Recently inside the tuning community, no car has been accepted by the craft more than the Honda CR-Z. Light weight Honda coupes have always been popular among tuners, but the fact that this one is a full-blown gas/electric hybrid is rather shocking. No other hybrid has been this popular to modify and Honda themselves have decided to get in on the action by building the Performance Development CR-Z race car.
Tagged as Honda’s “test car” for performance and race parts specific to hybrids, the Honda Performance Development (HPD) CR-Z has already seen duty at such prestigious races as the Thunderhill 25 Hours where it finished second in its class. Bathed in HPD racing war paint, the CR-Z sports typical race car parts like a massive rear wing, front splitter, stripped interior, roll cage and racing seat and harness. The exterior may scream fire breathing race car but under the hood, this is still a hybrid. The combination of a 173 volt Li-ion battery, electric motor and 1.5 liter SOHC inline four cylinder are now aided by a turbocharger to produce 200 horsepower and 201 lb-ft of torque through its six speed manual transmission. That is 133 horsepower per liter which should be enough to impress at this years 24 Hours of Le Mans as the HPD CR-Z is set to perform a demonstration lap.
[…] can too. You're not the only person who is thinking about what they can do with the CR-Z. Honda CR-Z racecar Turbocharged 1.5L motor, upgraded 173 VDC battery pack, upgraded electric motor, 6-speed manual […]