Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has announced the reveal of its newest Autobacs SUPER GT Series GT500 challenger, the Prelude-GT.
The Prelude-GT will make its on-track testing debut tomorrow in a shakedown at Sportsland Sugo, and will begin racing in SUPER GT in 2026, replacing the Civic Type R-GT.
Honda revived the Prelude as a three-door hybrid sports coupe, sharing a platform with the current Civic. The sixth-generation Prelude “BF1” went on sale beginning 4 September in Japan and North America, with a European launch scheduled for 2026.
Hopes were high when Honda launched the Civic Type R-GT for the 2024 SUPER GT season. The first GT500 car based on a five-door sports sedan, the Civic Type R-GT got its first win last August at Fuji Speedway, and Team Kunimitsu, Naoki Yamamoto, and Tadasuke Makino finished as GT500 championship runners-up.
But during that same timeframe, the Civic Type-R GT has been outmatched by the Toyota GR Supra GT500 and even the Nissan Z NISMO GT500. And with two races left in the 2025 SUPER GT season, Honda faces the prospect of a winless season for the first time since 2016.
SUPER GT, meanwhile, has implemented a four-year aerodynamic development freeze, which will take effect from 2026. Rather than continue to develop the Civic Type R-GT, Honda has decided to start from scratch with the Prelude-GT, which HRC hopes will have even greater performance potential with its more conventional coupe design.
Further details about the Prelude, including the engine and its drivers for the 2026 season, will be revealed later.
Images © Honda
