Well, it’s official. The first race the new, fifth-generation Acura Integra will ever compete in is the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. There, the new sedan will be joined by a TLX Type S, and an experimental NSX developed by a new skunkworks division of Honda.
Acura NSX Type S Active Aero Study
The most eye-catching model here is undoubtedly a special NSX Type S built for maximum aero performance. The racecar was built by “Crazy New”, a skunkworks team established by the Honda of America Racing Team (HART) to serve as a creative playground for its engineers.
The team was previously behind the IndyCar with the skin of a CR-V, affectionally named the “Beast.” For the NSX project, the team spent countless hours inside the Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO) facility, which it claims has the most advanced wind tunnel on earth.
Read: Acura Slices NSX Test Mule In Half To Birth Epic NSX Type S Trailer
The resulting design looks aerodynamically impressive (as Pikes Peak racecars so often do), and has been created to put active aerodynamics to the test. The relatively small decklid spoiler can be rotated to reduce drag in high-speed sections and to function as an air brake in the corners.
In addition, it will have carbon fiber bodywork, that integrates an enormous front splitter and a massive rear diffusor, which will help generate downforce.
Like the CR-V, Crazy New has given the NSX Type S a nickname. It will be called Yamakibo, named after a mythological mountain god or spirit from Japanese folklore. It will be driven by James Robinson, a Pikes Peak veteran who holds the current Hybrid fuel class record (10:01.913) from 2020 at the wheel of another NSX.
HPD Integra Type S
Honda Performance Development (HPD) will be fielding one example of the Integra Type S in the “Exhibition” division, and it will get a custom hood, a front splitter, a swan-neck carbon fiber rear wing, Borla exhaust, 19-inch Titan 7 wheels, and Yokohama Advan A005 tires.
It will be covered in a special wrap that is inspired by the second season of Acura‘s own anime series, “Type S: Chiaki’s Journey.” The largely red livery has a white Type S motif running along the side, along with black lines suggesting the pen strokes of an animator.
The car will be driven by Loni Unser. If the racer’s name is familiar to you, that may be because she raced to a second-place finish in her class last year at her first Pikes Peak attempt. It may also be because the members of her family have a combined nine wins at the Indy 500, and first competed at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in 1926.
HART Integra 1.5T
The second Integra competing at this year’s hill climb is being run by HART. It will also compete in the “Exhibition” division and gets Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs, an HPD TCA suspension kit, and a Cusco Racing limited-slip differential.
The model will also benefit from lightweight 18-inch HRE forged wheels that are wrapped in Yokohama Advan A005 tires, as well as HPD billet engine mounts, a Borla exhaust, aero undercover, and an OMP racing seat and safety harness. It will be driven by Acura engineer Paul Hubers.
From the factory, the Integra equipped with the 1.5-liter engine makes 200 hp (149 kW / 203 PS) and 192 lb-ft (260 Nm) of torque. On the other hand, the 2.0-liter-equipped Type S makes 320 hp (239 kW / 324 PS) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque.
HART TLX Type S
Finally, fellow Acura engineer and Pikes Peak veteran Jordan Guitar will take a specially modified TLX Type S up the mountain. It will be equipped with a larger turbocharger, better engine cooling, and a retuned engine, though the automaker has not revealed how much power it will make.
In addition, Guitar will benefit from a one-inch lower suspension, race-compound brake pads, lightweight 19-inch HRE forged wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan A005 tires, a carbon fiber hood, and a composite front splitter, a rear wing, and dive planes. In all, the race-prepped TLX will weigh 600 lbs (272 kg) less thanks to a crash diet.
Pikes Peak 2023
All four cars will compete in the 101st edition of America’s longest-running motorsports event, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. In addition, IndyCar driver David Malukas will drive a 2023 TLX Type S PMC Edition, which will act as the legendary event’s Official Pace Car. The event will take place on Sunday, June 25.