Honda Will Sell And Restore Its Iconic Race Cars Through New Heritage Racing Program - Jalopnik

Honda Racing Corporation

Honda has always had a close-knit relationship with motor racing, and now you've got a chance to own, restore and even track a piece of that history through a new program the Japanese automaker is spinning up. It's called the HRC Heritage Racing Program, and it's giving well-to-do enthusiasts access to iconic racers from Formula 1, Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona, but offerings are limited to production-based GT cars. Oh no, they include purpose-built prototypes as well. That means there's some incredibly cool stuff up for grabs.

Right now, there's no word on pricing or how clients would be selected, but if you've got to ask, just assume you don't have cash or clout; it did reveal the first car that it would be putting up for sale as well as some of the more recent restoration projects it completed for private owners. The first car on the list to make its debut as part of the program will be the Sebring-winning #26 XM Satellite Radio AGR Acura ARX-01a with all of its V8-powered goodness. It'll spearhead HRC's new venture at The Quail on August 14 to kick off the 2026 Monterey Car Week festivities.

Honda Racing Corporation

This mean, blue, yellow and black machine packs the first V8 designed and developed by HRC in the U.S. — which was HPD at the time — and it won the LMP2 class at the 2007 Sebring 12 Hours race, driven by Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan. I guess you could say it has some pedigree.

The plan

Honda Racing Corporation

Honda has been involved in motorsport in one way or another for decades, so there are a hell of a lot of Honda/Acura racecars out there that need refurbishment. Part of HRC's Heritage Racing Program is restoring old race cars, whether they're owned by the company itself or fixed up as part of a sale, or whether they're already owned by an individual. A few examples of this are the Strakka Racing Acura ARX-01c, which won its Le Mans LMP2 class in 2010, as well as the Chassis No. 5 Acura NSX GT3 and the Team Penske CART IndyCar from 2001.

Honda Racing Corporation

"Classic race cars never die, their myth and aura just grow and the HRC Heritage Racing Program is all about keeping our incredible Honda and Acura race cars doing what they were born to do ― race," David Salters, president of HRC US, said in a statement. "As the builder of these race-winning machines, and custodian of the original IP and knowledge, HRC is uniquely equipped to restore them to their original form, ensuring they can return to historic racing competition authentically and ready to be enjoyed by our customers and fans."

To actually restore the cars, HRC looks at the vehicle's original homologation documents as well as notes and photographs from the original engineers, and then the work is supported by extensive HRC archives of technical data to ensure everything is restored correctly. Every car is torn down and reassembled with new and reconditioned parts, with some updated materials. Electronics are modernized, and the engines are rebuilt.

Honda Racing Corporation

Once the restoration is complete, every car is thoroughly track tested (tough job), and HRC engineers will be available to owners to support and assist them if they want to take their cars out racing. Man, it probably feels so good to be rich. At least these folks are doing something cool with their money.