It's been a big year for Acura. The first 2017 NSX officially rolled off the production line in May, and although the car made its global debut last year, 2016 was the first time the public actually got behind the wheel. That includes us. We liked it.
2016 will also mark the NSX's North American racing debut, because later this month, two of the hybrid supercars will run the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Cascade, Colorado. The duo will compete in the Time Attack 1 and Time Attack 2 classes and be piloted by James and Nick Robinson, respectively - brothers from Acura's North American engineering team. As if the automaker needed another reason to celebrate, this year is also the 100th anniversary of Pikes Peak.
"Pikes Peak is like no other race in the world and offers a unique opportunity to showcase the power and performance of our products," said Jon Ikeda, General Manager of the Acura Division."We are excited for this year's ‘Race to the Clouds' to test the endurance and engineering of the Acura NSX and our advanced powertrain technologies - as well as an expression of our racing spirit."
As for modifications, the Time Attack 2 NSX is largely stock - it only adds safety equipment required for competition. In the Time Attack 1, however, the competitor boasts a lightened chassis and a high-flow racing exhaust, and we can't wait to hear how it sounds.
In addition to the NSX models, Acura will show off a 4-Motor EV Concept in the Electric Modified Class. The vehicle's powertrain is an evolution of the CR-Z-based electric prototype that ran last year, and it features independent torque allocation to all four wheels. Better yet, the Concept puts out three times more power than last year's entrant and it wears a sleek NSX body.
