Human-oriented supercar
The Acura NSX is a two-seater supercar that comes as a coupe. The Acura NSX is the American name for the supercar that is known in most countries as the Honda NSX. The model was produced from 1990 to 2005, while the second generation was released in 2015. In any generation, the Acura NSX is characterized by high quality of all parts and components, excellent dynamic characteristics and higher reliability in operation compared to many popular supercars of leading brands.
Creation of the NSX
According to a popular legend, the legendary Ayrton Senna took part in the creation of the Acura NSX (New Sportscar eXperimental), who rode an experimental prototype on the Suzuki race track and concluded that the car was fast, but a little fragile. It was most likely due to the fact that the NSX was made entirely of aluminum. However, rumor has it that Honda engineers took Ayrton’s expertise into account and strengthened the body and chassis. It is also believed that the design of the NSX, created by Italian automotive design company Pininfarina, was inspired by the fourth-generation American light-weight fighter, the F16. Another popular hypothesis: the main developers, the engineer (and the director of the final version) Shigeru Uehara and the chief designer Masahito Nakano wanted to create a car that would compete with Porsche and Ferrari with a lower price but more reliability.
The first generation
It was produced from 1990 to 2005. The Acura NSX supercar was unveiled at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show, whereas the same car came out as the Honda NSX at the Tokyo and other auto shows. The developers worked very carefully on the NSX, experimenting for a long time with engines, body structure, individual components, and so on. In fact, the creation of the first Acura NSX has been continuing since 1984 (the Honda Pininfarina eXperimental concept), mostly from scratch, but taking into account the latest technical achievements and the most advanced sports cars at that time, such as Formula 1 cars. So, as a result of experiments with many materials, it was decided that the frame, body and most of the suspension parts would be made of aluminum. At the same time, the body was the world’s first production all-aluminum monocoque. Honda engineers spent several years on arranging weight distribution, and ultimately they managed to place the fuel tank and seats in such a way that the weight distribution to the front and rear wheels would always remain unchanged, respectively, 42% to 58%.
According to a popular legend, the legendary Ayrton Senna took part in the creation of the Acura NSX (New Sportscar eXperimental)
The supercar was initially supposed to be equipped with a 2-liter V6 engine, but then Honda developed a completely new 3-liter V6 engine, the weight of which was significantly reduced compared to analogues due to an aluminum block with cast iron cylinder liners, forged pistons and exhaust valves filled with sodium and Honda’s patented titanium alloy connecting rods. The original engine accelerated to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, developing a top speed of 273 km/h. In 1994, engineers developed an even more powerful and dynamic engine. Numerous specialists were involved in the creation of the Acura NSX. Even the painting procedure was established after several years of testing and included 23 processes. As a result, the goal was achieved, the first Acura NSX turned out to be an extremely reliable and technically advanced model.
2002 restyling
In 2002, the Acura NSX underwent a significant restyling, but kept the basic elements. The sports car still looked classic. Engineers removed the model’s famous but apparently unsafe signature retractable headlights, equipped the redesigned front bumper with a new lower air damper to reduce drag and lift, added new taillights and increased the front spring rate by 30%, and so on.
The interior design of the first generation NSX was inspired by the cockpit of a jet fighter, providing good visibility, easy-to-read instruments and comfortable seating. Like all Acura models, the NSX came with a long list of standard equipment and comfort and convenience features, including an automatic climate control system, a music system, power windows and door locks, cruise control, an electronic immobilizer system, and more.
The first Acura NSX caused a sensation in the automotive world and gained a whole army of fans. The first generation impressed motorists around the world so much that they created hundreds of NSX Owners' Clubs and BBC reporters wrote the NSX-Honda’s Super Sports Car book. But most importantly, according to the Japanese, from the 1990 to 2005, the Acura NSX drove hundreds of thousands of miles without the slightest malfunction, and the car was never withdrawn.
The second generation
The second generation Acura NSX has been produced from 2016 and to the present (as of 2021). The new sports car, designed and manufactured in the USA, is a mid-engine hybrid four-wheel drive coupe. Such an elaborate car has been reborn as part of the ‘human-oriented supercar’ concept, which always puts the driver first. The design of the car has been completely changed, becoming completely different from the first generation, but the main thing is that the exterior remains uncompromisingly sporty, practical, safe and adapted to driving at high speed.
Unlike its predecessor, the new Acura NSX is powered by a hybrid system consisting of three electric motors (two in front, one in the rear) and a twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine. The front end of the car works independently of the rear, which is controlled by a 9-speed automatic transmission.
The car has been reborn as part of the ‘human-oriented supercar’ concept, which always puts the driver first.
The NSX’s interior features one of the widest forward views in the segment, as well as simple and intuitive controls and ergonomic driver placement. The car safety is based on robust construction. The standard and optional safety options include:
- airbags for the driver and passenger;
- curtain airbags with rollover sensor;
- three-point seat belts with automatic tensioning system;
- vehicle dynamic control with traction control system;
- anti-lock braking system and so on.
In 2019, the NSX underwent some notable, but not very important changes, but it was thanks to them that the sports car took the first place among the hybrid cars of 2020 according to Motor Trend. The new Acura NSX has received the best reviews and many awards: The Road & Track named the NSX the Best Performance Car of 2017, at the same time the car has won the Readers Choice Car of the Year award from AutoGuide.com, and the Green Car Journal called the NSX the leader for a combination of productivity and efficiency, and this is not a complete list.
