UPDATE: 2026/10/31 13:00 EST BY SEAN MCMANUS The Honda Passport Hasn't Had A Ladder Frame In Decades We added a section with information about the only time Honda's Passport was a body-on-frame 4WD off-roader. Earlier this week, we said that Honda was planning more capable TrailSport versions of its Passport SUV, but we didn't expect anything like this. It's a full-on Passport Trophy Truck, and it's pointed directly at the checkered flag at the Baja 500 next year. The 1,300-horsepower truck is chasing Honda's 23rd overall win at the event, already more than any other manufacturer. Since it's a Honda, naturally it's a hybrid V6 that should crush the V8s that everybody else uses. Honda's Most Powerful SUV Ever It's called the Honda Passport Baja Spec, though it has about as much in common with a 2027 Honda Passport as it does with the government-issued passport sitting on your dresser. The trophy truck was designed and built by Honda Racing at the company's Southern California facility with help from Mason Motorsports, and it will have two-time Baja winner Bryce Menzies behind the wheel for the race. While every part of a trophy truck is a work of mechanical art, it's the engine that sets this one apart. Typical trophy trucks use massive American V8 engines, nine-liter beasts that make more than 1,000 horsepower, able to hold together for the grueling event. Not Honda, though. This one uses an engine that's tiny in comparison. It's a V6 that displaces just 2.4 liters, and it's based on the engine that Acura uses in its GTP prototype race cars. In those cars, it has won the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring. With twin turbos and an 800-volt hybrid system, the engine makes more than 1,300 hp, making the existing trucks look like slugs in comparison. The transmission is a special five-speed made by Mason Motorsports. It is mounted ahead of the engine, and it has two rear driveshafts. One goes to each rear wheel, driving each wheel through a set of bevel gears instead of a traditional ring and pinion rear axle. Up front, portal gearsets maximize ground clearance and optimize suspension geometry. Does This Preview Some Kind Of Wild Production-Spec Passport? If you're dreaming of a production Honda jumping sand dunes Raptor style, don't get your hopes up. Honda claims the Passport Baja Spec will debut some serious tech in the racing series, but there's no hint of something this insane going to dealerships. For Baja, it will be the first in class to have dual-axle brake by wire, and adaptive traction control. To hit all the buzzwords, it will have "AI power deployment," whatever that means. The bodywork is carbon fiber, and Honda Racing used computational fluid dynamics to optimize how it cuts through the air. Side channels behind the wheels cut drag, while the exhaust outlets have fins to enhance aero performance at the rear. Honda Racing uses Mason's Gen 2 chassis, winner of five consecutive CORE Original Truck Chassis Manufacturer of the Year awards. But Honda gets its own rear frame for the engine and hybrid system. The Honda Passport Hasn't Had A Ladder Frame In Decades Honda's trophy truck is an exciting endeavor for the automakers, but it likely doesn't mean much for the road-legal SUV that you can actually buy. Honda is about to offer its first body-on-frame model in decades, which will be a rebadged Mitsubishi Triton, within the next couple of years. However, the Passport will almost certainly remain a unibody "soft-roader." It wasn't always that way, though. The first and second-generation Passports were actually body-on-frame models with real off-road capability. Of course, they were just rebadged Isuzu Rodeos, but that's beside the point. The first-gen model was equipped with true 4WD and a low-range transfer case in addition to a rear limited-slip differential. Its 34-degree approach angle and 8.2-inches of ground clearance helped it avoid bottoming out or getting stuck on steep inclines and boulders, too. CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters: Does racing enhance the breed? This could show, at least, that racing enhances other racing. We'll have to wait and see how the new truck performs. Honda has loads of two-wheeled experience at Baja, but it's no stranger to four wheels, either. In the past, it has used versions of its 3.5-liter V6, so it will be interesting to see how this new idea performs. And while this isn't remotely a production vehicle, Honda has expressed interest in building more-capable off-roaders for customers. Building something for Baja is certainly a good way to test components and tech that could one day make it to a production Passport. Honda plans to reveal the new truck at SEMA next week, and the truck will make its racing debut at the Baja 500 in June. Honda Passport Trophy Truck (16)
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Liked by Carter Lavoie, Gabriel Côté
