Honda Revives Legendary HSV-010 GT: Listen to Its Roaring V8 Engine

Honda has revisited a piece of its racing history by recommissioning the HSV-010 GT, the race car it campaigned in the Japanese Super GT series from 2010 to 2013. The automaker released high-quality audio of the reawakened 3.4-liter V8 engine revving on its YouTube channel, likely the first time the car has run since its withdrawal from competition.

This audio is part of a series of videos featuring the HSV-010 GT alongside an RA272 Formula 1 car and its NSX GT predecessor. While the driver may only be blipping the throttle while parked, the sound is arguably superior to what’s captured in old Super GT footage.

From V10 Dreams to V8 Reality: The HSV-010 GT’s Origins

Most Super GT cars are loosely based on production models, but the HSV-010 GT was an exception. It emerged from Honda’s initial plan to replace the first-generation NSX, which ended production in 2005. The proposed replacement was a front-engine car powered by a V10 engine—a bold idea at the time, especially given that V10 engines were still in use in Formula 1.

Toyota pursued a similar path with its Lexus LFA project. Honda’s vision was showcased in the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC), which debuted at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. The ASCC featured a front-mounted V10 and a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system.

By 2009, the V10-powered NSX was looking increasingly unlikely, and Honda needed a new race car as its NSX GT waiver was set to expire. The Japanese Automobile Federation granted Honda permission to develop a purpose-built racer, allegedly inspired by the front-engine concept. The HSV-010 GT borrowed some styling cues from the ASCC but swapped the V10 for a 3.4-liter V8 derived from the Formula Nippon (now Super Formula) single-seater series.

Dominance on the Track: The HSV-010 GT’s Racing Legacy

The HSV-010 GT produced approximately 500 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque in its baseline specification. In its debut season, the Weider Honda Racing team secured both the drivers’ and teams’ championships. Over its four-year competition career, the car won 10 races.

For the 2014 season, Honda replaced the HSV-010 GT with the second-generation NSX, which was not yet fully production-ready. Despite the early transition, the mid-engine V6 hybrid NSX eventually went on sale. However, Honda has never produced a V8 supercar—its only V8 road car was a rebadged Land Rover Discovery from the 1990s—making the HSV-010 GT a unique and special machine in the automaker’s history.