dom

And I learned that you don't need a name brand goalie to win a Stan......oh wait

Yumcha

NiemiSX.

Moog-Type-S

Fibonacci

Very aggressive goals for performance. If (and thats a big IF) the NSX performs anywhere close to those alleged numbers, it will prob be on the pricey side of an R8. Hope I'm wrong though.

Just imagine if Honda had diverted just a small chunk of the time, energy and resources they spent on the HondaJet and ASSimo -- but instead had actually improved on the NSX. Coulda, woulda, shoulda...

Let's hope there are still a few car guys left at Honda to get this show on the road.

KillerG

It will be on the pricey side of the NEXT-gen R8, so those are goals Honda is gonna have to seriously consider looking at for a 2015 release. The supercar market wont stagnate will Honda experiments with the e-ShAwd drivetrain

ttribe

Motor Trend has a red NSX concept on the cover this month and a bit more extended discussion of the car. My takeaways: 1) it looks good in red; and 2) the expectations for this car are already HIGH. Hope Acura can meet them.

MotorTrend Link

ttribe

An NSX Spyder in the works?



More here: MotorTrend

Hapa DC5

Nice, find your way Honda, find your way....

ttribe

+1

Moog-Type-S

I think we all knew this was coming when Tony Stark was driving one around.

Ken1997TL

Acura's denials were very half-hearted.

Yumcha

How about releasing the damn coupe first?


But, yes...looks good.

is300eater

was this done with one of these?

Mizouse

Meh no sense on bitching about this car, won't even be able to afford it. ever!

Moog-Type-S

Colin

I've been meaning to comment on this sentiment as I've seen it in various forms a few times. A quick look of a compilation of 0-60 times from different eras shows that, in actuality, supercars have largely stagnated performance wise. Back in the '80's the Porsche 959 could just crack into the high 3's for 0-60 but most were in the low 4's. In the 90's, all the top 10 could do it, but many were "one off" or tuner cars except for the Porsche 595, McLaren F1 and F50. By 2000s, the fastest were into the lower end of 3 seconds, but again, most were tuner cars, only the Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo were 'regular' production cars. In the next decade, the Corvette ZR-1, Viper, Carrera GT2, and GT-R broke into the middle 3 second range but the rest were tuned versions (not counting the Veyron).

I guess what I thinking is that for the last 20-30 years, it seems like REALLY fast cars have been 'tuned' versions of already fast cars. OR they cost a half million plus to buy. I think the NSX will be well received if its performance is in the 4.0-4.5 second range and the price is in the 100k-130K range. And 2013, 2014 or 2015 won't matter although like everyone, I think the sooner the better!

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Unfortunately for Acura, the 2013 GT-R has hit 60 in as little as 2.7 seconds on stock tires and the Porsche 911 Turbo S can pull off a 2.9s 0-60 run.

4-4.5s will absolutely, positively, not be fast enough for a $100-130k sportscar.

Colin

Well, I've sold the old NSX and there were always faster cars than that one too. Each of my customers did not care that the ZR-1 or 911 might have been a tick faster, because they did not WANT a Vette or Porsche. IMO, the car needs to be 'in the range' but will sell for the same reasons as the older one did, because it's NOT like the other guys.

knavinusa

The current 911 Carrera S and the R8 are $100k+ but they do 0-60 in the 4 second range.

VTEC Racer

Exactly. People don't pass on cars just because it doesn't have a 0-60 time that is similar to the GT-R. If that was the case then nobody would be buying an R8/F430-458/Gallardo/911/ and whatever other supercar you can think of that doesn't go from 0-60 in less than 3 seconds.

Ken1997TL

Speak for yourself

krio

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I love the flying buttress'.

KillerG

I mean, you are right, and obviously we wont be seeing cars in the next few years hitting 0-60 in .5 seconds, and a 4.0 0-60 would be very adequate, but you need to remember that it will still be important for it to compete with its immediate peers. Even the lauded audi r8 was criticized as underpowered at its time of release.

Another oversight you are making, is that while your analysis of 0-60 times may have shown a trend of stagnation, you are not accounting for the fact that safety regulations have continuously increased and added more and more weight and complexity to cars over the years and the weight increasing at the same time the horsepower did might have led you to that observation.

Performance is definitely not stagnating though.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Considering that the 2002 NA2 NSX-R with 280hp and a regular 6MT without AWD traction and peak torque at very low rpm, it was already capable of 0-60mph in 4.4s and 1/4 mile in the mid 12's. I think the new one with an extra gear ratio, AWD traction, instant torque, dual clutch tranny, and extra power will be faster....while getting good mpg. It will not be the fastest car for the price for sure. It's never been that way for the NSX. The R32 GT-R was faster than the NSX back then at a fraction of the price.

Colin

Regarding safety, this is true. However, since the NSX will be born into these stricter regulations along with it's peers, the playing field is level and it's (somewhat) a moot point. So from that point of view, maintaining performance while gaining safety stuff is actually improving. On a similar note (and one not touched on) is that if it sold for $130K, adjusted for inflation its pretty close to the original too.

I guess my thoughts are that somehow in 'internet vernacular' the word 'compete' somehow translates into 'win'. Technically it only means to enter into competition, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I expect the NSX to 'win' in some areas and lose in others. It will be cheaper than some, more expensive than others. It will be faster to 60 mph than some, but slower than others. I suspect it will be VERY competitive when it comes to lap times since the eSH-AWD will come into play more here. Probably not a big deal, but it'll also probably have among the best fuel economy.

krio

Automobilemag

Honda already announced that its next generation of fuel-efficient powertrain technologies would be called Earth Dreams, and now Honda Europe CEO Manabu Nishimae has revealed more about the future of Earth Dreams tech. Speaking today at the Geneva Motor Show, Nishimae said that Honda will extend its Earth Dreams innovations across the company’s entire lineup — including the new Acura NSX supercar.

“We aim to be number one in fuel economy in each sector within three years,” Nishimae said. “Through Earth Dreams Technology, Honda will continue to minimize our environmental footprint.”

The first new Earth Dreams engine in our market will be the 2.4-liter inline-four in the 2013 Honda Accord. In Europe, the first new Earth Dreams engine will be a 1.6-liter diesel. It will launch in the new Euro-market Civic and is claimed to be the lightest diesel engine in its segment, and produces a hybrid-like 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer. It will be built in the U.K., starting by the end of this year.

Nishimae confirmed that the new Acura NSX will be sold in Europe by 2015, although it will be badged as the Honda NSX. The car’s combination of a V-6 engine and three electric motors is meant to provide “supercar acceleration and outstanding efficiency.”Earth Dreams technologies will be incorporated on the NSX’s powertrain.

In addition, Nishimae hinted that Honda may consider building a smaller hybrid or electric sports car. “[The Acura] NSX is the ultimate top-line sports model, could we develop a smaller one?” he asked rhetorically. He pointed to the EV-STER electric roadster concept, making its European debut in Geneva, as an example of how Honda could blend a fun driving experience with responsible performance.

Finally, Nishimae said that Honda will launch a race car, based on the European Civic, in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. It will be powered by a turbocharged, direct-injection 1.6-liter engine, and makes its debut in October at Japan’s Suzuka Circuit.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I can agree with that somewhat.

But in my mind, competing =/= an also-ran

From all the rumors Ive seen on this car, ~400hp, AWD, low 3,000lb curb weight, torquey electric motors, 7speed DCT; 4 to 4.5s to 60 doesnt add up.

Im not saying it needs to be rocketship fast like the GTR and 911 Turbo S I mentioned above, but something in the 3.7-3.9s range seems much more acceptable given the rumors.

Colin

Well, to be clear, it's not as if I'm begging for a slower car. Just saying that a 0.1 or 0.3 second difference won't make or break the car (except on the internet).

KillerG

If I came off trying to say I want the NSX to be a class leader in performance, I was misunderstood, when i say compete, I mean what you mean, which is that I expect the car to be in the same range of consideration with its peers for price and performance, it doesnt necessarily have to do anything great or even excel in that regards, but just to be taken somewhat seriously.

For example, I would like the successor to the TSX to be able to compete with the 3 series. As it is now the TSX is nowhere near that level. But if in the future one day it does compete with the 3, I atleast know, even if it loses every single test, that it will be in damn good company, and still be a good car.

In my original statement, this is the type of sentiment that I was getting across, that I hope the NSX when it launches is in the same realm as some of its similar kin (debatable subject at the moment)

F23A4

Another point -- and credit to be given to Honda -- was that that although the original NSX did give up some performance to many of its peers, it was also designed to have the durability of a daily driver, with little more maintenance and upkeep required than say a Honda Accord. Back 'in the day', most of the NSX's exotic peers (and even it's upstart competition: Z32 TT, MKIV and FD3S) did require expensive upkeep.

Maybe some NSX owners here can attest to this or not.

As far as the projected performance with the new NSX, let's wait and see. BMW has a history projecting some fairly conservative performance numbers, with real world production numbers being notably better. Maybe Acura is doing likewise.

KillerG

was this seen?
some video closeups of our hometown hero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S841KFELGX0&feature=relmfu

Legend2TL

From the two people I know who have NSX's and what others have said that is very true. Low cost of ownership and fairly trouble-free.

One other aspect which the NSX brought to that market segment is it was very easy to drive up to it's limits. This was also brought up by others who had no association with Honda at the time (Mario Andretti and Gordon Murray have both praised the overall NSX in it's performance aspects as well as being easy to drive).

It didn't have any flaws in it's handling and had great overall balance. When the rumors of the front engine replacement surfaced i was disappointed in that it was not mid-engined.

Murray's comments on the NSX.

http://japancarblog.com/2009/05/04/g...cura-honda-ns/

That's the main aspect I would hop Honda does with the 2G NSX keep it's DD aspect as well as it's very driver friendly manners with excellent chassis feedback

People sometimes get obsessed with numbers in performance cars and not the actual experience. A few years ago in a interview Paul Tracey talked about buying a Lamborghini and was disappointed in the car. It had great performance numbers but he didn't like driving it for a variety of reasons (handling felt disconnected, heavy feel, ...).

About the only only disadvantage of the NSX was lack of torque/power.

ttribe

More NSX Roadster Concept:
More here: http://www.desktopmachine.com/press/...oncept//23751/

Pic (click for 1920):

doopstr

Now if they would just make the rest of their cars pretty.

Edward'TLS

The rims look very nice indeed. Wish they can make it to the production model.

MuGen7Modulo

Has been told, wheels are Enkei RAZR.

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/18-enkei-razr-dunlop-direzza-rubber-low-miles-09-tsx-tpms-829512/

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&s...1&tx=48&ty=105

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Very sharp.

TSX69

Driving the Avengers Acura NSX Roadster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=6zsd_xtJSrw

It's sunrise at Honda's test track outside of dusty California City in the Mojave Desert when the plain white, unmarked semi pulls in. We know what's coming. We're here to drive Tony Stark's personal Acura NSX Roadster, the only one like it in the world.

"That truck came from Stark Industries," someone cracks as the crew opens the trailer. "It could be powered by that thingie in Iron Man's chest."

Then the car rolls out onto the ramp and no one says a word. The Acura NSX may just be a movie prop for the new superhero action blockbuster The Avengers, which opens May 4, but it's gorgeous. Stop and stare, devastatingly, truly gorgeous.

Watching it move off the truck in slow motion is like watching Ursula Andress come out of the ocean in Dr. No. Or Phoebe Cates walk out of the swimming pool in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Or Megan Fox get off her motorcycle in Transformers. It could only be better if it were backlit and there had been an Aerosmith ballad playing in the background.

Stark Raving NSX
It's not the 2015 Acura NSX, which has been making news on the international auto show circuit since January, but it looks enough like it to fool most people. Nope, this is the Acura NSX that never will be, but is. It's a leak over from the parallel universe that's run by Marvel Comics. And we're as shocked as you to learn that its role in The Avengers is just a cameo in the final few seconds of the film.

There aren't any headlights or outside door handles or a roof, but it's not merely a cobbled-together movie prop either.

We've driven enough movie cars to know that, more often than often, they're beat to Hell and barely ambulatory. Not this time. Unlike many movie cars, The Avengers Acura NSX Roadster wasn't built to perform stunts. Therefore it wasn't beat on. The script never asked this car to do a single burnout, Rockford or jump.

Avoiding such antics means this car remains in show-ready condition. But because it wasn't engineered for such extreme driving, it also means it's a bit fragile. In fact, the NSX Roadster rides so low it'll scrape its nose running over loose change and needs to be unloaded from the plain white truck with kid gloves...and another pair of kid gloves over those kid gloves.

The doors open easily and feel solid — like a real NSX. Once they're open, however, what awaits the driver is a throwback interior barely changed from 1990. That's because, under its skin, The Tony Stark Acura NSX Roadster is really a 1991 Acura NSX.

Since the interior wasn't getting screen time, there was no reason to screw around with it. With the exception of the Procar seats, some Iron Man red paint on the center console and a hunk of electrical tape where the top center vents should be, the interior is untouched right down to the tape deck.

"We knew it would have to be reliable for filming and we couldn't come up with anything that would be more reliable than an original NSX," explains Dave Marek, division director for Auto Design at Honda. Don't complain about them chopping up an NSX. How cheesy would it have been if they had used a Fiero?

So the base for Stark's movie car is a 1991 Acura NSX similar to Inside Line's current long-termer. However, where IL's machine has around 53,000 miles on its clock, the car upon which Stark's was built shows a stunning 252,000 on its odometer. "We didn't want a car that was too nice to rip apart," said Marek.

Stark Measures
Marek's designers were already deep into developing the NSX Concept that was shown at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit when The Avengers Acura NSX assignment was handed to them. It was natural that that concept would define the styling themes used for Stark's ride. "It's not an exact copy," says Marek, "but it's definitely inspired by the Concept car."

That inspiration is obvious, but in some ways the movie car is even more beautiful than the Concept. Stark's car has a more gently rounded nose and a more pronounced dip behind the front wheels to the doors. The tail is more rounded, too, with a voluptuous taper the Concept lacks. And, of course, Stark's car is missing a roof.

Although it was designed by Marek's team at Honda HQ in Torrance, California, the car was built by the Trans FX prototype shop in Oxnard, California. That's where the resin and fiberglass body was formed, equipped with custom-fabricated LED taillights and covered in the same shade of red as Iron Man's suit. "I know it doesn't look like the same red," explains Marek, "but I think with the movie lights and such it looks brighter."

The Avengers Acura NSX sure looks like a real car. There aren't any headlights or outside door handles, but it's not merely a cobbled-together joke either. Even up close it seems ready to rocket.

Off the Trailer
The familiar driving environment is such that for a moment you can be fooled into believing it's just another NSX. It gets even more familiar when the ignition key is turned and the familiar sound of the 270-horsepower, 3.0-liter V6 is added to the mix — a little louder in this open car than it is in an NSX coupe. Even after all those miles, the Stark NSX's five-speed manual transmission feels solid as it shifts into 1st gear.

2nd gear, however, would have to wait.

In deference to the Stark NSX's compromised structure, that it was engineered to run only up to 30 mph and its near-future life as a promotional item for the film, Acura asks that we keep our driving speed to under 20 mph. Since it's Acura's car, its PR guy is standing right there and there's a severe vibration in the structure, we oblige. So what we can say is that, up to about 20 mph, the Stark NSX feels and drives like the NSX that it is.

With no top or side windows, The Avengers Acura NSX has better visibility than an unmodified NSX. The front windshield is larger and more steeply raked than standard, but the driver can still locate the front corners easily.

Onto the Road
The Stark car's 245/35R18 front Hankook tires are a big chunk wider than the 205/50R15s that were standard on the 1991 NSX. Add the 2-inch-lower ride height and you've got severely restricted steering angles. The steering circle of this car is nearly in geosynchronous orbit — so huge that when you turn it around you have to worry about hitting communications satellites. That said, though the steering is heavier than stock, at our low speeds it seemed talkative enough.

Out back, the 255/35R20 rear Hankooks also represent a big step up in size from the standard 225/50R16s, but clearance doesn't seem to be a problem. Then again, there aren't many potholes in the test track to really test clearances and we aren't running through corners quickly enough to load the suspension.

Purely for aesthetic reasons, the Stark NSX runs new, oversize brakes with detailed rotors and calipers. In non-panic stops from upward of 17 mph, they feel pretty good.

Even an NSX with a quarter-million on its clock and some of its structure hacked away is still a great car. Given time and a budget to chase after the Stark NSX's bugs and glitches, this thing could be an epic, street-driven roadster. But it's more likely destined for a spot inside the Honda Museum.

Built To Star
For a vehicle constructed only to survive a few fleeting moments of screen time, the Stark Acura NSX is beautifully crafted. "We found the base car in Arizona," recalls Rick Bordanaro the vice president of business development at Trans FX. "We just needed one that was straight and complete for the project. I'm pretty sure we paid something like $18,000 or $20,000 for it. Then we flew a guy out to Arizona and he drove it back to California." No one at Acura will share how much was spent transforming the car into Stark's ride.

The base car was so straight that Trans FX was able to remove the bodywork, index the car on one of their 5 axis milling machines, cover the car in big blocks of foam and then carve out the new body shape right there on the car. "The whole aft end is milled foam, while the nose is mostly fiberglass. It's less fragile in real life than we assumed it would be."

As such, this car is yet another testament to how great a car the original NSX was and is. When the next NSX gets here in 3 or so years, The Avengers Acura NSX will be 1 more element in a heritage it needs to which it must live up.

After a day with the movie car, we're convinced that Stark's NSX is one of the most impressive movie cars ever built. It's right up there with the Batmobile and the Eleanor Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds. Not the original, the 1 with Nic Cage.

Honestly, it was tough to see it loaded back onto that plain white truck. If we're lucky it's destined for greater things in Iron Man 3 and The Avengers 2 and whatever other movies that might come along that threaten the Marvel Universe.

Allen-

lol