Lambo Blogging: Acura ARX-05 Prototype Race Car to Debut During Monterey Car Week

Acura has announced that next season it will take on Cadillac’s DPi-V.R and Mazda’s Joest Racing programs with its own ARX-05 Daytona Prototype International race car.

The upcoming race car is slated to debut at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, during Monterey Car Week. While the upcoming ARX-05 will bow at The Quail first, it will also show up on the concept lawn at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

“Precision crafted performance, for Acura, is at the heart of everything we do. If you’re a performance brand, you have to go racing,” said Jon Ikeda, Acura vice president and general manager, in a release.

And based on what we’ve been able to glean from some of the details in the video below, Acura is aiming to not just take on Cadillac, but dominate the class.

According to Acura’s president of Honda Performance Development (HPD) and Acura Motorsports, the V-6 engine used in the new ARX-05 is based on the production 3.5-liter V-6 engine in the NSX, TLX, and MDX. Power, aspiration, or whether or not the ARX-05 will use a hybrid drivetrain, have yet to be revealed.

For those looking for greater meaning in the race car’s name, according to the brand, the ARX stands for “Acura Racing eXperimental.” The “05” designation relays that the ARX is the fifth generation of Acura’s prototype racing platform that began more than 25 years ago.

Acura says the ARX-05 is destined for a multi-year program overseen by HPD, the company’s racing arm for both Acura Motorsports and Honda Racing in North America. Long-time Honda racing partner Team Penske will campaign two ARX-05 prototypes this season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The Acura ARX-05 will make its competition debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona next January where it will face the ultimate test.

Source: Acura