Update: 600HP V10 and $160,000 Price Tag Rxpected for Acura’s NSX replacement
Posted on Tuesday 29 July 2008

Updated: Acura’s replacement for the NSX is still more than two years away but a number of key details about the car have been revealed by an inside source at Honda. According to the insider, the styling of the new car will be very similar to the Advanced Sports Car Concept from last year’s Detroit Auto Show and its future price tag will be around the $160,000 mark.

The car’s lines will favor efficiency over style, with much of the design derived from Honda’s F1 program. According to Edmunds, a prototype set a blistering Nurburgring lap time of 7m 37s on its first attempt and the final number should easily slip below 7m 30s and into Corvette ZR1 and Nissan GT-R territory.

The key to its performance is high-speed stability. The rear section of the car supposedly acts as a giant rear diffuser, designed to keep the 1,476kg (3,256lb) supercar glued to the road. The other factor in the performance equation is the car’s 5.5L V10 engine, which the insider revealed would output upwards of 600hp (450kW) and 433lb-ft (586Nm) of torque. When not at its peak, the engine will be able to deactivate half of its cylinders to save fuel and lower emissions. Drive will be sent to an uprated Super-Handling AWD system via a new six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Original: Our spy photographers have been busy tracking the new Honda NSX prototype at Germany’s Nurburgring test track and have managed to hand time the car with some stunning results. In this early phase of testing the new NSX is already doing lap times of 7:38m, not far off some of the best official times ever recorded at the circuit. The time was achieved with some traffic on the circuit, but it’s not possible to judge how it affected the run.

The photographers also managed to get a shot of the interior. There’s not much to see, but one thing is certain, this car is being operated with paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel. With an expected 2010-2011 release date, the new NSX is therefore likely to be powered by a dual-clutch gearbox.

Original: Honda’s NSX replacement has had several false starts, with the company scrapping one of its original designs – the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept - after the public’s largely negative response to the 2007 Detroit show car. Designers were sent back to the drawing board and Honda was forced to abandon its original plans to show the car at the following Tokyo Motor Show.

Despite the drawbacks, engineers were able to continue testing the new mechanicals for the car by using a modified S2000 body and we saw the first test-mules running laps at the Nurburgring by the middle of last year. The latest round of spy shots suggest Honda has come up with a final design for the car, as seen by this latest prototype once again spotted at the Nurburgring in Germany that’s very likely to be the replacement for the legendary Honda supercar.

Speaking with MotorAuthority back in April, Acura spokesman Mike Spencer confirmed several details of the upcoming NSX replacement. The car will definitely be powered by a V10 engine, and it will be equipped with the company’s SH-AWD system. The lack of intakes at the rear of the car also confirms the NSX replacement will feature a front-engine configuration, as opposed to the mid-engine layout of the former.

There has been some discussion of a possible four-wheel steering system (4WS) for the NSX replacement, but Spencer suggested the SH-AWD system would achieve most of the benefits of 4WS without the added complexity.

The NSX replacement is now expected to arrive sometime in 2010 as a 2011 model with final pricing expected to be revealed closer to the car’s release date.

TOKYO — Honda thinks that the zebra-pattern camouflage we saw at Germany's Nürburgring in June will disguise the new look of its V10-powered Acura NSX replacement. But our sources in Japan, using some insider hints, have disrobed Honda's flagship sports car more than two years ahead of its unveiling.

Given what we see in these renderings, the grand tourer is neat but not gorgeous, and follows the 2007 Detroit Auto Show concept car's lines closer than first thought. And that's a shame, because the two-seater Acura's expected price tag of $160,000 will place it right on top of much prettier rivals in the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Maserati Gran Turismo and Jaguar XKR.

Like the Nissan GT-R, the new Acura V10 has left inspired styling behind and instead has opted for a more practical aerodynamic exterior. The car's upslanting keyhole-shaped headlights and narrow grille seem somewhat ordinary sitting above a huge gaping airdam and ducts to channel gulps of cool air to the engine and brakes.

Our insider explains that Honda has employed as much F1 design as possible to generate maximum downforce and straight-line stability. That is why the NSX replacement was able to turn up at the Nürburgring and rattle off a red-hot lap time of 7 minutes, 37 seconds on its first attempt, and without any cumbersome rear wings. Our source predicts that when Honda returns to the 'Ring for the autumn testing season, it will almost certainly post a time under 7:30, giving the GT-R a real run for its money.

In contrast to Nissan and Lexus, which have used heavy rear transaxles in their GT-R and LF-A supercars to deliver equal front-rear weight distribution, Honda's trick for generating stability and downforce is pure aerodynamics. The Acura supercar will tip the scales at around 3,256 pounds, more than 550 pounds lighter than the GT-R. A quick look at the camouflaged test mule reveals extra-heavy padding around the C-pillar, which our insider hints is hiding F1-inspired design.

The secret: The whole rear section of the coupe is like one big rear wing.

Fitted with a 5.5-liter V10 generating upwards of 600 horsepower and 433 pound-feet of torque, the future Acura produces a thrilling exhaust note. And when speed is not the issue, the V10 deactivates five cylinders to save fuel and lower emissions. The V10 is bolted to a quick-shifting six-speed dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels, while a revised version of Honda's Super Handling AWD system generates the car's prodigious grip levels, enabling such a quick 'Ring lap time.

What this means to you: Aiming to be faster than the GT-R and ZR1 and yet delivering more luxury and a better ride than the LF-A, Honda is working hard to pull off a double-whammy. — Peter Lyons, Correspondent