Mugen, Honda’s iconic tuning partner, earned its pay for the week converting the barely sporty CR-Z hybrid into a no-holds-barred, no-excuses-made race car. There’s more than “stancing” going down here. The Super GT300 class racer packs 5 inches more wheelbase, and its fat-fendered aero treatment adds 8 inches to its width.
Pop the hood and there is no tree-hugging 1.5L fuel sipper but a full-tilt-boogie, twin-turbo V6 displacing a modest 2.8 liters. As we understand it, there is some manner of electric assist still at work here, but it is unclear if it’s a typical Honda Integrated Motor Assist or something more racy. Speaking of racy, things are heating up in GT300, as Toyota’s racing Prius and Subaru’s BRZ are new-to-the-field contenders for 2012.