Acura ARX-05 Prototype Race Car Hits Pebble Beach
Will make racing debut next year in the Rolex 24
Acura took the covers off the ARX-05 prototype race car today at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, during Monterey Car Week. Next year, Acura and Team Penske will offer up two of these vehicles to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
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The race car features a 3.5-liter V-6 engine based on the unit that powers the Acura TLX, RLX, MDX, and RDX. It's unclear exactly how much power it will make, but this IMSA car should be targeting around 600 ponies. This AR35TT engine has powered class winners at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2011-2013 as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and LMP2 World Endurance Championship in 2012. It also helped nab overall wins at the Rolex 24, 12 Hours of Sebring, and Petit Le Mans in 2016.
The Acura ARX-05 prototype will make its competition debut at the Rolex 24 in January 2018. One of the prototypes will feature Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron behind the wheel, while the pairing for the second car has yet to be announced. The multi-year racing program will be administered by Honda Performance Development.
"We've won with the Acura Integra Type R, the RSX, the first-generation NSX and with the Le Mans prototypes," said Honda Performance Development boss Art St. Cyr, in a statement. "Most recently, we've won with the new Acura NSX GT3. The ARX-05 is our fifth-generation prototype, and we expect great things from our partnership with Team Penske."
The prototype will remain on display for the rest of the weekend, first at the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion on August 19 and then at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance the following day. Also be on the lookout for the 2018 Acura RLX debuting during Monterey Car Week.
Source: Acura
When I tell people I write about cars, the most common reply I receive is “Really?” I guess I never strike people as a car type as I drive down the freeway in the right lane going 60 mph in my old SUV. My gripes about driving in city traffic and fast drivers don’t help my case, either. For a time, the only cars I liked were old cars. Not old as in "classic" or "vintage," but as in well-worn. My first appreciation of cars came when I drove a very old Ford pickup. It wasn't perfect: I used a booster seat to reach the gas pedal, and the turn signal once fell off in my hand as I was learning to drive. But the thing I valued most was the memories. It took several years for me to truly become a "car person." Being a long-time writer and an avid reader has helped me develop a healthy curiosity and a desire to know how things work. This has made cars one of the most fascinating points of study for me because they are such intricate machines. I am interested in how cars can reach 200 mph, how they can run on hydrogen, and how they can drive and park on their own. I also enjoy learning how cars can solve problems whether it be in the form of reducing pollution, minimizing traffic, or helping people stay connected on the road. Yes, maybe I’m not a gearhead. Perhaps I’m a car nerd. Either way, I very much enjoy writing about cars and helping people stay in tune with the automotive industry. I wouldn't want to be writing about anything else. And don’t get me wrong: I know how to drool over a hot car. I am fascinated by the Tesla Model S, awed by the Lamborghini Veneno, and am hopelessly obsessed with the Audi R8.
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