CR-V Hybrid Racer: Honda's Indycar-engined dev toy

Just when you thought the teaser images were already way up on the crazy scale, Honda's latest project turned out a lot more insane.

Honda Performance Development (HPD), the brand's high-performance racing division in America has revealed more details about their CR-V Hybrid Racer – a development prototype that will serve as the brand's rolling lab for electrification and sustainable fuel development.

As it turns out, the electrified V6 powering the CR-V Hybrid Racer is the same unit that will be used in the 2024 NTT Indycar Series. The 2.2-liter twin-turbo power unit runs on Shell's 100% renewable race fuel and features supercapacitors made by Skeleton and a driver-activated electric motor-generator unit by Empel. Based on the previous teaser, the power unit develops up to 800 horsepower.

Meanwhile, the bodywork has been significantly transformed as well. While it still utilizes the standard production CR-V body from the windshield, windows, and sunroof, the lower half of the body is now made from carbon-composite materials - including its massive front splitter, fender flares, the diffuser, and the large rear wing. A chromoly steel tube chassis keeps it all together while providing extra protection to the driver and the vital vehicle components.

In terms of its suspension, HPD adopted the front double wishbones from the Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 race car to the CR-V Hybrid Racer's chassis, and the rear is taken exactly from the Dallara IR-18 Indycar. The brakes have 380mm rotors from the GT3 race car in front, while the rear has custom-made 355mm rotors, also made by Brembo. Lastly, the CR-V Hybrid Racer rolls on 2Elle Engineering 20-inch two-piece alloy wheels wrapped 285mm front and 305mm rear Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires.

Honda says the CR-V Hybrid Racer will make its public debut at the season-opener of the 2023 NTT Indycar Series in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 3-5. After that, it will make a couple more appearances in select Indycar race weekends.

So far, Honda did not disclose plans of racing the CR-V Hybrid Racer just yet, but it would be awesome to see it run at full tilt, especially with that Indycar engine raring to go. Let's hope it happens.