Because the Honda Civic Type R is in high-demand right now, many dealers that still have any left in-stock are placing a markup on them. That’s why Greg Ellingson was more than willing to drive from Philadelphia to Boston to pick up his Polished Metal grey Type R.
Unfortunately for him, that means he had to drive through Connecticut on his way home.
Ellingson was at a standstill on Interstate 95 in Connecticut on Sunday when a car slammed into the back of his new 306-horsepower hot hatchback. The driver, who didn’t even touch the brakes, hit him so hard that they pushed the Civic forward roughly one car-length and into the rear end of the vehicle in front of it, according to his Facebook post.
Interestingly, Ellingson works at a Honda dealership in Pennsylvania, but he made the drive to Cambridge Honda to get a Civic Type R in his desired color, and for just $39,000 — $4,225 above MSRP. That unfortunately meant he spent the entire five-hour trip home in the cab of a tow truck, rather than his new car.
And although he’s employed by a Honda dealer, Ellingson said the crash really opened his eyes to how well-engineered the Japanese automaker’s cars are.
“I’ve been selling new Hondas for almost a year now and I read about their safety, I’ve seen the crash test videos but experiencing it first hand is a whole different thing,” Ellingson said in his post. “The engineers who designed this car did a fantastic job. It took all the brunt and all four doors still open!”
One of the most important lessons to come out of this crash, though, is the importance of collector car insurance. Ellingson didn’t go through a regular insurer to cover his Type R because, in his words, “that is asking to be screwed,” and therefore expects to lose no money on the car.
