The Acura Design Studio Created the Exterior Look of the LMDh Car Set to Debut in the New GTP Class in 2023
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Acura became the latest IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship manufacturer to tease its forthcoming LMDh car on Friday, releasing camouflaged images of the prototype in development that will compete in the new Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class debuting in 2023.
The Acura ARX-06 is the latest in the marque’s line of endurance racing prototypes dating to the first in 1991. ARX-06 stands for “Acura Racing eXperimental, generation 6.” Based on the ORECA LMP2 chassis, the ARX-06 will feature Acura-specific bodywork, aerodynamics and the internal combustion power unit that will be paired with a single-source hybrid powertrain common to all competing LMDh manufacturers.
The Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles led the exterior styling of the GTP car, in conjunction with Honda Performance Development (HPD), the racing arm for Acura Motorsports and Honda Racing in North America.
“The process we used in creating the exterior design for the Acura ARX-06 is exactly the same as how we create a new Acura passenger vehicle,” said Dave Marek, Acura executive creative director.
“The same world-class stylists that lead Acura production car design created initial sketches, then pared those down to several potential designs. Next, we created a scale model, did aero and wind tunnel model testing, and brought HPD and our partner teams in for their feedback,” Marek recounted. “The design continued to be refined throughout the testing and evaluation process, until we came up with a final treatment that met our performance goals while maintaining all-important Acura styling cues. It’s been an exciting process.”
LMDh is a hybrid-based platform shared between IMSA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). LMDh engines will generate more than 670 horsepower (500 kilowatts) from the combined output of an internal combustion engine developed individually by each participating manufacturer and a common hybrid powertrain. LMDh regulations were created jointly by IMSA, the ACO and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). Beginning next year the new LMDh platform cars will be eligible to race in the WeatherTech Championship’s GTP class and the FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar class.
Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian and Wayne Taylor Racing – Acura’s two teams competing in the WeatherTech Championship’s Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class – will continue in that role when the GTP class begins in 2023, starting with the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. Other manufacturers developing LMDh cars for 2023 are BMW, Cadillac and Porsche, with Lamborghini set to join in 2024.