By Mudit Dube

Copyright newsbytesapp

Honda has officially unveiled a racing version of its recently revived Prelude, the Prelude-GT. The new model will compete in the top-tier GT500 class of Japan’s Super GT series from next year. While it may look like the road-going version, there’s a lot more to this beast under the hood. Like all modern GT500 cars, the Prelude-GT is built on a carbon fiber monocoque. Its bodywork is made of sports carbon and looks similar to its road car counterpart. However, unlike the 200hp production model, the Prelude-GT packs a punch with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces around 650hp. The power is sent to rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transmission. The Prelude-GT will go head-to-head against the likes of Toyota GR Supra GT500 and Nissan Z Nismo GT500. The new model replaces Honda’s previous Super GT machine, the Civic Type R-GT. The latter had a four-door body that wasn’t ideal for a competitive race car. Despite its efforts, the Civic Type R-GT only managed one win in two years of competition. Honda Racing’s Masahiro Saeki expressed confidence in the new model, saying they see potential to achieve a higher level than the Civic Type R-GT by applying the knowledge gained over these past two years. He was optimistic about developing a Prelude-based Super GT machine. Next year, Super GT will also lift aerodynamic restrictions, making competition even fiercer.