For the eighth consecutive year, Acura is returning to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a lineup of would-be conquerors, determined to build off the automaker’s dominant run in last year’s event when it set numerous records in multiple classes and categories. This year, Acura’s Pikes Peak lineup includes four home-grown models that will be driven by the automaker’s very own research and development engineers. A fifth car, the Acura TLX GT, will be driven by driver Peter Cunningham, who’s as motivated as anybody to eclipse the record-setting time of 9:27.352 that he set last year with that year’s version of the TLX GT. As five models aren’t enough, a separate Acura NSX will serve as the event’s resident pace car for the fifth consecutive year, having first taken that role in 2015. As other automakers have come to identify specific races as their own, it’s hard to argue against Acura staking claim to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Not only has it established numerous records in the annual race, but it has also set itself up as the dominant force in the race over the last few years. If past performances hold firm, this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb could once again turn into Acura’s very one showcase.

Acura's 2019 Pikes Peak Lineup

MDX Sport Hybrid

Building off the success of the Acura RDX A-Spec at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Acura is bringing another one of its crossovers to this year’s event. Say what you will about the standard Acura MDX — it’s Acura’s three-row luxury SUV — but the MDX Sport Hybrid isn’t going to Pikes Peak to show off its luxury digs. The Pikes Peak-spec MDX Sport Hybrid is a race-prepped SUV that you shouldn’t take lightly. It’s powered by the same 3.5-liter VTEC V-6 engine you see in a standard MDX, only this time, the engine’s displacement increases to 3.7 liters. If that’s not enough, Acura also dropped a three-motor electric hybrid system to bring the SUV’s output to an impressive 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. Really, who needs second and third-row seats when you’re racing up Pikes Peak? In place of the posh seats is a custom roll cage that Acura developed in-house. On the technical side, the MDX Sport Hybrid receives a race-tuned active-damper suspension that should come in handy when Jordan Guitar of Acura R&D’s Chassis Development Group takes the race-spec SUV up Pikes Peak, hoping to improve on his performance last year when he came in third in his class with a 2019 RDX.

Read our full review on the 2019 Acura MDX.

2019 Acura RDX A-Spec

Unlike the Acura MDX Sport Hybrid, the Acura RDX A-Spec is making a triumphant return to the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb a year after making its debut at the event. This year, the RDX A-Spec will race in practically the same setup as it did last year. That includes a production model-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 350 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. The output represents an increase of 78 horsepower and 50 pound-feet of torque, which is a by-product of Acura dropping a larger turbocharger and intercooler into the proceedings. Acura also performed software calibrations to some of the SUV’s existing software, including the SH-AWD system, particularly in its ability to allow for more rear-wheel torque bias without compromising the system’s ability to enable 100 percent of rear-wheel torque to be transferred individually to the right or left rear wheels. Step inside the completely gutted interior and you might be surprised to see a full roll cage in the area where the second- and third-row seats are supposed to be. For its specific purpose as a full-spec racer, those seats are nothing more than anchors weighing the SUV down.

They needed to go. Other mechanical updates include a race-tuned suspension, Brembo front brake calipers, racing pads, and a set of lightweight 19-inch HRE forged race wheels wrapped in Pirelli racing tires. Steven Olona, an engineer with Acura R&D’s Chassis Development Group, will drive the 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec up Pikes Peak. Fortunately, Olona isn’t a noob in the world of racing. Not only has he driven rally cars in the past, but he also joined Acura’s Pikes Peak associate race team two years ago as a fabricator and crew chief.

Read our full review on the 2019 Acura RDX.

Acura "Time Attack" NSX

At this point, the Acura NSX Time Attack has become a staple at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. As one of the event’s most accomplished racers, the NSX Time Attack returns to Pikes Peak with the goal of eclipsing its record time, which it set last year when it clocked in a time of 10:02.448 in the Time Attack 1 Class with Honda R&D engineer and Pikes Peak veteran James Robinson behind the wheel of the racer. Can the Acura NSX TA get the job done? It probably depends on who you ask, though you have to give Acura credit for at least making serious preparations to achieve its goals.

The 2019 NSX TA heads to Pikes Peak with a larger rear wing and an aggressive front splitter, two critical ingredients in the quest to add as much downforce to the car as it tries to go up the mountain. The race car’s interior has also been stripped down. No surprises there. The twin-turbo V-6 engine benefits from a little software tuning. Together with the same Sport Hybrid system as the one found on the RDX A-Spec, the NSX Time Attack’s output now sits at 625 horsepower. That represents an increase of over 50 horsepower compared to the standard NSX. Acura also hopes that the new set of lightweight HRE forged wheels wrapped in high-grip Pirelli R-compound tires gives the NSX Time Attack the traction it needs to improve upon last year’s time.

Read our full review on the 2018 Acura NSX.

Production-Spec Acura NSX

The Acura NSX TA isn’t the only NSX that’s coming to the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Other than these items, this NSX is the same one you’ll see on public roads. It’s powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine and a three-motor electric Sport Hybrid system that combine to produce 573 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque. All that power courses through the world’s only nine-speed DCT transmission that’s used in a production vehicle, which, in turn, sends the juice to the two rear wheels. Piloting the production-spec NSX is Nick Robinson, who himself is an engineer with Acura’s R&D Chassis Development Group. He’s also a vet of the Pikes Peak circuit, winning the Time Attack 2 class back in 2016 with a second-generation NSX. If his last name sounds familiar, that’s because he also happens to be the brother of James Robinson.

Acura RealTime Racing TLX GT

Arguably the star of Acura’s Pikes Peak lineup, the RealTime Racing TLX GT all-wheel-drive racer returns to the scene of one of its greatest triumphs. Last year, the TLX GT, with RealTime Racing’s Peter Cunningham behind the wheel, romped its way to 2018 Open Class Record with a record-setting time of 9:27.352 that was good enough to earn Acura its third-straight Open Class victory and a third place overall finish in the event. The racer is powered by an enhanced version of the company’s J35 twin-turbocharged V-6 engine — it's the same engine used in the Pirelli World Challenge — that’s specifically tuned to cope with and thrive in elevation challenges posed by the mountain. Honda Performance also lent a hand in the racer’s development, specifically supplying the software mapping that improves turbo operation and boost pressures that the racer will need to cope with the steady dip in oxygen on the way up the summit.

The race car’s suspension setup is another one of its points of pride with the RealTime racing team creating a setup that’s specifically tuned for hill climbing purposes. Seriously, if there’s a race car you’re going to pay attention to, it’s the Acura RealTime Racing TLX GT. Once again, the car will be driven by Cunningham, who will look to build on an impressive rookie campaign last year — he won the event’s Rookie of the Year award — and secure another dominant finish for the TLX GT. Knowing his credentials as an experienced racer with more than 90 professional race wins in his career, Cunningham and his TLX GT will be hard to bet against.

Read our full review on the 2018 Acura TLX.