I had an idea

"Goshen, formerly Darkcode" (thedarkestofallcodes) 08/23/2013 at 17:38 • Filed to: HONDA, DARKCODE'S IDEAS

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Next year, the Honda HSV010 GT will be retired from racing. And the sad part is that it never quite made it as a road car for starters.
But I've been researching a bit. With the HSV010s being retired from racing, I really don't doubt a few of them won't be for sale. If so, I hope someone in Japan with enough money is reading this.
The HSV010 measures 4675mm from front end to rear end. That's nearly as big as a Jaguar XK, for comparison. Its rear end would possibly fit rear seats better than the XK, as seen by the picture:

It doesn't look much smaller than the JZA80 Supra, for example. And that had rear seats, remember. So what am I proposing? The return of the old Japanese GTs of the 90s, of course!
First step is logical. The HSV010 is essentially the cancelled FR Honda NSX, in racing trim. The cars will need to be radically rebuilt so that all the racing componentry leaves (including its V8 engine, I'm afraid) and will possibly resemble the beast from the header.
I mentioned that the V8 engine has to leave. Yeah, the second step is the drivetrain. Sorry, but I don't think it'd be possible to legalize that überstressed 3.4 for the road. This is the part I'm having the most trouble with, and my suggestion would be swapping in the 4WD drivetrain and J37 engine from the Acura TL. (Honda, why haven't you ever made a street-going V8? Or RWD platform for the matter?). It'd be transverse engined, and 305 HP would probably be meagre for the expected weight (circa 1500 kg), but oh well, a turbocharger could be fit for extra punch.
The interior would have to be custom made, although that's not as hard as it's expensive. Expect Honda/Acura switchgear everywhere.
Finally, while sorting out all the details, there's one thing from the race car that the road car should keep.

The single rear exhaust. It just has such a presence.
So this is it, Oppo. Feel free to tell me how I'm a delusional idiot who wants to fit a transverse engine on the road version of a race car, or an even more delusional idiot who wants to buy a bunch of race cars, convert them for road use via extremely complex and expensive means, and expect people to care.

Eric Siedlecki > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/23/2013 at 17:41

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As much as this idea is fucking awesome, it just seems to me that for all the work you propose, you may be better off just starting from scratch, and keeping the race car a race car.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Eric Siedlecki 08/23/2013 at 17:44

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If Honda has a leftover chassis or two, that could be a better alternative.

Fred Smith > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/23/2013 at 19:44

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It's a race car, not a road car. You can't just de-racify it, the entire car is a body built around a tub.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Fred Smith 08/24/2013 at 06:05

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So? It'd be a road car based off a tubular chassis. Many road cars are built like that.

Fred Smith > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/24/2013 at 13:13

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Two things:

1. Where have you seen a tube framed road car in the last 30 years?

2. No, it'd be a road car based on a carbon tub, like an open wheeler. You can't modify a tub. If you crack it, the entire chassis is compromised.