Acura / Real Time Racing at the very capable hands of owner and driver Peter Cunningham will unleash the beast this weekend at Mid-Ohio, just in time for Acura’s dealership release of the 2015 TLX.
Cunningham is the winningest driver in SCCA Pro-Racing history, his are big shoes to fill. We’ve had the opportunity to speak with Peter, his calm during the storm of development and delay was measurable. We were looking for the 2015 TLX GT to make its racing debut in Detroit. According to Peter, development hurdles and replacement parts delays tooks us to where we are today. We’re happy to see Peter and Acura back on the racetrack.
The race modified TLX GT is the only four wheel drive car in an international lineup of supercars. However, we’ve driven the factory 2015 TLX V6 SH-AWD and can tell you that it is very sticky.
Without getting into technical details, the system utilizes Torque Vectoring to send power to where it's most needed in this primary FWD car. While we’re not privy to the horsepower and torque specifications of the HPD built 3.5 liter twin turbo V6, we suspect the output to approach 600 horsepower.
looking to the factory weight of the pre-modified 2015 TLX , we suspect that the race ready version weighs in around 3600 lbs; giving the car and Cunningham a measurable weight to power ratio advantage over much of the field. If the car holds together in its first outing, Cunningham and Team Acura should do very well.
We believe that the factory specification based, race modified and lightened TLX GT will give Audi R8, Bentley Continental, Cadillac CTS-V, Dodge Viper, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche a good race for the money.
looking to a combination of superior power to weight ratio, suspension, drivetrain and minimized(best in class) wind dynamics we believe that the TLX GT will be competitive on a world level. Win or lose, barring any significant mechanical failure or accident, we believe that TLX GT will catch the imagination of Acura fans worldwide, pushing Acura’s newest offering to the front line of consumer interest.
That’s what Acura’s banking on. Best of luck and safe racing to Peter Cunningham and crew.
Note: Edited for car specifications error. Thank you Peter.