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2015 Honda IndyCar Aero Kit Goes for Baroque

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2015 Honda IndyCar Aero Kit

If you haven’t finished Breaking Bad, don’t look at this picture—it’s full of spoilers

If the somewhat bland Chevy aero kit was an exercise in minimalism, then this newly revealed 2015 Honda IndyCar aero kit is an over-the-top example of glorious excess. This new road course/short oval package, in all its fine and frilly splendor, remains faithful to the old adage, “If it ain’t baroque, don’t kit it.”

Produced by Honda Performance Development (in collaboration with former Formula One designer Nick Wirth and his Wirth Research team) for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series, the aero kit includes “nearly 200 individual pieces that can be fitted to the existing Honda-powered Dallara Indy car chassis.”

Honda gives a glimpse into the process of creating this body kit (and does a little bit of boasting) in this new video:

“We’re excited to reveal our aero kits as Honda welcomes this era of enhanced competition in the Verizon IndyCar Series,” said Art St. Cyr, president of HPD. “Coupled to our proven Honda Indy V6 engines, these aero kits are the products of literally thousands of hours of research, development and testing, as we seek to give our drivers and teams the tools they need to win races, the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series championship.”

Honda set out with a goal of improving not just performance, but aerodynamic safety as well. Components were tested using Driver-In-Loop Simulators, a full-scale wind tunnel, and through a series of on-track tests, for a total of six days spent at various circuits.

Rear ¾ view of Honda aero kit.

Profile view of Honda aero kit.

“We’ve been encouraged by the performance of the new Honda aero kits in testing, but of course the end goal is to win races, the Indy 500 and the championship,” added St. Cyr. “We believe we have a superior aerodynamic and engine package. We’re looking forward to the start of the 2015 season on the streets of St. Petersburg, and taking on the battle for the Manufacturers’ Championship.”

The Honda IndyCar aero kit will make its public debut at the Verizon IndyCar Series “Open Test,” which runs March 16th-17th at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama. That will be followed by the 2015 season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Florida, on March 29, 2015.

Front ¾ view of Honda aero kit.