Honda Racing Corporation is opening its competition archives—and this time, the race cars aren’t merely coming out for a museum display.
The new HRC Heritage Racing Program will sell selected historic Honda and Acura race cars, restore them using original factory information and provide continued service and trackside support. The program begins with the V8-powered Acura ARX-01a that won its class at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring.
This isn’t a collection of retired display cars with fresh vinyl and an optimistic auction description. HRC plans to completely disassemble each machine, rebuild its engine, restore the chassis using original documentation and track-test the finished car before delivery.
If the buyer wants to race it afterward, HRC can help with that too.
What Is the HRC Heritage Racing Program?
The HRC Heritage Racing Program is a factory-supported service covering the sale, restoration, maintenance and operation of historic Honda and Acura competition cars.
Restoration work will use the original:
- Homologation documents
- Technical specifications
- Period photographs
- Setup information
- Development notes
- Archived component data
Each selected race car will be completely torn down and reassembled using new or reconditioned components. HRC will also rebuild the engine, modernize certain electronics and introduce appropriate safety updates without removing the car’s original character.
Once restoration is complete, HRC will conduct track testing to confirm that the vehicle operates correctly. Technical support can remain available after the sale for owners who want to enter historic races or operate the car during private track events.
That last part matters.
Buying an old race car is relatively easy if your bank account has survived several decades without supervision. Finding the correct components, software, setup information and people who understand how to operate it is considerably harder.
Honda is selling the car and the knowledge required to keep it alive.
The First Car Is a Sebring-Winning Acura ARX-01a
The first vehicle offered through the program is the No. 26 XM Satellite Radio Andretti Green Racing Acura ARX-01a.
This particular car won the LMP2 class during its debut at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring, driven by:
- Dario Franchitti
- Bryan Herta
- Tony Kanaan
The ARX-01a holds an especially important place in Acura’s racing history. It was the company’s first purpose-built endurance prototype and used the first racing engine designed and developed in the United States by the operation then known as Honda Performance Development.
At its center is a naturally aspirated Acura V8 rather than a modified production-car engine. The engine, chassis and aerodynamic package were built specifically for prototype competition.
The result was immediate.
Acura entered the ARX-01a at Sebring and won its class on the first attempt. Most new racing programs spend their opening weekend identifying everything that can fail. Acura apparently decided winning would be more productive.
The restored No. 26 car is scheduled to make its sales debut during Monterey Car Week at The Quail.
HRC Is Also Offering an Acura NSX GT3
The program extends beyond prototype race cars.
HRC has also restored and listed Acura NSX GT3 Chassis No. 5, the most successful NSX GT3 chassis built during the model’s competition career.
Wearing its recognizable Lady Liberty livery, Chassis No. 5 contributed to a program that accumulated:
- 38 class victories
- Two manufacturer championships
- Five driver championships
- Four team championships
The NSX GT3 competed in IMSA and SRO-sanctioned racing from 2017 through 2023. Unlike the production NSX, the GT3 version removed the street car’s hybrid all-wheel-drive system and sent power exclusively to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transmission.
Its 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 remained related to the production engine, but nearly everything surrounding it was configured for professional racing.
Pro Street covered the Acura NSX GT3 when Honda first made customer versions available. At the time, purchasing the car was only the first financial hurdle. Running a retired GT3 machine requires specialized equipment, correct software and access to components that don’t appear beside brake pads at the local parts store.
The HRC Heritage Racing Program attempts to solve that problem by supporting the car beyond the initial transaction.
How HRC Will Restore Each Historic Race Car
HRC says every Heritage Racing vehicle will receive a complete mechanical restoration rather than a cosmetic refurbishment.
The basic process includes:
- Completely disassembling the vehicle
- Inspecting the chassis, suspension and driveline
- Rebuilding the engine at HRC’s California headquarters
- Installing new or reconditioned components
- Updating selected electronics and safety equipment
- Reassembling the car to its period-correct configuration
- Conducting track testing before delivery
The engines will be rebuilt at HRC US headquarters in Santa Clarita, California. Original records will be used to preserve the correct specification and driving experience while carefully selected modern components improve safety and usability.
That balance is important.
A historically significant race car should still feel like the machine that competed during its original era. Replacing every difficult component with modern hardware may make the car easier to operate, but it can also reduce the experience to an expensive replica wearing an authentic chassis number.
HRC intends to preserve the original mechanical character while updating areas—particularly electronics—where age and obsolete components could prevent the vehicle from running reliably.
Owners Can Receive Trackside Support
The program doesn’t end when the restored car leaves Santa Clarita.
HRC personnel will be available to provide trackside support and help new owners operate their cars in historic competition. That service may include setup assistance, inspections, maintenance and event support depending on the vehicle and owner’s requirements.
For complicated prototype and GT machinery, that support may be as valuable as the restoration itself.
A vintage Civic or Integra race car can often be serviced using familiar production-based parts. An Acura prototype requires a considerably different relationship with spare components, operating procedures and data systems.
Owning the car without access to the correct support can turn an important racing machine into a very large garage ornament.
Honda clearly wants these cars returned to the track instead.
More Restored Acura Prototypes Are Already Running
The Heritage Racing Program grew from work HRC has already completed on several significant competition cars.
Four Acura ARX-05 DPi prototypes have been restored and are now participating in IMSA’s Historic SportsCar Racing series. The ARX-05 competed from 2018 through 2022 and earned multiple team, driver and manufacturer championships.
A 2019 Team Penske ARX-05 will be displayed at Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
HRC also restored the 2010 Strakka Racing Acura ARX-01c that won the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That car will return to Laguna Seca for the Scott Pruett Legends event with current Acura GTP driver Nick Yelloly behind the wheel.
The company also assisted with the refurbishment of Gil de Ferran’s 2001 Team Penske Reynard 01i CART car. Current owner Zak Brown purchased it from Roger Penske, and HRC supplied a period-correct Honda engine while helping prepare the car for demonstration laps.
These projects show that the new program isn’t merely a Monterey announcement created around one freshly polished prototype. HRC has already restored and returned several important cars to running condition.
Honda-Powered IndyCars Are Coming Later
The initial HRC Heritage Racing Program will focus on endurance prototypes and GT cars, but its scope is expected to expand.
Honda has confirmed that future offerings may include historic Honda-powered IndyCars.
That opens a much larger section of the company’s American racing history. Honda-powered cars have won championships and Indianapolis 500s across several chassis eras, creating a considerable inventory of historically significant machines.
Not every retired IndyCar will be eligible or available. Many belong to teams, private collectors or museums, and some chassis have been converted, damaged or separated from their original engines.
Still, factory-supported restoration could return important examples to the track with the correct powertrain, electronics and presentation.
How Much Will an HRC Heritage Race Car Cost?
Honda has not announced pricing for the ARX-01a, NSX GT3 or future vehicles.
It also hasn’t explained how buyers will be selected or whether cars will be offered through direct sales, private negotiations or another arrangement.
The purchase price will only represent part of the expense. Owners must also consider:
- Transportation
- Replacement components
- Track preparation
- Fuel and consumables
- Tires and brakes
- Storage
- Event entry fees
- Professional operating support
A restored factory prototype isn’t a normal track-day car. It requires a budget and support structure closer to a small racing program.
If you need to ask whether the ARX-01a qualifies for free dealer oil changes, the answer is probably no.
Why This Program Matters
Historic racing cars frequently disappear into private collections after their professional careers end. Some remain preserved but stationary, while others lose their original engines, electronics, bodywork or documented specifications.
HRC’s program gives selected Honda and Acura race cars a better chance of remaining operational and historically accurate.
It also allows the company responsible for building them to control the quality of the restoration. HRC has access to records and institutional knowledge that an independent shop may struggle to reconstruct decades later.
Most importantly, the program is designed to put the cars back on track.
Seeing a championship-winning prototype sitting beneath museum lighting is valuable. Hearing it accelerate out of Laguna Seca’s Turn 11 is better.
HRC Heritage Racing Program FAQ
Can the public buy historic Honda and Acura race cars?
Yes. HRC plans to offer selected historic competition cars to qualified customers through its new Heritage Racing Program. Pricing and buyer requirements haven’t been released.
What is the first HRC Heritage race car for sale?
The first offering is the No. 26 Acura ARX-01a that won the LMP2 class at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring.
Is an Acura NSX GT3 available?
Yes. HRC has restored Acura NSX GT3 Chassis No. 5 in its Lady Liberty livery and confirmed that it is available for purchase.
Will the cars be drivable?
Yes. HRC will rebuild and track-test each restored race car. The program is intended to return these vehicles to historic competition and demonstration events.
Will Honda provide replacement parts and service?
The program includes restoration and ongoing service support. HRC can also provide assistance at the racetrack, although specific service packages and costs haven’t been announced.
Will HRC restore Honda-powered IndyCars?
HRC says the program is initially focused on endurance racing vehicles but plans to expand into historic Honda-powered IndyCars.
Final Thoughts
Honda isn’t simply selling old race cars.
It’s packaging the cars with the documentation, restoration work, engine service and track support necessary to keep them running. For collectors who want more than a silent display piece, that makes the HRC Heritage Racing Program far more meaningful than another high-end auction listing.
The Sebring-winning Acura ARX-01a is an appropriate place to begin. It represents the start of Acura’s purpose-built prototype program, carries an American-developed V8 and won immediately.
Next comes the NSX GT3, additional endurance racers and eventually historic IndyCars.
The prices will undoubtedly occupy the “contact us” section of the market. At least Honda intends to make sure the cars do more than occupy the corner of a climate-controlled warehouse.