An IMSA-spec race car listed for sale is a rare sight, more so if it's being auctioned off in the same year it brought home victories. And yet, here we are, discussing an Acura race car that failed to meet its reserve price at Bring a Trailer.
We're talking about chassis no. 7 Acura ARX-05 DPi – an IMSA-spec Daytona Prototype international race car assembled by Wayne Taylor Racing in December 2021. Its first race was at this year's Rolex 24 at Daytona and was campaigned in 10 races during the 2022 season.
Gallery: Acura ARX-05 DPi Race Car Auction
Finished in a black, silver, and blue #10 Konica Minolta livery over an ORECA-built carbon-fiber monocoque, this race car had a successful motorsports career. It's powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter AR35TT V6 paired with a paddle-shifted Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox, producing 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts). That, plus plenty more equipment specifically used for motorsports.
This chassis no. 7 Acura ARX-05 DPi set pole positions at Daytona, Laguna Seca, and Road America, while victories were put under its belt at Laguna Seca, Mid Ohio, Watkins Glen, and Road America. The electrified Acura ARX-06 has a huge pair of boots to fill, we reckon.
That said, this ARX-05 DPi race car had a short but illustrious career, so seeing it being sold this soon by Honda Performance Development piques our interest. And then there's the discussion of price.
The Bring a Trailer auction has already ended at the time of this writing. The highest bid was $563,000 but unsurprisingly, it did not meet the reserve amount for the race car. However, Honda Performance Development commented on the thread, saying that it's already "in discussions with the highest bidder to determine if a deal can be reached for this fantastic car."