The economy has grounded motorsports investment and R & D in favor of focusing on bread-and-butter products, but Nissan and Lexus have both demonstrated that not only can they build cars that can compete with the likes of Ferraris and other high-performance sports cars, but they can also produce these vehicles in order to help draw attention to their entire lineup.
Unfortunately, Honda’s hope for a supercar was scuttled due to financial constraints. Although Acura Dealer CT said its successor to the Acura NSX was reportedly far along in the development process, management decided to pull the plug, even as the automaker cut back on much of its motorsports activity as well.
Although this turn of events has no doubt disappointed Honda enthusiasts, there still is some good news. The chassis that was already developed for the NSX successor will be used by Honda’s motorsports division for the SuperGT touring car series.
Dubbed the HSV-10 GT, this new race car features a 3.4-liter V8 engine that produces 500 horsepower. The same sequential manual gearbox used by race cars from Nissan and Toyota is utilized to harness the power.
Honda enthusiasts aren’t the only ones eager to see the HSV-10 GT on the road or a rebirth of the NSX. Washington DC Honda dealers are also eager to see more performance models return to Honda’s lineup, especially since the more recent demise of the aging S2000. While it’s no supercar, the upcoming CR-Z is certainly welcomed to fill that role – at least in the short term. But Bridgeton Honda is confident that the CR-Z will help maintain Honda’s performance credentials.
The 2010 SuperGT series will begin on March 20, so stayed tuned to see this new car in action. in the meantime, check out additional photos and video below.
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