Skip advert
Advertisement

Honda develops electric NSX for 2016 Pikes Peak event

With three times the power of last year's Honda entry, the NSX is one to watch at 2016's event

We’ll admit to some Honda NSX ennui in the evo office. That’s not something we’d have thought possible a decade ago, when the rarely-seen V6 sports car had only been out of production for a year and still satiated some of our Gran Turismo fantasies.

But it almost feels like we’ve been beaten over the head with the latest car, such was the frequency with which Honda displayed it at motor shows before we got to drive it. So should we really care that Honda will race yet another version at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb?

Advertisement - Article continues below

Perhaps we should. For one, it swaps the production NSX road car’s V6 hybrid powertrain for an all-electric one.

Not normally a cause for celebration, but altitude-proof electric cars – combustion ones lose power as the air thins up the 14,115ft mountain, EVs don't – are now a key player at Pikes Peak, and in 2015 an electric vehicle won in every single class, including outright.

It’s also a belligerent-looking thing, like a broadly production-looking NSX has grown aerodynamic appendages like Wolverine grows claws.

It has provenance too, using a variation on Honda’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) drivetrain that win last year’s Exhibition class at Pikes Peak (which used a CR-Z-like shell).

The drivetrain has all-wheel drive torque vectoring – apparently, even more precise this year thanks to some re-tuning – and like most electric vehicles, regenerates power under braking.

No power figures have been revealed, but last year the setup was enough to set a time of 10:23.829 in the hands of driver Tetsuya Yamano, and Honda does reveal that this year’s car develops – are you sitting down? – three times the total system output of last year’s car. For comparison, a modified, 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S set a 10:26 in last year’s event, so the NSX will deliver quite a serious punch.

The 2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb takes peak on Pikes Peak in Colorado on June 26.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

McLaren adds ex-Ferrari boss to its team following reshuffle
McLaren Artura Spider
News

McLaren adds ex-Ferrari boss to its team following reshuffle

Former Ferrari Chairman Luca Montezemolo joins McLaren to spearhead growth under new owners
30 Jun 2025
Lamborghini Fenomeno – new hypercar will be revealed at Monterey Car Week
Lamborghini Fenomeno
News

Lamborghini Fenomeno – new hypercar will be revealed at Monterey Car Week

A new limited-run hypercar is on the agenda at Lamborghini and it goes by the name Fenomeno
27 Jun 2025
Kia EV6 GT 2025 review – Hyundai Ioniq 5 N parts make for a genuinely fun EV
Kia EV6 GT
Reviews

Kia EV6 GT 2025 review – Hyundai Ioniq 5 N parts make for a genuinely fun EV

Kia’s EV6 GT has gained some Ioniq 5 N-esque toys and the results are compelling
19 Jun 2025
Corvette ZR1X is more powerful and faster than the Ferrari F80
Corvette ZR1X – front
News

Corvette ZR1X is more powerful and faster than the Ferrari F80

Corvette’s long-awaited halo model has arrived – ‘ZR1X’ might not be as evocative as ‘Zora’ but it’s every bit as powerful as the rumours suggested
18 Jun 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Honda Civic Type R for £5k off – save 10 per cent on the ultimate hot hatch
Honda Civic Type R deal
News

Honda Civic Type R for £5k off – save 10 per cent on the ultimate hot hatch

The Civic Type R is not long for this world and there are deals to be had on Honda’s pricey but near-perfect hot hatch
26 Jun 2025
Frontline MGA Factory Edition review – a quaint classic with a modern heart
Frontline MGA Factory Edition
Reviews

Frontline MGA Factory Edition review – a quaint classic with a modern heart

The MGB restomod specialist turns its attention to the B’s pretty predecessor. The result is compelling
26 Jun 2025
Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?
Lotus factory
Opinion

Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?

Lotus’s latest troubles are grabbing headlines, but the writing’s been on the wall for some time.
28 Jun 2025