Honda: NSX racer will help shape future road versions

Honda recently revealed the first official images of the rather delectable new NSX GT3 racer. It was clad in carbon fibre and featured a monstrous rear wing and looked good. Very good.

Now, it turns out this hardcore racer will influence future versions of the road-going supercar, according to the gentleman who raced an NSX at Pikes Peak and claimed a class win.

Nick Robinson, dynamic project leader for the new NSX programme, said: "Motorsport runs through Honda’s veins. From the very start of the development, members of the engineering team were encouraged to venture into the world of motorsport to learn about the latest approaches to various areas, and then return to the vehicle development group to share their learning and see what could be applied."

So following the North American unveil of that GT3 racer, Robinson confirmed that some of the street car's development team had a hand in the setup, and that "what works well on the track will inform future iterations and updates of the street car and vice versa.”

This is good news. It also adds more fire to the possibility of an NSX-R (as TG.com explained earlier); a car that, like the GT3 racer, could potentially ditch the four-wheel-drive hybrid setup, and stick with the 3.5-litre V6 and rear-wheel-drive. This would also cut a considerable amount of weight from the current car's 1,725kg figure. What you'd end up with is something pretty hardcore indeed, then.

Of course, nothing has been confirmed yet, nor signed off. And the next NSX we see will most likely take the form of a Spider. Not a bad thing, you'll agree...

Want more on the Honda NSX? Read Top Gear's full drive here.