2024 Honda “New Racing Car Concept Model” Set For Tokyo Auto Salon Unveil

Today, Honda announced their exhibitions for the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon, which takes place 13-15 January 2023 at Makuhari Messe convention centre in Chiba, Japan.

The last item listed in Honda’s press release is a “New Racing Car Concept Model”. This concept model is scheduled to begin racing in 2024, and will be unveiled in a press conference staged during the first day of Tokyo Auto Salon – Friday, 13 January.

It is highly likely that this new concept race car will be the next-generation Honda GT500 car that will compete in the Autobacs SUPER GT Series from 2024.

The current GT500 vehicle regulations cycle runs through the end of the upcoming 2023 season, and the current crop of GT500 cars will be replaced with new cars the following year – aimed at “promoting the improvement of fuel efficiency technology”, as outlined in the SUPER GT Green Project 2030 road map.

Honda have already unveiled a brand new TCR touring car based on the latest Civic Type R, and the NSX GT3 sports car is homologated now through the end of 2028.

Earlier this month, Honda already announced their team and driver structures for the upcoming SUPER GT season, an announcement that is typically made at the Tokyo Auto Salon but has been moved forward this year.

The only question that lingers – will the new Honda GT500 car still carry the silhouette of their second-generation NSX?

Production of the NSX ceases at the conclusion of the NSX Type S’ limited run of 350 vehicles. The Honda NSX-GT has represented the company in GT500 since 2017, during which time it was converted to a front-engine layout in 2020, and received updated ‘Type S’ bodywork in 2022.

Honda concept cars represented the marque in GT500 from 2010 to 2016 – first with the introduction of the front-engined HSV-010 GT concept car, and then with the pre-production NSX Concept-GT.