Honda NSX prototype to light up IndyCar grid

Branded with Acura livery as it will be badged in the US, the new-generation NSX will hit the track immediately before the Honda Indy 200 IndyCar Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on August 4.

The NSX prototype retains the proportions and styling of the NSX concept that debuted at last year’s Detroit auto show and features the upcoming production car’s mid-engined, three-motor hybrid powertrain.

Despite its heritage as an iconic Japanese sports car, the all-new Acura/Honda NSX is every bit a local in the northeast American state.

A team of engineers at Honda R&D Americas in Raymond, Ohio, is leading the global development of the NSX, while the vehicle will be built at the newly established Performance Manufacturing Centre in Marysville, Ohio.

Aiming to deliver “next-generation supercar dynamic capabilities with advanced environmental performance”, the new NSX will be powered by a direct-injected V6 petrol engine mated to the brand’s Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All-Wheel Drive) system and an all-new dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system combines torque vectoring all-wheel-drive technology with hybrid efficiency through the use of three electric motors – one integrated with the petrol engine and two motors driving the front wheels.

Production of the new-generation Honda NSX is set to start in 2015.