The History of the NSX

Found a really good article for all of you NSX fans out there....
By Steve Neil
JDMGTR

Welcome to part one of my history of Japanese sports cars. I thought I’d begin with a car that started out as a great superpower in the world of exotics, and ended as a victim of poor marketing and even poorer decisions.

The Honda NSX (AKA the Acura NSX in the US) was heralded as a Ferrari killer of its time. It had nowhere near the power of most of the German and Italian supercars. However it did have the comfort, handling, low weight and reliability that most of them lacked. It was a truly amazing piece of machinery, one that brought back the essence of sports cars, where the driver’s pleasure was the number one priority.

It wasn’t so much what Honda brought to the table, as how Honda smashed the table down to the floor.

In mid 1987 Honda was in the middle of a financial crisis that was crippling the world. They had just signed a contract with Mclaren’s F1 team to join the Formula One drivers championship for 1988, and the President of Honda wanted a car made to celebrate the contract. A chassis design from 1986 (by Pininfarina) was to be used, and Takeo Fukui assigned Shigeru Uehara to make a car that weighed less then the current Ferrari 328 GTS, which produced more horsepower. It needed to handle better, and it needed to look just as good. The Uehara set out on his task, but his work was about to be shot down…

In early winter of 1987, he came back with the designs. He had high hopes, with a mid mounted V6 and a beautiful body. While he was quite pleased with his work, Takeo Fukui was not. He had insisted first and foremost that the new car be lighter, but it ended up being heavier than even the Mondial, as Shigeru Uehara had decided to use fiberglass for the main components. Fukui sent Uehara back again, and aluminum was chosen instead, as it weighed less. The only drawback was its durability.

By mid 1988 the car was ready. When it was unveiled, it wasn’t even really that groundbreaking, and nobody took it seriously. That is, until the test drives started.

With 280 horsepower from a tiny V6 in the back, and even less weight then the newly introduced 348 from Ferrari, the car was garnering rave reviews. Opinions were at first mixed on the design of the car, but they quickly softened due to the 348’s oddly proportioned body, in comparison to the NSX’s smooth lines.

It featured a black greenhouse and pop-up headlights, as well as a great sound system and a polished leather interior. It didn’t sputter, or spat, and with a 0-60 time of a little over 5 seconds, it was awfully good for the day. It handled better then any contemporary Ferrari or Lamborghini, with even Gordon Murray saying it was his inspiration for the legendary McLaren F1.

By 1992, Honda had hit success with NSX. It was marketed around the world, and it was pushing boundaries in driver enjoyment. Honda, however, wanted to up the ante, and decided to hit a home run with the NSX-R. This R moniker was suggestive of the car’s racing heritage, and all the things that you had thought you’d known about the NSX were thrown right out the window. The stereo was gone, as was the sound deadening that would hold it in place. Air conditioning was dumped, too, in favor of… well nothing. This is what made the NSX-R a true driver’s car. There was nothing to bother you, and nothing to distract you from the task of driving, and driving HARD (which the re-calibrated suspension was guaranteed to deliver).

Recaro Redback seats were fitted, and inside a custom Honda shift knob in brushed aluminum caught your eye right away. The silver Honda badge was replaced with a red one, and the only colors offered at launch were White, Yellow, and Black. More colors were added later on, but even with all the uniqueness that the car offered, it was never sold in America.

In 1995 Honda added targa tops to the mix, and in 1997 raised the power to 290, and offered the S-Zero and Zanardi editions to Euro and Asian markets, in order to give some variety to an aging design. The S- Zero offered a stiffer suspension, and the Zanardi was a special edition designed in referendum to the famed racer. In 2002 the NSX received a facelift all round, and power was raised unofficially to 320 horsepower (Honda officials decline to disclose how much the power was raised). It featured new side sills, and a new rear bumper and light setup, as well as a brand new front end that offered fixed headlamps, instead of the old popup units. The car got to 60 in only 4.7 seconds, but was still well behind it’s now updated competition. A new Type R was offered as well, with 340 horsepower, a new carbon fibre hood with a rearward facing scoop, and new carbon fibre rear wing. The interior gained carbon accents, and the car could bump out 0-60 in only 4.4 seconds. This car however, was the last update that the NSX would see.

In 2005, production ceased of the NSX. Heralded by many as one of the most attractive cars in the world, it left sadly outdated. Still, even today, its handling and reliability cast a shadow that modern cars have yet to counter, and it still makes heads turn.

Having driven a few NSX’s, I can tell you that the car is indeed a pleasure to drive. The rear tends to float at low speeds around corners, but I can’t think of any car that can still turn heads after 20 years, and still be stable enough to drive at 100 miles per hour with a coffee in your hand. This car made Japanese cars what they are in my opinion, and thankfully, it’s legacy lives on in enthusiasts worldwide.

Happy and safe driving.

Source (with more pic's);
http://blog.cardomain.com/2009/02/03/the-history-of-the-honda-nsx/#more-10757