For power, the NSX will use a production twin turbo V6, but the transmission will be a six speed sequential instead of the production car’s nine speed. The same guise could hit the hotter NSX Type R in the years to come but we’re still not convinced the fan base will win this over.
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Getting back to the race auto at hand, the NSX GT3 is now undergoing development, testing, and final homologation to comply with the FIA GT3 global racing specifications.
Acura will be entering the NSX GT3 in North American competition from the start of 2017, with homologation to take place later this year.
Rick Hendrick might have been on to something when he bought the first 2017 Acura NSX for $1.2 million.
The NSX GT3 will utilize the production NSX’s ultra-rigid and lightweight multi-material body with aluminum-intensive space frame, which will be produced by the Performance Manufacturing Center in OH, the exclusive manufacturing home for the new Acura NSX. It also boasts larger hood vents to cool down the biturbo 3.5-liter V6 sourced from the regular model.
The engine is said to be pretty close to the one found to the production auto, being built in the same factory in OH and keeping the road-going NSX’s block, crank, valvetrain, sump and cylinder heads. On the exterior, the NSX GT3 features custom bodywork and aero components with all the bells and whistles.
Initial development of the racer was conducted by the company’s Japan race engineering arm with testing on race circuits in Europe and Japan. “We’ll be working with the NSX engineering teams in OH and Japan to bring our dream of a truly world-class new Acura NSX racecar to fruition”. Both the SCCA’s Pirelli World Challenge and IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship follow the FIA rulebook, so those two series are likely candidates for the NSX’s racing debut, at least in North America.
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The 2017 Acura NSX’s production version will be released this spring, with mass production scheduled in late April at the Performance Manufacturing Center.
