The NEW NSX
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The NEW NSX
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Honda – or rather, its posh American relation Acura – has just whipped the sheets of the latest version of the NSX Concept. You may recognize it from the car we first saw in Detroit last year, only this time someone remembered to fit some seats and a steering wheel and other useful things inside. Which is why we elbowed our way through the scrum at the Detroit Show to be the first through the low, grey doors.
The theme? Simple and swoopy. The seat bolsters, grab rails and transmission tunnel seem to pounce forward, as if they’re making a break for the windscreen. But where most concept cockpits are works of fantasy with nowhere to put your cup of coffee, this one has a traditional rear-view mirror and storage compartments. You can see out quite easily. There’s an oblong screen in the middle of the dash, under which is a straightforward cluster of buttons for the gearbox, handbrake and sport modes. The steering wheel is round-ish, with three spokes. The seats are thin and beautifully sculpted. Actually, the whole thing feels very much like the inside of the McLaren 12C.
You could imagine it going on sale looking just like this, when it reaches showrooms in about two years from now. Honda’s people weren’t giving much else away, but we’ll eat our origami swans if it doesn’t have the petrol-electric powertrain and 4WD we speculated on last year. The petrol engine, mostly likely a 3.5-litre V6 with 400bhp, will be correctly placed in the middle of the car and power the rear wheels. Then there are two electric motors up front: one for each wheel, operating independently to sniff out grip and see-off understeer, plus another one in the transmission at the rear to boost engine power when asked. Together, the electric motors will most probably add about 100bhp to the powertrain, bringing the new NSX to 500bhp overall.
This version – probably one or two steps away from the final production model – is also slightly smaller than before, but we’re talking about a few millimeters trimmed here and there. Overall, the proportions are as low and taut as an Audi R8. In fact, standing beside it, with the roofline just above your waist, it’s hard to fathom how they’ve crammed all those motors inside. If it stays like this, you could be looking at one of the most exciting cars we’ll drive this decade. Here’s hoping, anyway…
TopGear
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The old NSX
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buQclf6SymA
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Paddle Shifters huh...
I would really like to drive a car with Paddle Shifters just to see what its like, ive herd a few people complain about it in the lower gears, but id really like to get a feel for it myself before i judge either way.
The front looks Great, not sure how i feel about the rear tho, where all the points come together above the License plate looks a bit odd.
Are the Exhaust Tips the Trapazoid looking shapes at the corners?
I would really like to drive a car with Paddle Shifters just to see what its like, ive herd a few people complain about it in the lower gears, but id really like to get a feel for it myself before i judge either way.
The front looks Great, not sure how i feel about the rear tho, where all the points come together above the License plate looks a bit odd.
Are the Exhaust Tips the Trapazoid looking shapes at the corners?
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R8 mated with new Mclaren F1.
The original, designed by Pininfarina themselves, looks sex. This just sucks and lacks any creativity and extraordinary design elements.
The original, designed by Pininfarina themselves, looks sex. This just sucks and lacks any creativity and extraordinary design elements.
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Well, here's hoping that the powertrain won't be half baked like the old one. I trust that it will be a good car though.
That interior is bloody lovely.
That interior is bloody lovely.
#7
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Half-baked? The old powertrain was amazing! Titanium con rods, first use of VTEC on a road car, electric power steering and an electronic throttle body... all contributing to an 8,000 rpm redline and 270HP 23 years ago! The new one offer no such technological leaps.
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The old one was a monster and still is. Honda slapped a 3000lb phallus on the table and everyone had to deal with it.
I'm the farthest thing from a honda fan, but no one can deny what the NSX was. The new one is just a half-assed answer to the question. It might be fast, but unless they are hiding a lot, the new one is just another poorly conceived super car for the sake of supercardom.
Like he ^ said, give us more than a pretty face. There had better have the mind of a NASA engineer, the heart of a rabid lion on bathsalts and eloquent panache to seal the deal.
I'm the farthest thing from a honda fan, but no one can deny what the NSX was. The new one is just a half-assed answer to the question. It might be fast, but unless they are hiding a lot, the new one is just another poorly conceived super car for the sake of supercardom.
Like he ^ said, give us more than a pretty face. There had better have the mind of a NASA engineer, the heart of a rabid lion on bathsalts and eloquent panache to seal the deal.
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^Amen to that!
I would drive an original NSX and I hate Honda! Hyundai never had that legacy but Honda was never in the WRC, twice (and a third this year).
I would drive an original NSX and I hate Honda! Hyundai never had that legacy but Honda was never in the WRC, twice (and a third this year).
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Titanium con rods, first use of VTEC on a road car, electric power steering and an electronic throttle body... all contributing to an 8,000 rpm redline and 270HP!
Which endowed it with a scintillating 13.47 second quarter mile time - the pontiac firebird of the same era was producing the same times with pushrods and murrka.