Next week, Honda will reveal a new race car. It’s based on the CR-V, but from what we have seen, it doesn’t share much with the product you can buy at your local dealership. The racer will feature a hybrid powertrain making 800 horsepower (596 kilowatts), and it’s fully kitted out for the race track. Honda has already teased the car ahead of its February 28 debut, and the latest video provides a better listen to the mysterious powertrain.
The previous teaser video only offered the ears a small sampling of the exhaust note, which sounded like a V6. The latest video delivers much more than a nibble, with the full-throated exhaust note of the CR-V ounding a lot like a Formula 1 car. Its high-revving nature and high-pitched note sound strange coming out of something so family-friendly.
Gallery: Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer Project
Details about the CR-V’s hybrid powertrain remain a mystery, and we’re not expecting Honda to release anything about it until the official reveal next week. The company has offered up little about the car. We know designers from American Honda’s North American Auto Design Division worked with engineers from Honda Performance Development and Auto Development Center in crafting the project vehicle. We know it’ll make 800 hp, and we’re excited to learn how the company makes all that power in the crossover.
Images released alongside the first teaser video offered a better look at the racer. The photos revealed a crossover crafted from a copious amount of carbon fiber. The hybrid racer features butterfly doors, a rear clamshell body, a widebody kit, an F1-like steering wheel, and a roll cage. The photos show the CR-V’s body peppered with vents, scoops, and NACA ducts, and the massive rear wing is hard to miss even as the crossover flies by the camera in a blur in the teaser video.
We’ll get all the details soon enough. Honda will reveal its CR-V hybrid race car on February 28, and we should also learn about its purpose. We hope we’ll see it on the race track at some point. Check back next week to learn all about the company’s 800-hp crossover.
