LEXINGTON, Ohio – Acura provided a treat for IndyCar fans by showing off the NSX Prototype before Sunday’s race.  Just before the two-seater pace car came out, the Acura NSX Prototype took to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course track for a few laps. 

It was the first time the Acura NSX was publicly showcased while running and it handled itself well through the 2.4-mile (3.86 km) course. The Honda Indy 200 was a perfect opportunity for Acura to show the world the steady progress that has been made ahead of the planned 2015 launch of the supercar.

The Honda 200 was the perfect setting for the display as not only was it a home-sponsored race, but the research and development of the NSX is being conducted in Raymond, Ohio (97 kms away) and produced in Marysville, Ohio (93 kms away). Raymond is home to the global development of the NSX and Marysville will soon be home to a state-of-the-art Performance Manufacturing Center that currently is still under construction. 

“With leadership from our R&D and manufacturing teams here in Ohio, we are developing a next generation sports car that will be equally at home on the street and on the race track, so it is natural for us to showcase the prototype vehicle here at Mid-Ohio,” said Ted Klaus, chief engineer of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. “It is exciting for us to see the prototype running on track, reflecting the great progress we’re making toward the 2015 global launch of the NSX, as we engineer a new sports-car experience for customers around the world.”

It was nice to see the NSX in action considering the amount of teasers we’ve received over the years. When released in 2015, the NSX will be powered by a mid-mounted, direct-injected V-6 engine mated to Acura’s three-motor high-performance hybrid system known as Sport Hybrid SH-AWD. 

For some more pictures of the Acura NSX Prototype, check out The Driver's gallery page.