Watch: Max Verstappen drives a modified Honda CR-V with over 800 hp

Honda is known to play it safe with their vehicles. However, once in a while, they do something that is completely out of the box. Here, is an example of the Honda CR-V which is usually known as a comfortable family SUV. But engineers at Honda Performance Development (HPD) in California decided to plonk in an Indycar engine into the CR-V. The creation was called Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer or ‘The Beast’. Then Formula 1 World Champion, Max Verstappen was asked to drive it during Miami Grand Prix weekend.

Honda CR-V Hybrid Racer comes with the same powertrain that is doing duty on Honda's Indycar racer. It is a 2.2-litre V6 that uses twin Borg Warner turbochargers. Apart from this, there is an Empel MGU hybrid motor, Skeleton supercapacitors, and an ECU from McLaren Applied Technologies. The result is a total power output of more than 800 hp. The gearbox on duty is an XTRAC six-speed unit with paddle shifters. The engine runs on 100 per cent renewable race fuel that is sourced from Shell.

The chassis and bodywork also have a lot of changes. Honda is using Chromoly tube frame chassis now and the bodywork is taken from a 6th-generation Honda CR-V Hybrid. There are no changes to the greenhouse and windshield so they are taken from the stock Honda CR-V. The lower bodywork is all-new, it is made up of carbon fibre and incorporates flared fenders as well. The radiator is now adapted from the Dallara IR-18 Indy car. The front splitter and rear wing are custom-made to increase the downforce.

Then there is the front suspension and front brakes which have been taken from Acura NSX GT-3 Evo22. The rear suspension and brakes have been adapted from the Dallara IR-18 Indy car. The car rolls on Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Ultra-High Performance Summer tyres.

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