TSX69

TSX69

Acura NSX Approved for Production!
Concept to Appear @ 2012 Detroit Show

Much to the delight of rabid, froth-mouthed fans—and more than eight years of teasing on Acura’s part—a proper second-generation NSX sports car is on its way. The concept version debuts at the Detroit auto show in early January. (You can dive into the NSX 2.0’s decade-long gestation here, from its shifting engine placement to prototype spy photos to being repurposed as a race car. And those are just the tip of the iceberg.)

The 1st NSX was a technological tour de force when it arrived in 1990. The mid-engine sports car packed a dual-overhead-cam V-6 under an all-aluminum wrapper. The engine made 270 hp, a staggering number for a 6-cylinder engine at the time. For all that, it was the car’s handling that was the most impressive—piloting an NSX is like having the controls hard-wired to your gray matter.

Acura has decided that the new NSX will again use a mid-engine layout and that it will follow the 1st car’s general philosophy: The 2nd-gen model will be relatively lightweight, efficient, and make use of lots of new technology.

The company is still quiet about powertrain specifics, but we can offer some educated speculation. The engine will again be a V-6, but this time the gasoline engine will play a role in an ensemble hybrid-electric drivetrain. One or more electric motors likely will power the front wheels, and translation services between the gasoline engine and the tarmac will probably be provided by Honda’s new 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. If this all sounds familiar, it’s because you read our own Mike Austin’s piece on Acura’s new hybrid AWD system. The impression we have is that the NSX’s powertrain will be inspired by the front-engine system Austin recently sampled in an Accord.

Styling-wise, the NSX concept we saw isn’t terribly far off from the sports car that Tony Stark (that’s Iron Man’s civilian name—or “Robert Downey, Jr.” if you want to get technical about it) drives in the upcoming Avengers movie. Proportions are similar to those of the original NSX: There’s a short, low hood, a relatively big canopy over the cabin, and a low, wide rear end. (The original car is pictured above—Acura hasn’t released official images of the concept yet.) This one’s also got side scoops to feed air to the engine.

When the car is unveiled at the Detroit show, Acura’s spokespeople are going to say this is a concept only. They may even say a decision is still yet to be made. But we hear it’s already received a green light for production, and will arrive sometime in 2012 or early 2013. It won’t be cheap, but Acura has no intention of approaching Lexus LFA pricing, either. We’d guess on a sticker in the $90,000-to-$130,000 range.

MASK

Kool tail.
It aint the Classic but I want it.
It was the same w 1080 P.

Nukem

Can't wait until the Detroit Auto-Show to see what Honda/Acura rolls out.

TSX69

BusinessWeek

NSX’s Return

Acura also plans other, more expensive models as it revamps its lineup.

A concept version of the NSX, Acura’s 2-seat supercar that left the line 5 years ago, will also be shown in Detroit. A concept version of the RL, Acura’s current top-end sedan, will be shown in New York in April, Poponi said.

The mid-engine NSX is to be the brand’s “halo” model, equipped with a new “sport hybrid all-wheel-drive” system for high-performance driving and fuel-efficiency, said Gary Evert, division leader for Acura research and development.

The NSX should go on sale “within 3 years” and probably can’t be sold for “less than $100,000,” Tetsuo Iwamura, Honda’s chief operating officer for North America, said in an interview in Las Vegas, without elaborating.

TSX69

Road & Track

A month before Acura will reveal the 2012 NSX Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, a select number of journalists and dealers were allowed to view it. Also on display was the TSX replacement, the ILX. No photos were allowed. Only my bad sketches and notes could leave the room. Photos of the concept NSX will be racing along the information highway shortly after the car’s unveiling January 10th.

Surprisingly, after the viewing, when I did a Google search for “Acura NSX spy photos,” there was one that actually looked like the car I’d just seen. Apparently Tony Stark will be driving a convertible version of the NSX concept in the upcoming Avengers movie. The concept to be shown in Detroit is dark silver and black. It’s not vibrant and flashy. And it’s not simply a mid-engine sports coupe. Instead it’s an all-wheel-drive hybrid, one wearing an SH-AWD badge on its rear decklid. Specifications will have to wait, as will final designs, but I can point to a few details that should make production, aside from its overall shape. This includes flying-buttress B-pillars, carbon-ceramic brake rotors and 255/35ZR-19 front, 275/30ZR-20 rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

It’s small and swoopy, with just two seats. Where will it fit in the world of supercars and other exotics? The first NSX had a moderately powerful transversely-mounted V-6 while others at the time had turbochargers or extra displacement. This time around, the performance of the NSX will be improved via an electrically driven front axle and a 7-speed twin-clutch transmission. Clearly this new all-wheel-drive NSX is not a conventional supercar; in fact, in many ways, it resembles the BMW i8 Vision Dynamics concept.

If anyone is wondering what has happened to the front-engine NSV—the V-10-powered, luxury sports car—it has been replaced by the NSX concept. Let’s hope that when it reaches production, we’ll see a lot of red, yellow and white paint. Dark silver just doesn’t do it justice.

Nukem

Wonder if anyone can photoshop this in Red Yellow and white?

24boosted

Meh, I feel nothing. Some cars will ignite excitement even in pictures. The original design did when it first came out. Elegant lines yet timeless and ahead of it's era.

This looks like a it could have been something of beauty, but rather an after thought. Like some sort of botched plastic surgery reject, an old lady trying to look young. The cheap ebay looking rims doesn't help it either.

combat mediC

iTrader: (1)

I'd take a 94 NSX over that anyday.


I wonder how current NSX owners feel... hopefully a few will chime in.

Nukem

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155456

Most of us want a Mid-engine setup as opposed to a Front Mid engine setup. The link above should give you a very detailed idea of how owners feel...if you care to read through all 15 pages. I personally kind of like it, needs some tweaking in some areas like the front. I can't wait to see a coupe.

EL_PIC

Retrologists love Retro.
New Technologists love Techno.

Regardless of what camp you fall in ...
The future auto industry will embrace improvements in Hybrid design and in time may become as mainstream like the motor car became mainstream over the horse.
At present - there are a few innovative concepts in what I would call the evolution of the Hybrid {ie. BMW, MB, Audi, Volvo, Porshe, Acura}. Time always tells ..

But in the meantime its still nice to horse around with Retro and Back to the Future...

RG04TL

Interesting..