To race at Suzuka

Honda has announced the NSX Concept-GT race car which will compete in the GT500 class of the Super GT Series fifth round this weekend at Suzuka.

As you would imagine, the racecar is based on the Acura NSX concept and complies with the 2014 regulations established by the Japan Automobile Federation regarding GT500 cars. The vehicle is powered by a 2.0-liter mid-mounted inline direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder engine working together with a hybrid setup.

No further details were released, but we notice the addition of a wide body kit including a huge rear wing, a lowered suspension, a carbon fiber front spoiler lip, side vents and multi-spoke alloys shod in Bridgestone Potenza tires.

The road-legal Acura NSX is scheduled to go on sale in 2015, with production taking place in Ohio, United States.

Honda has given us our first look at the new race car it plans to compete with in the premier GT500 class of Japan’s Super GT touring car series from next year onwards. The new race car is still in the concept phase but it already closely resembles the final version due on the grid next year.

It is called the NSX Concept-GT and is based on the second-generation Acura NSX sports car due out in 2015. It complies with Super GT’s revised regulations coming into play next year, as prescribed by the Japan Automobile Federation. The regulations now more closely match those of Germany’s DTM series and call for turbocharged 2.0-liter engines and optional hybrid systems.

Along with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, mounted in a mid-engine position, the NSX Concept-GT is also equipped with a racing hybrid system. It’s unclear if this system is similar to the three-motor setup destined for the new Acura NSX.

The NSX Concept-GT previews the race car that will replace Honda’s HSV-10 GT, which currently competes in Super GT and was the replacement for the original NSX after it bowed out of the series. The HSV-10 GT is based on a stillborn sports car that Honda had hoped to launch as a second-generation NSX but the project came unstuck following the financial crisis of 2008.

Note, Lexus today revealed its own RC-based race car that will compete in Super GT next year.

The Honda NSX Super GT race car has finally been revealed at Suzuka Raceway, as the teams begin testing their vehicles for the 2014 season.

The Japanese automaker has already confirmed that it’ll be replacing its HSV-010 GT race car with the NSX in the GT500 class for the 2014 Japanese Super GT Series. As we know, starting with the 2014 season, competitors in the GT500 class and all cars racing in DTM will use common technical regulations.

While the road car is expected to use a V6 hybrid setup and the HSV-010 GT was powered by a 3.4-liter V8 engine, the new car is powered by a mid-engine 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged 4-cylinder, mated to a hybrid system.

One thing to note however is that the HSV-010 GT was a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive race car and Honda has expressed a desire to run a mid-engine setup for its NSX. The race car is expected to make around 500 horsepower, similar to the rest of the GT500 field.