Photo: Acura
Honda’s luxury division Acura has been struggling lately to satisfy the changing habits of premium vehicle buyers but is hoping for a great comeback with its latest products. Because the first Japanese luxury automotive brand has also been inclined towards high-performance vehicles, the company decided to showcase its latest products at the 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Still, an older and bolder model managed to steal the show.
We are talking about a 2019 NSX hybrid sports car, which was driven by James Robinson in the intensely fought “Time Attack 1” class to a third position on the podium. More importantly, aside from securing the bronze laurels it has also nailed a new hybrid vehicle record for the course, with a time of 10:01.913 minutes.
Robinson’s time is no surprise occurrence because in 2018 he was already totting a fast time of 10:02.448. Acura might take this new record with a half-grin, since its two 2021 TLXs that made their race debuts at the 2020 “Race to the Clouds” were nowhere nearly as successful.
Both finished with good times - 11:37.219 and 12:10.008 - but that was only enough for a fifth and sixth position in the competitive Exhibition Class. The third TLX, a prototype of the flagship TLX Type S, driven by an engineer of the Chassis Development Group and a Pikes Peak enthusiast (Nick Robinson is the current front-wheel drive record holder), was used as the competition’s official Pace Car.
Interestingly enough, the company’s Pikes Peak race team is made of volunteer engineers who take care of everything related to the competition, from development to race preparation, crew support and driving the cars to the finish line.
We can bet the automaker is supporting them through and through, though, as it is vying for a much better evolution at dealerships. This is probably why tucked inside the press release concerning its Pikes Peakes evolution was also the information that first examples of the second-generation TLX sport sedan are finally scheduled to arrive on the showroom floor on September 28th.
Robinson’s time is no surprise occurrence because in 2018 he was already totting a fast time of 10:02.448. Acura might take this new record with a half-grin, since its two 2021 TLXs that made their race debuts at the 2020 “Race to the Clouds” were nowhere nearly as successful.
Both finished with good times - 11:37.219 and 12:10.008 - but that was only enough for a fifth and sixth position in the competitive Exhibition Class. The third TLX, a prototype of the flagship TLX Type S, driven by an engineer of the Chassis Development Group and a Pikes Peak enthusiast (Nick Robinson is the current front-wheel drive record holder), was used as the competition’s official Pace Car.
Interestingly enough, the company’s Pikes Peak race team is made of volunteer engineers who take care of everything related to the competition, from development to race preparation, crew support and driving the cars to the finish line.
We can bet the automaker is supporting them through and through, though, as it is vying for a much better evolution at dealerships. This is probably why tucked inside the press release concerning its Pikes Peakes evolution was also the information that first examples of the second-generation TLX sport sedan are finally scheduled to arrive on the showroom floor on September 28th.
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