Honda Racing Corporation is opening part of its racing history to private collectors with the new Honda Heritage Racing Program. The program will allow selected customers to purchase genuine Honda and Acura race cars and have them restored by HRC specialists in California.
These are not replicas built to resemble famous competition cars. Honda says the program covers actual race cars that competed in major events, including Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona.
The first cars selected for the program include an Acura AGR ARX-01 that won the LMP2 class at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring, an NSX GT3 with 38 class victories across IMSA and SRO competition, and a 2001 Reynard 01i that was raced by the late Gil de Ferran for Team Penske.
Honda will control which cars become available through the program. Customers cannot simply choose any vehicle from HRC’s historic collection.
Honda Will Sell Actual Competition Cars
The Honda Heritage Racing Program is built around genuine racing machinery that already has a competition history.
That distinction is important. Honda is not taking modern road cars and converting them into replicas of its famous race cars. The vehicles offered through the program are cars that were built and raced for competition.
The first selection includes machines connected to some of the most important periods in Honda and Acura’s motorsport history.
The Acura AGR ARX-01 is particularly significant. It won the LMP2 class at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring, with Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan sharing driving duties.
That gives the car a documented racing history that cannot be recreated with a replica.
Honda has also selected an NSX GT3 that recorded 38 class wins across IMSA and SRO competition. Another car available through the program is a 2001 Reynard 01i raced by Gil de Ferran for Team Penske.
Each car brings a different part of Honda’s racing history to the program.
HRC Will Handle the Restoration
Buying one of the cars is only the first part of the process.
The Honda Heritage Racing Program keeps the restoration work with Honda Racing Corporation professionals in California. HRC will handle the mechanical and cosmetic work required to return the cars to running condition.
The restoration work can include rebuilding engines and replacing body panels. Honda’s stated goal is to return the cars to the way they performed when they originally left the factory while giving the new owner a properly restored competition machine.
That approach also allows HRC to preserve the original character of the cars.
A historic race car is not simply a collectible body sitting in a garage. These vehicles were designed to be driven hard, and Honda wants the restored examples to return to the track.
Honda Wants the Cars Back in Historic Racing
The Honda Heritage Racing Program is not designed around static museum pieces.
HRC president David Salters said the company’s objective is to keep its historic Honda and Acura race cars doing what they were built to do: race.
HRC has the original engineering knowledge and intellectual property associated with these cars. That gives the company an advantage when restoring vehicles that may have spent years outside active competition.
The restoration process is intended to preserve the cars’ authenticity and prepare them for historic racing competition.
That is particularly important with older race cars because modifications made by different owners over the years can change the way a car performs or looks. Having HRC specialists handle the restoration gives buyers access to people with direct knowledge of the machinery.
The Acura ARX-01 Is the First Major Example
The first car highlighted by Honda is an Acura AGR ARX-01.
The prototype won the LMP2 class at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the major endurance races in North America.
Its driver lineup adds another layer to its history. Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan shared the car during that successful race.
The ARX-01 therefore offers more than the appearance of a period endurance racer. Its competition record and driver history are part of the car itself.
A buyer who acquires it through the Honda Heritage Racing Program would own an actual piece of Acura’s early prototype racing effort.
An NSX GT3 With 38 Class Wins Is Also Available
Honda’s first group also includes an NSX GT3 with 38 class victories across IMSA and SRO competition.
The NSX has a long connection with motorsport, and the GT3 version extended that history into modern customer racing.
The car was developed for GT3 competition, where manufacturers and teams race production-based sports cars under a common set of regulations.
Its 38 class wins give this particular NSX GT3 a substantial competition record.
Honda has not indicated that every historic NSX GT3 in its collection will become available through the program. The company controls which individual cars are offered.
The 2001 Reynard 01i Connects the Program to Team Penske
The third car highlighted by Honda is a 2001 Reynard 01i raced by Gil de Ferran for Team Penske.
De Ferran was one of the leading drivers associated with Team Penske during that period, making the car another significant piece of the collection.
Unlike the Acura ARX-01 and NSX GT3, the Reynard represents an earlier chapter of Honda’s involvement in American open-wheel racing.
Putting these cars together shows the breadth of the Honda Heritage Racing Program. The selection is not limited to one racing series, one era or one type of vehicle.
HRC Has Already Been Restoring Historic Race Cars
The new program builds on restoration work HRC has already carried out.
Honda says HRC has spent the past several years restoring Team Penske Acura race cars from the IMSA Championship series, along with a 1996 Team Kunimitsu NSX GT2.
That previous work gives HRC experience with the process now being offered to private owners.
Restoring a historic competition car requires more than replacing worn exterior parts. Engine condition, mechanical systems, bodywork and other components all need to be evaluated before a car can safely return to competition.
HRC’s existing restoration work provides the foundation for the new customer program.
Honda Is Showing More Racing History at Monterey Car Week
The Honda Heritage Racing Program is being announced ahead of Monterey Car Week, where Honda plans to display a broader collection of historic motorsport vehicles.
The company’s lineup will include additional Honda and Acura race cars, along with Baja trucks and motorcycles connected to MotoGP.
One of the Acura ARX-01 cars will also be displayed at Laguna Seca during the event, giving visitors an opportunity to see the prototype outside a museum environment.
Honda has not said whether all of the vehicles displayed during Monterey Car Week will eventually become available for purchase.
The company has also not published a complete list of the cars that will be offered through the Heritage Racing Program.
Buyers Cannot Choose Any Car From the Collection
There is an important limitation to the Honda Heritage Racing Program.
Honda decides which race cars are available for purchase. A customer cannot approach HRC with a request for any specific car from the company’s historic collection and expect it to be sold.
That gives Honda control over which vehicles leave the company’s collection and how their restoration is handled.
It also suggests that availability will remain limited. The program is based on historic competition cars, and there are only a finite number of genuine examples connected to Honda’s racing history.
The initial group gives potential customers a clear idea of the type of machinery HRC is willing to sell.
The Program Could Expand Honda’s Private Collection
Honda has not confirmed which cars will be added after the initial group.
The company has a substantial collection of historic racing machinery covering endurance racing, GT competition, open-wheel racing, off-road competition and motorcycles.
Some of those vehicles could eventually become part of the customer program, but Honda has not announced a schedule or a complete future sales list.
The Honda Heritage Racing Program therefore begins with a small selection rather than a full auction-style release of the company’s racing history.
For collectors, the distinction matters. These are genuine competition cars with documented histories, and HRC itself will oversee their restoration.
Honda Is Giving Historic Race Cars a Second Life
The Honda Heritage Racing Program gives private collectors an opportunity that is rarely available directly from a manufacturer: purchasing genuine former competition cars and having the company responsible for their original engineering restore them.
The first selection includes an Acura ARX-01 with a 2007 Sebring class victory, an NSX GT3 with 38 class wins and a 2001 Reynard 01i associated with Team Penske and Gil de Ferran.
HRC will carry out the restoration work in California, rebuilding engines, replacing body panels and preparing the cars to return to historic racing competition.
Honda has not announced pricing for the cars or a complete schedule for future vehicles. It has also not confirmed whether every race car shown during Monterey Car Week will be offered to private buyers.
The initial cars, however, establish the purpose of the Honda Heritage Racing Program clearly: Honda wants some of its genuine racing machinery to leave storage, return to running condition and get back onto race circuits under private ownership.
FAQs
What is the Honda Heritage Racing Program?
The Honda Heritage Racing Program is a new HRC initiative that lets private collectors purchase selected genuine Honda and Acura race cars and have them restored by HRC specialists.
Can you buy an actual Honda race car through the program?
Yes. Honda is offering genuine competition cars rather than replicas. The first selection includes an Acura ARX-01, an NSX GT3 and a 2001 Reynard 01i.
Which Honda race car is being offered first?
One of the first cars is an Acura AGR ARX-01 that won the LMP2 class at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring with Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan.
Who restores the race cars?
Honda Racing Corporation professionals in California handle the restoration work, including engine rebuilding and bodywork, with the aim of returning the cars to authentic historic-racing condition.
Will more Honda race cars be sold through the program?
Honda has not announced a complete list of future cars. The company controls which vehicles are offered, so not every race car in its collection will necessarily be available to private buyers.
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