I Don’t Even Have A Family And I’d Sign My Life Away For This Manual 550-HP Honda Odyssey Type R

I don’t have any kids, but I still love minivans. They’re a flexible solution that can fit the needs of many buyers, whether you’re schlepping your family around town running errands, or operating a plumbing business. Before crossovers, vans were the do-everything car, packing the capabilities of several vehicles into one.

There’s still one arena that’s left untouched by the modern minivan: Performance. Of the five minivans on sale today—the Toyota Sienna, the Chrysler Voyager, the Honda Odyssey, the Kia Carnival, and the Volkswagen ID.Buzz—I’d argue that the VW is the only car that can possibly squeeze into the land of “sporty” due to its snappy electric powertrain. But a performance car, it is not.

Thankfully, the aftermarket exists. And at this year’s SEMA show, it’s come up with might be my favorite minivan ever: A Type R-swapped Honda Odyssey, complete with 550 horsepower, a center-exit triple exhaust, and a manual transmission.

The Ultimate Performance Hauler

This car is the product of Bisimoto Engineering. If that name sounds familiar, it should. The shop’s founder, Bisi Ezerioha, has been tuning Hondas for decades and is best known for building a ridiculous 1,029-horsepower turbocharged Odyssey back in 2014, which made the rounds online for its ability to decimate front tires in the blink of an eye.

Ezerioha’s newest creation feels even cooler than that burnout machine, mainly because it looks so production-intent. Simply dubbed the Odyssey Type R, it’s based on a 2025 model, and from a distance, doesn’t look too much different than a standard Honda minivan. Get closer, and the changes become obvious.

At the front, the bumper cover’s been augmented with a splitter red Honda badge, while the hood has been given a vent cut out—a signature feature of the modern Civic Type R. There are new side skirts on either flank, and a reworked rear bumper area that displays that tri-exit exhaust—another Civic Type R signature—proudly.

The stock Odyssey wheels have been tossed in favor of a set of modern 19-inch Civic Type R wheels wrapped in some extremely aggressive Toyo Proxes R888R tires, which are basically just racing slicks with a few thin lines of tread cut in to qualify as street-legal. Ezerioha equipped BC Racing coilovers to dial in the ride height, though it looks like the stock brakes have been retained (hopefully with higher-quality pads and fluid to match all that extra power).

Speaking of power, there’s a good deal of it. While this build isn’t nearly as crazy as that 1,029-horsepower Odyssey from a decade ago, it’s still pretty great. Gone is the Odyssey’s 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, replaced by the current Type R’s K20C1 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four. While photos of the engine bay make it seem stock, Ezerioha obviously couldn’t leave well enough alone. There’s an aftermarket turbocharger from Mitsubishi, of all brands, pushing air into the engine, a custom exhaust, and a tune from the fine folks at Hondata. The result is over 550 horsepower on tap, according to Bisimoto. Power still gets to the front wheels, but here it’s through the Type R’s six-speed manual and limited-slip differential (an absolute necessity if you’re putting that level of power to just the front tires).

Importantly, the Odyssey Type R retains its full interior, meaning it’s just as good at hauling people around as before (so long as those people don’t mind the bumpier ride from the coilovers or the turbo spooling noises). The only two things that are out of place are the red seat belts and the shifter, which sticks out proudly from the dashboard.

Honda: Please?

While I’m not sure Honda corporate could ever find a business case for real production Odyssey Type R, I have to imagine some folks within Honda are drooling over this thing. Don’t forget, a group of people from Honda’s assembly plant in Alabama, where the Odyssey is built, have been racing modified versions of the minivan since 2006. They’d probably like to see something like this built as much as I would.

One of the reasons I think it’s unlikely an Odyssey Type R would ever see the light of day is price. A Civic Type R now costs nearly $50,000 all in, so I bet a production version of this Odyssey would be knocking on the door of 70 grand. That used to be an insane price for a minivan, but I don’t think it is anymore. Some Toyota dealers are asking nearly that much for loaded Siennas right now.

I wish people would start looking at cars like this Odyssey Type R like they look at SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo or the BMW X3 M. These are sporty utility vehicles that cost far more than their base counterparts, delivering extra performance and the same amount of utility for a lot more money. Why can’t we have a minivan segment like this? I know which one I’d rather have.

Top graphic images: Jordan Distributors Inc.