It’s not often you see an Acura NSX towing anything, much less the back half of another NSX. But that’s exactly what the automaker plans to do this month for the 2023 One Lap of America.
Acura has proudly declared that it will enter “one-and-a-half” NSXs in the 2023 running of the famous road rally. The eight-day, 3,200-mile (5,150 km) event runs from May 6-13 across 15 states, and includes timed laps at some of the best racetracks in America.
It is for that reason in particular that Acura decided to give the NSX a trailer. It will be used to haul tires, fluids, and tools to each track event in the competition, in order to help the NSX post the best lap times possible.
Read: Two Acura Engineers Will Compete In 2022 One Lap Of America In TLX Type S
The car will be driven by Justyn Bobinksi and Chad Gilsinger, two vehicle dynamics and brake system engineers at Honda’s North American Auto Development Center in Ohio. Apart from a wrap, lightweight HRE wheels, and, of course, the hitch, it is more or less a stock NSX and will be competing in the Sports and Grand Touring, Small Bore, Stock GT class over $50,000.
Meanwhile, the one-of-a-kind NSX trailer was built by the Auto Development Center fabrication team. They started with an NSX test mule that was bound for destruction, cut it in half, and installed custom barn doors to help make its contents easier to access.
It has H&R springs, lightweight HRE wheels, Falken high-performance tires (just like the car towing it), and a reverse camera to help the drivers park it more easily.
“When we saw the opportunity to build a trailer out of an Acura NSX supercar we thought, ‘Why not?’” said Justyn Bobinski. “There was no hesitation from the passionate associates at the Performance Manufacturing Center, [Auto Development Center] fabrication or the rest of our Honda of America Racing Team (HART) in supporting this unconventional idea.”
In addition to the one-and-a-half NSXs Acura is entering into the rally, a TLX Type S will also compete in the event. It will borrow the lightweight, bronze HRE wheels from the TLX Type S that competed at Pikes Peak, and the wrap from the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach pace car. It also has a carbon fiber diffuser and rear spoiler. The TLX will be driven by Dan Klein, a product verification test engineer, and Nick Amato, a vehicle dynamics, durability, and brake engineer.
