Honda has announced its global customer GT3 program, with the NSX GT3 set to be made available to customers for the 2018 season.

The reveal was made at a press conference in the paddock at Spa-Francorchamps on Thursday afternoon, ahead of this weekend’s Total 24 Hours of Spa.

A total of 12 cars are set to be made available for customers to race next year, with deliveries commencing in October. The program will run for seven years, through the car’s homologation period, with the capacity of up to 70 cars to be produced over that time.

The car will be available to customers for €465,000 ($545,000 USD).

“The GT3 environment is fantastic because it is global. You can race with customers in all of the different series, whether it’s sprint or endurance, whatever,” said Robert Watherston, Head of Honda Motorsport Europe.

“It’s a perfect opportunity for us to reach a lot of people. It’s our flagship car, so we get a lot of publicity from the car, we hope all around the world. GT3 gives the best chance for that.”

JAS Motorsport, which built the car in Italy, will serve as the technical support partner for teams in Europe and China, with Mugen set to provide trackside assistance in Japan and Honda Performance Development in North America.

The expansion into customer racing comes after the debut of the Acura-badged NSX GT3 in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge, in single-year factory supported programs.

Michael Shank Racing has claimed two victories with the car in WeatherTech Championship competition so far.