Official Honda CR-V Hybrid: nickname The Beast, with good reason

A “mobile electrification laboratory”one “Indycar beast in CR-V sheep’s clothing”. So David Salters, president and technical director of Honda Performance Development, defined the CR-V Hybrid Racer from 800 HP, even if the last definition can be debated: you don’t need to look at it very carefully to understand in a moment that you are not faced with a CR-V like the others.

Not bad, because in any case there is no risk of crossing her on the street. The Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer, whose debut was anticipated a few days ago, is a racing car that will debut March 3-5 at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of the NTT Indycar Series of St. Petersburg, Florida. Then the car, a one-of-a-kind specimen, will make several other appearances in the States, since both in Honda Performance Development and in the CR-V Hybrid Racer – the engine is a V6 for Indycar – stars and stripes “blood” flows.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer’s chromoly steel tubular frame is clad in NAAD’s suitably “hybrid” bodywork. From the waistline upthe Hybrid Racer uses the steel bodywork of the sixth generation “road” CR-V, the mass-produced one, so glass windshield, windows and even the sunroof. There bottom half is made of composite carbonwith a large front splitter and flared fenders with louvres.

During development, the project was known by the code name The beast, the look was reminiscent of the silhouettes of the Group B GT racing and rally cars of the 1980s and 1990s. “But the technology – claims Honda – And strictly 21st century”.

• motor: Honda HI23TT, 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6, 800hp overall
• whirlwind: BorgWarner EFR7163
• ECU: McLaren Applied Technologies Tag 400i
• accelerator: drive-by-wire
• fuel: 100% renewable shell
• MGU extension (electric motor generator unit): Empel controlled by the pilot
• accumulator: Skeleton
• exchange: XTRAC 6-speed
• suspensions

  • Front: HPD-developed Acura NSX GT-3 Evo22
  • rear: adapted from the Dallara IR-18 Indycar

• brakes

  • Front: 380mm Brembo from Acura NSX GT-3 Evo22
  • Rear: 355mm Brembo from Dallara IR-18

• tyres: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

  • front sizes: 285/35-20
  • rear sizes: 305/35-20

• you look for 2Elle Engineering:

  • front: 20×10.5
  • rear: 20×11

• chassis: Chromoly tubular.