The forthcoming Acura NSX blasted up the mountain as the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb official pace car, but before that, Emme Hall caught up with driver and American Honda Motor Company senior manager of public relations, Sage Marie, to learn more about the new hybrid supercar.
The Pikes Peak NSX is actually a development prototype and is not exactly what will end up coming off of the production line. The specifications of the production version aren’t finalized yet, but the NSX will come with a mid-mounted, 75-degree, twin-turbocharged V-6 mated to a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and three electric motors – two in the front and one in the back – to give the NSX all-wheel drive capability.
Marie, who has previous Pikes Peak experience, said that the car is ideally suited for an event like the hill climb, as the two electric motors in front give all-wheel-drive traction and the ability to vary power between the front wheels for improved handling.
Marie also said that the Pikes Peak effort was put on by associates, meaning employees of the company that have racing experience and participate in their spare time.
The Acura NSX has been in development for a long time, and Marie said it was because the car was essentially finished with a single naturally-aspirated V-6, but the development team went to management and said that the car could be better. So the completed powertrain was scrapped in favor of the new hybrid powertrain.
For those who saw the video of Alex Lloyd in his Honda Fit race car, he was going to attempt the hill climb in pure CVT mode to see if it was faster. To find out if it was, watch the video below!
Check out the full video below of the Acura NSX at fan night at the Pikes Peak hill climb:
