Acura reveals striking ARX-05 prototype race car in the U.S.A

Acura unveiled the new Acura Racing eXperimental, generation 5 (ARX-05) prototype race car at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in the U.S.A. Acura Motorsports will join forces with the legendary Team Penske organisation to field a pair of the new Daytona Prototype International (DPi) entries in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The Acura ARX-05 is the latest in a line of endurance prototypes to be fielded by the brand dating to 1991, just five years after the 1986 launch of the Acura marque. Based on the very successful Oreca 07 chassis, the new ARX-05 prototype showcases Acura-specific bodywork and design features, including Acura's signature Jewel Eye head lights, and utilises the race-proven AR35TT twin-turbocharged engine, based on the production 3.5-litre V6 that powers the Acura MDX, RDX, TLX and RLX models.

The multi-year DPi programme will be administered by Honda Performance Development, the racing arm for both Acura Motorsports and Honda Racing in the U.S.A. The competition debut of the Team Penske Acura prototypes will take place at the season opening Rolex 24 in January 2018. One of the team's two ARX-05 entries will be piloted by the legendary Juan Pablo Montoya, along with sports car champion Dane Cameron. The second driver pairing will be announced at a later date.