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Acura motorsports is on a roll – fresh off a near production NSX winning its North American racing debut at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the Time Attack 2 class, Acura has released the first official images of the NSX GT3 racecar as it prepares to campaign in North America in 2017. The twin-turbocharged Acura NSX GT3 was photographed with exposed, lightweight, carbon fiber bodywork at GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, MI as part of its continued development at circuits throughout the U.S. The vehicle is slated for homologation as an FIA GT3 class racecar this fall.
"Building on the very solid foundation of the production NSX, we're making steady progress in our development and looking forward to campaigning the GT3 racecar next year," said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development.
The Acura NSX GT3 racecar features custom bodywork and aero components including a large deck wing spoiler, underbody diffuser and enlarged hood vents for efficient engine cooling. The NSX GT3 racecar is powered by a 3.5-liter, 75-degree, twin turbocharged DOHC V-6 engine using the same design specifications as the engine in the production 2017 Acura NSX, including the block, heads, valvetrain, crankshaft, pistons and dry sump lubrication system. The engine is paired with a 6-speed, sequential-shift racing gearbox, delivering power to the rear wheels.
The Acura NSX GT3 is produced by the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, the exclusive manufacturing home for the new Acura NSX. Its twin turbocharged V-6 engine is also assembled in Ohio1. Initial development of the NSX GT3 racecar was conducted by the company's Japan race engineering arm with testing on race circuits in Europe and Japan. Additional development, testing and final homologation to FIA GT3 global racing specifications is currently being undertaken by the company's North American race engineering group, Honda Performance Development (HPD), in Santa Clarita, California.
The Acura NSX GT3 racecar will advance the rich legacy of Acura sports car racing campaigns and championships, including the 1991, 1992 and 1993 IMSA Camel Lights manufacturer and driver championships, and the 2009 American LeMans manufacturer, driver and team championships in both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes. Acura currently campaigns a pair of TLX GT cars with Real Time Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge. On Sunday, June 26, Acura's Ryan Eversley completed a sweep of the doubleheader race weekend at Road America in the TLX GT.
If only Honda or Acura would sell a version of the car with THAT exterior.
I wonder how hard it would be to make THAT street legal, when you consider how many years and dollars Honda spent developing all the Hybrid crap. Maybe it's really expensive to make street legal, but I'm just musing.
Improved bodywork to deliver higher top speed and better handling
'Under the Skin' enhancements include turbochargers and cooling system
Customer teams to benefit from updates across global platforms
Acura Motorsports is pleased to announce that an enhanced Acura NSX GT3, designated the NSX GT3 Evo, will compete on racetracks throughout the world in 2019.
Based on the race-winning Acura NSX production model, the latest evolution of the multiple race-winning NSX GT3 features a number of important revisions aimed at delivering improved performance and reliability to customer racing teams around the globe.
"We are extremely pleased to present the specification of the 2019 NSX GT3 Evo today," said Masashi Yamamoto, general manager, Honda Motorsports. "While the car has already won in some of the world's most prestigious GT3 series, we believe in constantly improving our products and providing the best possible equipment and support for our customers.
"Through the NSX GT3 Customer Racing Program, an international collaboration between a number of Honda's technical partners, we have been able to combine expertise on a global level to define a set of upgrades for the latest version of the NSX GT3 that will benefit every one of our customer teams worldwide."
Revised bodywork, including a new front splitter, diffuser and rear bumper, will reduce drag to create higher top speeds, improve cooling and enhance both balance and driveability for an even wider range of amateur and professional drivers.
New turbochargers will improve throttle response, boost control, and fuel economy and will be retrofitted to all existing NSX GT3s in addition to the new NSX GT3 Evo. Newly built cars will also feature improved hardware and calibrations for the anti-lock braking system (ABS), and an upgraded Bosch display and data-logging unit to increase efficiency and enhance the driver experience. These improvements will also be available as Variant Supply (VF) to retrofit to existing NSX GT3s.
The effects of these updates, the result of constant analysis of information generated from within the global NSX GT3 Customer Racing Program over the last two years of testing and
racing, will be improved performance and reduced running costs, the result of a 25 percent increase in engine life and greater component durability.
The latest evolution of the Acura NSX GT3 retains the nucleus of what makes the NSX one of the most sought-after supercars for the road.
The 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 engines are built alongside their production-vehicle counterparts at the Anna Engine Plant in Ohio, USA, and use the same design specification, including the block, heads, valve train, crankshafts, pistons and dry-sump lubrication system.
Several racing modifications to the car, including a six-speed, sequential-shift racing gearbox, state-of-the-art chassis and aerodynamic package, and the very latest in FIA-standard safety systems, complete the ultimate mid-engined GT3 racer.
As with the current NSX GT3 racer, chassis originate at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, USA. Final assembly is completed by JAS Motorsport in Milan, Italy. As part of the NSX GT3 Customer Racing Program, Mugen and Honda Performance Development (HPD) are responsible for technical and sales support in Japan and North America, respectively, while JAS Motorsport has responsibility for vehicle support in the rest of the world.
The NSX GT3 made its debut in late 2016 and has tackled some of the world's iconic GT races, including the 24 Hours of Daytona and Spa; the 12 Hours of Sebring; Petit Le Mans and the FIA GT World Cup in Macau.
The car is a multiple race winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's GTD division and is one of the main contenders for the Drivers', Teams' and Manufacturers' titles this year.
It is also a winner in the Pirelli World Challenge and a podium finisher in the Blancpain GT Series Asia. Examples have contested ADAC GT Masters in Germany, Super GT in Japan and selected events in the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
Acura NSX GT3 Technical Specifications
Engine:
Type Logitudinal/mid-mounted twin-turbocharged DOHC 75° V6
Bore x stroke 91 x 90 mm
Capacity 3501 cc
Power/torque Per FIA/Series Regulations (BOP)
Construction Light alloy block and head
Pistons Cast aluminum
Valvetrain 24 valve, IN/EX VTC, chain driven camshaft
Fuel injection Direct and port injection
Lubrication Dry sump system
Throttle control Drive-by-Wire throttle system
Wastegate control Electrical
Turbocharger 2 Off – Mono Scroll
Exhaust Twin Pipe with CAT converter
Dimensions:
Wheelbase 2630 mm
Overall length 4612 mm
Overall width 2040 mm
Front track 1715 mm
Rear track 1687 mm
Weight 1240 Kg (prior to BOP adjustments)
Chassis:
Aluminium alloy extruded profiles / cast nodes; steel roof structure
TIG welded roll cage in 25CrMo - bolted to chassis
Transmission:
Gearbox XTRAC semi-automatic 6-speed sequential
Clutch ZF/SACHS high performance sintered or carbon clutch (endurance option)
Clutch operation Electrically assisted
Driveline PANKL double tripod system
Brakes:
BREMBO disks 390x34 front / 355x32 rear
BREMBO 6 piston front calipers /4 piston rear calipers
ABS (VF) BOSCH M5
Suspension:
Front: Double wishbone
Rear: Multilink
Shock absorbers SACHS 5-way adjustable dampers
Sway bar FR/RR with adjustable blade
07-07-2016, 02:21 PM
