Acura Test Mule Becomes Trailer For NSX Type S
One Lap of America is among the most difficult endurance challenges a racer can put their car through here in the United States. Acura has just announced that it will run the grueling 3200-mile event this year in a nearly-stock NSX Type S, helmed by the all-volunteer crew at the Honda of America Racing Team. There’s not a ton of room for spares in a mid-engined supercar, however, leaving the team to devise one of the coolest little trailers we’ve ever seen.
As per the One Lap of America rulebook, teams must personally carry all of the tools and spare parts that they might need over the eight consecutive days of road tripping and racing that make up the event. Because no support crews are allowed, many teams opt to build trailers that can accommodate these components. Most folks start out with a regular trailer of some kind, but Acura took things a step in the artsy direction. That’s because their trailer was constructed from the remains of yet another NSX. More specifically, the frontless sports car started life as one of the brand’s early development vehicles destined for the crusher. Instead, Honda’s North American Auto Development Center chopped the car in half and began fabricating a trailer for the event. Wide barn doors make loading tires and fluids a simple task, while a back-up camera feed is fed directly into the Type S’ infotainment system. Like the Type S, the trailer has been outfitted with lightweight HRE wheels and Falken tires. A set of H&R springs replace the crusher car’s factory units.
Outside of the wheels and tires, Acura has left the NSX Type S basically stock. Not that that’s a bad thing, as the hybridized 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 powertrain produces a healthy 600 hp and 492 lb-ft from the factory. Combined with the car’s slick all-wheel drive system, the Type S is no slouch on track. The team did install a rear crash bar for safety, which also happens to hold the tow hitch for the custom trailer. The car will also be running Red Line Synthetic Oils, as will a TLX Type S slated to join the NSX-and-a-half.
One Lap of America begins tomorrow, and runs until the 13th. The journey will take racers across 15 different states, before they all end up at Tire Rack headquarters in South Bend, Indiana. Acura’s efforts will support Victory Center, an organization out of Ohio that provides aid to cancer patients and their families. The Acura NSX was built in Ohio for its entire production run, with the production facility now gearing up to build plug-in hydrogen CR-Vs.
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