28/05/2026
Honda’s secret F1 hybrid 🤫⬇️
We recently had the pleasure of bringing a true unicorn of Grand Prix development back to life at Bourne HPP: the historic Honda F1 RA1082-001 KERS prototype chassis.
In this video, we pull back the curtain on a lost piece of motorsport history. Using official factory engineering documents, we trace how this exact carbon-fibre monocoque was deployed as Honda’s classified high-voltage development mule in 2008. This structural tub was the leading edge of kinetic innovation, recording the first full-circuit hybrid systems test in modern Grand Prix history and laying the exact R&D groundwork for future eras of energy recovery.
When factory programs end, proprietary powertrains are entirely decommissioned and destroyed, leaving rare prototypes like this as silent rolling shells. But it isn’t heading to a museum.
To bring this legendary chassis back to life for high-profile live events and public displays, Lee from executed a brilliant piece of engineering matchmaking, retrofitting the tub with a screaming, naturally aspirated AER P57 3.4-litre V6 and a Hewland sequential transaxle.
Lee brought the car to Bourne HPP to utilise our rolling road and industry-leading powertrain development expertise. With the vehicle intended strictly for high-profile demonstration work, engine management is taken care of by a top-tier Life Racing F88 ECU—where absolute drivability, flawless transient response, and robust reliability were the core focus of the calibration program.
Integrating complex control strategies into a genuine piece of F1 history requires specialised experience. Managing Director Terry Radbourne engineered the entire calibration mapping strategy from scratch, utilising his extensive F1-spec engineering heritage to ensure this hybrid pioneer performs flawlessly on demand.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where we breakdown the new V6 ICE architecture and the Life Racing strategies we optimised to make this engineering masterpiece track-ready.
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