Acura reveals ARX-06 LMDh car for 2023 IMSA season

Having previously released only limited images of the car in camouflage livery from a Le Castellet test held in July, the Acura ARX-06 was revealed in full for the first time on Wednesday, featuring a predominantly white colour scheme.

A public showcase will follow on Friday at the Monterey Car Week in California.

The marque also revealed that it has built a bespoke 2.4-litre twin-turbo V6 engine combustion to power the Oreca-based LMDh contender, and it has been designed in-house by Honda Performance Development.

It is the smallest displacement engine built by the brand for endurance racing, significantly down on the 3.5-litre V6 motor on board the current title-winning ARX-05 DPi car, but still meets the performance target of 500 kW at the rear axle.

It added that it has gone with a 90-degree V angle to lower the centre of gravity and reduce polar movement of inertia.

The ICE will be mated to the spec hybrid system built jointly by Xtrac, Bosch and Williams Advanced Engineering.

The exterior design of the car was completed jointly by Acura's design studio in Los Angeles, a team of HPD aero engineers and Oreca.

Driver input was also taken during the design process, with the position of the rear view mirror adjusted to improve aerodynamics and visibility following a test run on a VR headset.

“We’ve taken the challenge presented by this new rule package from IMSA and the ACO, and developed what we believe is a very competitive solution,” said Pierre Descamps, who led HPD’s powertrain design team for the ARX-06.  

“We’ve gone in a new direction for HPD in the design of the ICE.  It is still a V6, which of course for Honda is well-known, but we have incorporated several new elements which we believe will make best use of the electric MGU and battery pack. 

Acura ARX-06

Photo by: Acura

“Our new engine will rev to the maximum 10,000 rpm set by the rules, so it also makes a wonderful sound!” 

The new ARX-06 will be campaigned by Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing in the GTP class beginning next season, with both teams remaining on the manufacturer’s roster of IMSA teams from the current DPi era.

MSR and WTR are the only teams in contention for the 2022 IMSA drivers’ and teams’ title, guaranteeing Acura the championship honours in the last season of DPi rules.

“The new Acura ARX-06 has elements of our Indy-winning technology, Honda Formula One technology and Rolex 24-winning technology in it," said David Salters, HPD president and technical director. 

"This was achieved using HPD’s world-class simulation, design, development and manufacturing technologies; that our own engineers have developed, tested and validated.

"We are very proud of that. Now the challenge and hard work really starts, including gruelling 24 hour simulations, and learning how to maximise all aspects of performance.”

Acura currently has no plans to take the ARX-06 to the FIA World Endurance Championship, which will allow LMDh machinery against Le Mans Hypercars from next year as part of a unification of rules between the two series.