The Honda Prelude has just arrived and is already hitting the tracks! Meet the racing version with 650 hp that will replace the Civic Type R-GT in Super GT.
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Just as the world got used to the idea of the Honda Prelude’s return, the Japanese brand has raised the stakes to a stratospheric level. Honda has just unveiled the Prelude-GT, a race machine developed to compete in the fierce GT500 category of the Japanese Super GT starting next year. Although its looks resemble the new coupe, underneath the bodywork it is a completely different beast from the production model with its modest 200 hp.
What Makes the Prelude-GT a Track Beast?
Forget the street car platform. The Prelude-GT is built on a carbon fiber monocoque, following the strict regulations of the GT500 category. The heart of this machine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine capable of producing an impressive 650 horsepower, a demonstration of how manufacturers manage to extract insane numbers from compact engines. All this power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transmission, a purely competition setup.
A Strategic Shift to Win
The Prelude-GT is no walk in the park. It will face heavyweight rivals like the Toyota GR Supra GT500 and the Nissan Z Nismo GT500, which recently got a manual transmission version for the streets. Honda is replacing its previous car, the Civic Type R-GT, which despite its iconic base, underperformed with only one win in two years of competition. The decision to retire the Civic, a machine that in its street version is already a performance icon, shows Honda’s urgency to get back on top. With Toyota dominating the category with the GR Supra, a car that already inspires insane projects with a V8 engine, Honda couldn’t fall behind and bets on the Prelude coupe shape to gain the aerodynamic advantage it was missing.
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Author: Fabio Isidoro
Founder and editor-in-chief of Canal Carro, he dedicates himself to exploring the automotive universe with depth and passion. A car and technology enthusiast, he produces technical content and in-depth analyses of national and international vehicles, combining quality information with a critical eye for the public.
