Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has unveiled the Prelude GT prototype that will be developed for entry into the 2026 Super GT racing series in Japan, where it will succeed the Civic Type R-GT that was first shown in 2023, itself succeeding the NSX-GT of 2016. The production, road-going Prelude made its debut in September, after the first concept showing in October 2023.
“We believe the current Civic Type R-GT can be further improved for next year. However, within the current regulations where all teams compete at an extremely high level, we see potential to achieve a higher level than the Civic Type R-GT by applying the knowledge gained over these past two years to the development of a Prelude-based Super GT machine,” said HRC Super GT project leader Masahiro Saeki.
“Furthermore, 2026 is the year when aerodynamic development becomes possible under the regulations. Missing this opportunity would mean waiting several more years for the development freeze to be lifted, which is why we decided to change the base vehicle at this time,” Saeki said, reported motorsport.com.
Manufacturers in Super GT typically run a single base model for several seasons, though Honda has elected to phase out the Civic in favour of the Prelude for competitiveness, according to the report.
As with the Civic Type R-GT racer that it will succeed, the Prelude GT shares little with its road-going relation beyond its name and certain styling elements, as FIA Class 1 regulations adopted by Super GT dictate that GT500-class race cars such as this feature a bespoke carbon chassis and rear-wheel-drive.
Like the Civic Type R-GT, the Prelude GT will be powered by a 2.0 litre inline-four-cylinder engine producing in the region of 650 hp.
Honda’s introduction of a new base model for the Super GT comes as the racing series lifts its aero development freeze at the end of this year, before the aero freeze is re-imposed after pre-season testing concludes in March next year, reported Sportscar365.
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