Hello 2021.
Honda takes motorsport rather seriously, as we have witnessed when the brand set out to destroy the front-wheel-drive record around the Nurburgring with its blistering Civic Type-R. The brand is also quite serious about building eco-friendly cars such as the Clarity Electric, but who says these two worlds can't combine forces? In preparation for the 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon, Honda has previewed two very interesting concepts: a Honda E drag car, and a Honda N-One hill climb racer.
These two platforms are not what one would traditionally consider ideal, but that's what makes the whole idea so fun. Honda calls it "silly ideas taken seriously", and it actually works.
The English translation on Honda's website states "It's okay to be stupid. Why not try it for real?" which perfectly sums up these fun little projects, the first of which is to convert a Honda e into a full-blown drag car. This little runabout might be more suited to the task than one might think: with a 50/50 weight distribution and rear-wheel drive, all this car needs is a good dollop of electric power to see off traditional sports cars. In standard form, the Honda e features a 35.5-kWh water-cooled lithium-ion battery pack and electric motor. Power is rated at 148 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. Double that and you're looking at a seriously fast little car. According to the render, this dragster will feature a carbon-fiber nose cone and larger rear wheels.
The other Honda racer on show is the K-Climb; a Honda N-One RS aimed at dominating the hill climb scene. This little city car, which is inspired by the 1967 Honda N360, was launched in November last year with a fan-pleasing manual transmission. The plan for this car is to fit a carbon fiber hood and fender flares to lighten its curb weight, but it is unclear what power mods would go along with the build. The best news of all is that Honda is planning on entering these two cars into actual events as soon as March. Car manufacturers that know how to have fun and not take themselves to seriously is always cool, never stupid.
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