This isn’t the first time that Honda has been to Pike’s Peak. Kicking off this weekend, the 92nd running of the famous hill climb will be one of their biggest efforts. That’s likely because they will be a Partnering Sponsor of the 2014 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. And the best bit is the 1st generation NSX they are sending along.
They didn’t post specific specs of the 2014 car in their press release, but its likely damn near identical to the NSX they ran back in 2012. That car was powered by an ALMS P2 twin-turbo V-6 engine supplied by Honda Performance Development (HPD), and outfitted with an ex-Le Mans body and wide-body kit, with support from members of the Ohio-based Honda of America Race Team (HART). Damn, that’s the Honda we used to love.
Image credit: Acuraconnected.com
It’s too bad they couldn’t field a version of the most recent, mostly ready for production, NSX Concept like they did with the NSX Concept-GT (below) which raced in the 2013 Autobacs Super GT series in Japan. The 2012 concept road car, with its F1-inspired V6, Super-Duper Handling AWD, and supercar styling, could mark a return for Honda/Acura into the performance market. A market it completely abandoned when the S2000 went away in 2009. No, Honda, the CR-Z doesn’t count.
Image Credit: bloghonda.com
Honda is also running some motorcycles and ATV/UTV products in Colorado that we don’t care about. The most interesting bit is that they are working with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Pikes Peak sanctioning body on improvements which will provide new levels of safety for non-car driving competitors. With the level of danger to riders at an event like this, the additions of products like AirFence should help save lives, which we’re all for.
Image credit: Acuraconnected.com
So what does this mean for the enthusiast future of Honda and Acura road cars? That remains to be seen. This commitment to grassroots motorsport-type events could engender some good will that translates to sales in the showroom, but personally I am waiting to see a lot more from Honda. This Pike’s Peak NSX is (at least) a decade old. It comes from a time when Honda used to be something great, people wanted to drive Preludes, Integras, (some) Civics, S2000s and the almighty supercar killer NSX. They were light, nimble and had notchy manual transmissions. Unfortunately there isn’t much in their showrooms currently that make a guy like me consider going back. But that could all change if they allow their engineers loose on future models. We want the old Honda back, not the one trying to be like Toyota.
Good luck Honda with your “Race to the Clouds.”
Will is an automotive writer and Editor-in-Chief of Right Foot Down. Based in Maryland, he has had a long history of founding failed automotive sites and spending way too much time on car forums. He has owned “too many Mustangs” according to Josh and has a fetish for RWD V8s. He spent most of his 20s on tracks in the mid-atlantic and killing cones in parking lots and has even taught at a teen performance driving school.
