Just the Facts:
SANTA CLARITA, California — The new Acura NSX is on track to join the ranks of GT sports car competition as early as 2014, possibly as a gasoline-electric hybrid.
Plans are for the new midengine version of the NSX to be offered as a 2015 production model, but Honda Performance Development Vice President Steve Erikson said the car will be competing as soon as the Acura appears in dealers' showrooms.
The hybrid will have a 3.5-liter V6 with twin electric motors incorporated into the Acura all-wheel-drive powertrain. The car will be built in the Marysville (Ohio) Auto Plant.
A SpeedTV.com report Tuesday suggests that Honda plans to make good on the promise earlier this year by Erikson's predecessor, Erik Berkman, that the car, unveiled as a concept car in January at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, will race in the GT ranks. Where, and in which specific series, is yet to be determined.
A likely venue if the car is to be raced as a hybrid is the new Grand Am GX division for non-traditional or experimental models, which is to be launched next season. The most high-profile sports car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at present does not accommodate hybrids. The famous race does allow one experimental entry each year.
Both situations, of course, could easily change — for better or for worse for the NSX. The long-range fate of the GX class may be affected by the pending merger of Grand Am and American Le Mans series in North America.
However, the ACO has demonstrated a measure of flexibility over the past decade by permitting diesel engines in the Le Mans Prototype 1 class. A hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle will race as the experimental entry at Le Mans in 2013 and as green initiatives continue to emerge in racing, GT racing rules could evolve as well.
HPD is exploring possibilities among a variety of GT series, Erikson said, according to Speed.
"Given that we've had some good success in offering sports cars in prototypes, I think we've got the capability to offer the NSX in some point in the future that customers can buy and race," Erikson told Speed.
Edmunds says: Ever since its origin in 1990 as a Honda model, the NSX, like the villain in a Hollywood production, keeps rising from presumed death. After its resurrection in 2009 as a racing car, it enjoyed success in the Super GT Series in Asia. This is one more developing story for sports car racing fans to follow.
- The new Acura NSX will be developed for GT sports car racing.
- The car is scheduled as a 2015 production model, but could be racing by 2014.
- It's too early to determine which specific series may see the car on their grids.
SANTA CLARITA, California — The new Acura NSX is on track to join the ranks of GT sports car competition as early as 2014, possibly as a gasoline-electric hybrid.
Plans are for the new midengine version of the NSX to be offered as a 2015 production model, but Honda Performance Development Vice President Steve Erikson said the car will be competing as soon as the Acura appears in dealers' showrooms.
The hybrid will have a 3.5-liter V6 with twin electric motors incorporated into the Acura all-wheel-drive powertrain. The car will be built in the Marysville (Ohio) Auto Plant.
A SpeedTV.com report Tuesday suggests that Honda plans to make good on the promise earlier this year by Erikson's predecessor, Erik Berkman, that the car, unveiled as a concept car in January at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, will race in the GT ranks. Where, and in which specific series, is yet to be determined.
A likely venue if the car is to be raced as a hybrid is the new Grand Am GX division for non-traditional or experimental models, which is to be launched next season. The most high-profile sports car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at present does not accommodate hybrids. The famous race does allow one experimental entry each year.
Both situations, of course, could easily change — for better or for worse for the NSX. The long-range fate of the GX class may be affected by the pending merger of Grand Am and American Le Mans series in North America.
However, the ACO has demonstrated a measure of flexibility over the past decade by permitting diesel engines in the Le Mans Prototype 1 class. A hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle will race as the experimental entry at Le Mans in 2013 and as green initiatives continue to emerge in racing, GT racing rules could evolve as well.
HPD is exploring possibilities among a variety of GT series, Erikson said, according to Speed.
"Given that we've had some good success in offering sports cars in prototypes, I think we've got the capability to offer the NSX in some point in the future that customers can buy and race," Erikson told Speed.
Edmunds says: Ever since its origin in 1990 as a Honda model, the NSX, like the villain in a Hollywood production, keeps rising from presumed death. After its resurrection in 2009 as a racing car, it enjoyed success in the Super GT Series in Asia. This is one more developing story for sports car racing fans to follow.
