The all-new Acura NSX supercar is yet to be launched, or even previewed in full production trim. But already it has secured a pace car gig at the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, an event Acura is fairly familiar with. The NSX will lead the field of 140 hill climbers to the top of the Colorado mountain.
That is a distance of 14,110-foot from ground level through some properly demanding roads. These days the Pike Peak course is all tarmac, but back in the day the contestants had to negotiate some of the world’s deadliest mountain passes on gravel. That is why the idea of having a pace car now sounds a bit cowardly.
But if any car is fit for this task, it is definitely the Acura NSX. The twin-turbocharged supercar features a V6 engine mated to a 9-speed dual clutch transmission and three motor Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system. It is equipped to climb the Everest. The 12.4-mile, 156-turn Pikes Peak course is a walk in the park for this bad boy.
Realizing that they might not have much to do in terms of “pacing” the event, Acura has come up with this idea to install 24 cameras along the course to capture a 360 degree image of the supercar while they are waiting up there.
“The Acura NSX is the ultimate performance vehicle and a novel way to promote its capabilities is the iconic race up Pikes Peak,” said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president and general manager of the Acura Division. “As the pace car, the beast that is NSX will not be fully let of its cage, but fans and drivers will still get a first glimpse of the unique character, performance and handling of the NSX in a one-of-a-kind racing environment.”