS £26,395

For Huge performance; wonderfully easy to drive

Against Garish interior; excessive tyre wear

Renaultsport Mégane R26.R £24,040

For Outstandingly good fun to drive; good value

Against Two-seater only; harsh ride