Plans are moving forward for Honda to reveal its new V8 racing car in Japan, the HSV 010.
While the programme hasn’t been fully buttoned down yet, as we hear it, this new car – loosely based on Honda’s axed 'next NSX' project – is tipped to appear in January but will definitely be for track only.
Honda put a lot of time and work into developing a new front-engined V10 super-coupe, to go head to head with the Lexus LFA.
The car was seen testing and was close to being signed off when Honda pulled the plug in winter 2008 as the economic crisis hit, around the same time Honda announced it was quitting Formula One.
Sources say Honda’s plan was to launch the new V10 super-coupe as the Acura Sports, its launch timed to coincide with the debut of Acura, Honda’s luxury dealer channel, in Japan.
In the end, both projects got canned, but not before Honda put quite a bit of work into developing a separate, pure race version of the Acura Sports for Super GT, Japan’s hugely popular tintop race series.
The Super GT version of the Acura Sports would carry the road car’s silhouette but underneath it would be totally different, with an all-new carbonfibre chassis and swapping the road car’s 5.0-litre V10 – good for 500bhp plus – for a race-bred 3.4-litre V8 to meet the new Super GT regs.
Those regs would also see the road car’s high-performance, rear-biased Super Handling 4WD system exchanged for a simpler, more robust rear drive layout, again to meet Super GT regs.
Honda will build a limited run of race cars to meet the requirements of the Super GT teams and the 3.4-litre V8 will come across from Japan’s Formula Nippon single-seater series.
It’s a 90-degree V8 with 3400cc capacity, rev-limited to 10,300rpm and good for 600bhp plus. For Super GT duty, the engine will have to be significantly reworked for a more endurance spec. Super GT races are longer and harder than Formula Nippon and each engine also has to last for four races.
The V8 engine will also be air-restricted to 500bhp to meet the regs in Super GT’s top GT500 class, but will lose the rev limiter.
Honda, it’s believed, is keen to present the HSV 010 as an all-new car, and an unveiling seems likely in Japan before the end of January.
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Re: Stillborn Honda NSX 'will race'
Sounds like the simpler SuperGT car with its highly strungV8 and lightweight construction, would be a better bet as a production car template than the overly high-tech V10 (and heavier)car they were originally planning...
And the V8engine would be a better tie-in for America where Honda/Acura provide the engines to the entire IRC series...( Big congrats to Dario!!!!)
Dont think Honda particularly need a supercar in todays marketplace, but it would make a very interesting junior Supercar if they did, and would certainly bring in the inquisitive into dealerships in this country and others, that may just result in sales of the slightly less "salivatory"but competent and reliable bread and butter models, that keep the Honda in the black and allow the budget requirements for R&D of the future models!
Re: Stillborn Honda NSX 'will race'
Will copy right laws allow them to use the HSV tag?
I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually saw the road car surface. We are now about a year down the line from Honda pulling out of F1 and with the introduction of the race car version interest is being generated. Couple that with Honda watching the LF-A's success, it would be foolish if Honda didn't consider launching the car under the Honda brand, especially if there are track wins.