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Mid-engine Honda sports car surfaces in EU patent drawings

Based on new patent drawings, Honda clearly isn't done with sports cars. The design you see above was registered and published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and was first reported by AutoGuide. The drawings show a rakish, angular sports car design that is very clearly mid-engine. It could almost pass for a Lamborghini. But the name on the design is Honda Motor Company, and aside from the name, it bares a strikingly similar appearance to a mid-engine design found in a Honda patent two years ago. In fact, the only major difference between this car and the older one (seen below) is the lack of a windshield and top. The shape of the lights and the grille, as well as the front fender vent and character lines running from it, are reminiscent of the S660 kei roadster for Japan. The large, angular intakes look more related to the Acura NSX, though. View 6 Photos Unlike the previous patent renderings of the car, this one has an interior, and the inclusion of it may be why the top and windshield are absent. The interior also leads us to believe that this design is for an upcoming concept. The steering wheel is a small, rectangular piece similar to what you would find in an F1 car or Indy car. The seats also look like thin buckets designed to be as sporty and light as possible. A production version would probably have a bit more cushioning and a round wheel. It does look like there is a pushbutton transmission setup in the center console like current Acuras, though. So what does this mean? Honda is clearly still working on this design, and based on some of the more radical design choices for the interior, we're likely looking at a concept car that will show up in the next couple of years. Whether a concept will lead to a production car is tough to say. There's definitely room in Honda's global sports car roster between the S660 and NSX for something in between, and Honda has reported that it's getting pressure from dealers for sporty cars. The exterior design isn't so extreme it couldn't be tweaked for production, either. There have also been rumors that Honda is preparing a mid-engine hybrid sports car with the Type R's turbocharged four-cylinder. Honda also holds a trademark for the name "ZSX," which fits the naming scheme of the NSX and old RSX, but at least in Europe, Honda has held the trademark since 2009. We'll just have to wait and see what Honda does.

Honda patents 11-speed, three-clutch transmission in the name of fuel economy

In an effort to improve fuel economy, automakers are stuffing transmissions with as many gears as possible. General Motors fitted the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with a 10-speed automatic, while the 2017 Ford F-150 will have a variation of the same transmission. Last year, Ford filed a patent for an 11-speed automatic transmission, and now Honda is following suit with its own 11-speed gearbox that will use three – three! – clutches instead of just two. Uncovered by AutoGuide, the patent describes a transmission with eleven gears that utilizes three clutches, with the third somehow reducing the drop in torque that occurs with a shift on a dual-clutch transmission. The result would be a two-fer of improved fuel economy and quicker gear changes. It's not clear how many shafts would be in the transmission – dual-clutches use a pair – or how exactly it is laid out. As it's just in the patent stage, we don't know what type of vehicle would use the 11-speed transmission, or even if Honda will end up making it. Honda could place the high-tech gearbox into a small, fuel-efficient car like the Fit to further improve fuel efficiency or into a larger vehicle like the Pilot that desperately needs a fuel-efficiency boost. The transmission would also have applications in sporty models since it The patent, which was published on May 27, is no longer available on the Japanese patent office's website. Related Video:

Acura NSX GT3 non-hybrid racecar on sale soon

Just over a year ago, Acura debuted the NSX GT3, the FIA GT3-spec racecar based on the automaker's latest and greatest. While it took years for the road car to hit the streets, the NSX GT3 was developed in a relatively short amount of time. This year, the car competed in several races under the factory banner, racking up 50,000 miles and two race victories. Today, Honda and Acura announced the NSX GT3 will go on sale for private teams. Think of the NSX GT3 as a stripped out version of the standard NSX sans hybrid system. The 3.5-liter twin-turbo remains, but, since there are no electric motors up front, all the power is sent to the rear wheels through a XTRAC semi-automatic 6-speed sequential transmission. The chassis is built in Ohio right alongside the regular NSX. The same goes for the engines. The block, heads, valve train, crankshaft, pistons, and dry-sump lubrication system are the same specification as the production car. Final assembly is completed in Italy. This past year, the NSX GT3 competed under the Acura banner in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class and the Pirelli World Challenge GT category. In addition to those series, the car is built to compete in the Blancpain GT Series and 24 Hours Nurburgring in Europe, the Super GT GT300 class in Japan, as well as other GT3-spec race series. Different divisions of Honda will be handling global sales, with HPD responsible for the North American market. US pricing hasn't been announced, but converting the European models start at about $545,000. Now we just want to see a lightened, non-hybrid version of the NSX on the street. Related Video: Featured Gallery Acura NSX GT3 View 11 Photos Image Credit: Honda Motorsports Acura Honda Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance honda nsx acura nsx gt3