HPD considering new ARX-04b P2 coupe for 2015

Honda Performance Development and its partners at Wirth Research could have a new P2 chassis to offer customers in November. A final decision on whether to move forward with the project is expected to be made within the next week.

Like the P1 engine and chassis program HPD revealed to RACER at last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the new P2 coupe, which would be dubbed the ARX-04b, would most likely require a few customer commitments before going into production.

“We haven't made any formal announcements on the P2 car yet, but we were working on a P1 car, which has been challenging to sell, and one of the outlets for that design is a P2 coupe," HPD technical director Roger Griffiths told RACER. “Some other manufacturers have announced new P2 coupes for 2015 (OAK and ORECA, in particular), and we realized that if we didn't offer something new, we could lose ground and customers in the P2 category.

“It requires a significant investment to develop a new prototype, and it's not something we're prepared to fund without the knowledge that the car has customers awaiting delivery. We've had a number of teams and drivers express an interest in a P2 coupe; for some of them, the gentlemen drivers come to mind, they have insurance requirements where cockpits are required, and if we have more strong interest that comes in, it's easier to confirm the P2 coupe will go forward." More at Racer.com