Honda HSV-010 GT

From 1997 until 2009 the Honda NSX was a front runner in the JGTC and later Super GT series, winning 37 races out of 106 and 50 pole positions, but a rule change for the GT500 category for the 2010 season outlawed the car as only front engined, rear wheel drive cars will be allowed to compete. The NSX is no longer in production, so in a special ruling, Honda were allowed to race with the NSX's still born sucessor, - the HSV-010 GT, even though it has yet to make it to production

HSV stands for Honda Sports Velocity and test versions had been spotted on the Nurburgring and elsewhere, before the project was cancelled (for now at least). So onto the racing version..

There is a saying in motorsport that if a car looks right at first glance, then it generally turns out OK. That is the case I think with the HSV-010, combining a carbon-fibre shell with a sleek functional and aggressive design.

A purpose built racer, with very little ground clearance. Underneath the carbon lurks a spaceframed front/rear end

But unlike other GT series, carbon brakes are not permitted so fairly substantial steel discs are in place

Plenty of ducting to help cool both the engine and the brakes

and more carbon

The heart of the beast,the Honda HR10EG a 3.4 litre,32V normally aspirated V8, this is a similar engine to those found in both Formula Nippon and Acura LMP2 cars

So how does it compare to the NSX? Taller with a longer wheelbase, but with the same overhangs. Handling will probably be similar though with the engine mounted low and all of the racecar chassis work making this a pure racecar rather than a roadcar converted to racer

Aguri Suzuki, owner of the ARTA team during the press launch of the car, where most of the photos Ive used on this post came from, indroducing his drivers for the HSV-010 GT in 2010,Takuya Izawa and Irish driver, Ralph Firman

And some fantasy liveries that the car may be seen in during 2010, all based on the NSX liveries on the first photo in this post.

And finally a testing video of the car, probably where most people became aware of this new car


5 weeks to go until its racing debut, should be good and hopefully competitive