We’ve been hearing whispers of a high performance Type R variant of the new NSX for a while now, but the latest news comes from the UK’s Autocar.

Nick Robinson, Dynamic Development Leader on the NSX, told Autocar that Honda has no official plans for an NSX Type R yet, but it is something they are strongly considering. Weight reduction would be an important step to improving performance, and that might mean ditching the hybrid powertrain for a rear-wheel drive layout:

“At the moment, the NSX has a 500bhp 3.5-litre, twin-turbo V6 engine in its middle, with a 47bhp electric motor attached to the crank and driving the rear wheels, and a pair of electric motors at the front. A Type R could mean the loss of the front electric motors and their batteries, in the first wave of a weight loss regime that, in total, would leave the NSX type R weighing hundreds of kilos less than its 1725kg donor car.” – Matt Prior, Autocar

Also mentioned were two NSX entries at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in June. One is a near-production NSX with a roll cage, the other is a modified rear-wheel drive version stripped of its hybrid powertrain system. The latter sounds like it could be a precursor to an NSX Type R.

The two 2017 NSXs are confirmed and listed on the official 2016 PPIHC competitor list.

Head over to autocar.co.uk for the full article: autocar.co.uk – Honda NSX Type R under consideration.

[Source: Autocar]