GTP Cool Wall: Acura/Honda NSX

1990-2005 Acura/Honda NSX​

This should go in the Ice-box.

SUB ZERO!!

One of the greatest sports cars ever! And let's not forget the it was developed with the help of none other than Ayrton Senna!!

Ice Box the above commenter says? It's daring, but I like it! Agreed!!!

Cool enough despite being a Honda that the man on the street thinks is probably a Ferrari.

Yes, its cool alright.

It's cool. A nice coupe-convertible, a reliable, everyday MR sports car, and one of the few cars of it's time with a manumatic. It's not sub-zero because it doesn't have amazing power, but its shape is crisp, clean, and is worthy of a museum.

They say Senna particpated on the project. Ice-box NOW!

I must confess to becoming a big NSX fan over the past couple of years, it's up there was one of the cars I'd most want to own of them all. Would I call it sub zero? Perhaps not, at which point I was already to select just cool until I thought of one name. Senna.

That's enough to drag it to sub zero for me.

Edit: I was writing my post when the above popped up, anything with a bit of Senna magic is instant SZ to me.

I think the whole Senna connection has been very overplayed by Honda's marketing department. Other racing drivers had more input then he did.

Ice-box is to cold for this one, you find them parked in the street in not super condition sometimes .

However always loved it, real sports design, daring and well made. Sub-zero for me.

Still extremely cool.

It's a cool car no doubt, but not quite enough to be sub-zero to me.

Uncool, not many people outside the car world know what it is so you would have to explain it to them, which means it's uncool.

TheCracker

I think the whole Senna connection has been very overplayed by Honda's marketing department. Other racing drivers had more input then he did.

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The Senna connection may be overplayed, but it's still there. Even better is the Zanardi special edition, coming off his successful run at CART. Yeah, yeah... he sucked in F1, but Zanardi is still my favorite...

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Justin

Uncool, not many people outside the car world know what it is so you would have to explain it to them, which means it's uncool.

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Since when has anyone needed to explain a mid-engined supercar? You will more likely need to explain to Joe Schmoe that no, this is not the Ferrari you're looking for....

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This the car that gave us the modern Ferrari and helped usher in the age of the hypercar.

No, really.

When the NSX came out, it put Ferrari's then-current midship sportscars to shame. It accelerated better. It cornered better. It rode better. It was more benign, more predictable, more useable and more communicative. And with the very first variable-valve production engine, all-aluminum construction and titanium bits, it was more exotic, too. So the on-paper numbers were unimpressive... it did more with those numbers than any car of its time.

This forced Ferrari to get serious about building sports cars again. Hence the competent 355... the even better 360... the fantastic 430 and the supercar-level 458.

Gordon Murray used it as a benchmark for building the McLaren F1. Anything that causes such an epic thing to come about is epic times two.

It annoys Audi no end, when they claim to have built the first aluminum production car (and they still try!), when someone reminds them of the NSX.

It was so good that it left Honda baffled as to how to further develop it without ruining that fine balance between power and lightness. They eventually gave up and left it virtually unchanged for fifteen years. (note: production ended in 2005, not 2001!)

And lastly: this is a car that people commute in, abuse, ruin with modifications and just plain run into the ground. It's not uncommon to see secondhand ones for sale with ridiculous mileage on them. And yet they're still going. Like the McLaren, it's one of those rare supercars that actually sees the rain from time to time. The percentage of runners versus garage queens elevates this one beyond the common supercar. Say hello to hydrogen snow.

niky

Since when has anyone needed to explain a mid-engined supercar? You will more likely need to explain to Joe Schmoe that no, this is not the Ferrari you're looking for....

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First, this is a sports car, not a super car.

Second, if a normal person is mistaking your car for another uncool car, it kind of makes your car uncool.

I'm not saying it's a bad car, just that it's not a cool one.

Neat enough, if a little boring for a mid engined car, styling wise. Great engine. Cool

The Type R is a serious performance car, but the regular NSX isn't quite as good to drive as it's reputation.

Justin

First, this is a sports car, not a super car.

Second, if a normal person is mistaking your car for another uncool car, it kind of makes your car uncool.

I'm not saying it's a bad car, just that it's not a cool one.

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Ah... here's the rub.

You'd actually have to explain to poor old Joe that it's just a sports car... not a super car... getting into an esoteric discussion of the delineation between sports car, super sports car and supercar... verging on the nitpicky when you start to touch on the topic of "heritage"... and coming incredibly close to geek-ish when you start to enumerate the requirements for achieving the "exotic" badge.

Does it look like a supercar? Yes.

Does it go like a supercar? When it was released... yes. (And no, you can't go by today's cars, because supercars of yesteryear are terribly slow by today's standards... and yes, the NSX isn't all that great by today's standards.)

Does it have exotic construction like a supercar? Yes. (again... even more exotic than "supercars" of its time).

So... why isn't it?

Justin

Second, if a normal person is mistaking your car for another uncool car, it kind of makes your car uncool.

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If anyone is mistaking this car for anything - it's a Ferrari. Which is a very cool thing.

Walking down Colorado blvd. in Pasadena I came across one of these. Now, typically the restaurants there have Lambos and Ferraris parked out front. I've seen tons of extremely expensive cars there, and passers-by just pass right by. But THIS one... when I spotted an NSX in front of a restaurant.... people actually stopped to look at.

Any car that gets the up-front valet treatment (which this one will) is automatically cool. If they think it makes a restaurant, or resort, or whatever, look that much better - it means the car is cool. That it can STILL do that 20 years later makes it just that much cooler.

In fact, this car is so insanely cool that I'm struggling to figure out why I'm having to explain it. Any car that can slow down traffic (which this one will) is instant-sub-zero.

This is a supercar.


290HP isn't even close to supercar range even in the early 90's. Hell the C4 Corvette was making 375 in 1990.

Edit: Also, most people mistake this for any other Japanese compact, hell I've shown people pictures of an NSX and they ask if it has a 4-banger in it.

An NSX is not a supercar... examples of Supercars of the NSX era would be F40, McLaren F1, Bugatti EB110, XJ220, Diablo.

The NSX is in the same class as the Ferrari 348/355, or non-turbo Porsche 993/996.

It seems to me that several people in this thread are confusing "fast today" with "outstanding in 1990."

Stotty

An NSX is not a supercar... examples of Supercars of the NSX era would be F40, McLaren F1, Bugatti EB110, XJ220, Diablo.

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One of those things is not like the other one. One of those things just doesn't belong.

Stotty

The NSX is in the same class as the Ferrari 348/355, or non-turbo Porsche 993/996.

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Actually, the NSX upon launch would be compared to the 964 Turbo. And Ferrari Testarossas, Corvette ZR-1s and the like.

Whereas a Ferrari 355 will be owned by some snobby fool on Rodeo drive who can't afford a newer one, an NSX will be owned by a young guy with a good job and more interest in Recaro seats, Volk wheels, and Hot Version videos than visiting a concourse; somebody you could actually hang out with and talk about cars. That's cool.

Keef

....an NSX will be owned by a young guy with a good job and more interest in Recaro seats, Volk wheels, and Hot Version videos than visiting a concourse; somebody you could actually hang out with and talk about cars. That's cool.

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That's NOT someone I'd like to hang out with and talk cars... aftermarket modifications are not cool to all people.

In any case, in Europe at least, that statement is utter rubbish. 355's and NSX's are enthusiasts cars... they are still expensive to buy and cost even more to run. Neither of them are likely to be owned by 'young guys' as they wouldn't be able to insure them.

Keef-> I love that video, almost made me cry.

BT-> The NSX is underated in the world of Corvette ZR1, Carrera's, 300ZX, 3000GT/GTO, and RX-7's. The car was a perfect example of balance between sport and functionality, therefore...

SUB-ZERO-> Just look at it! Even in todays standards, this compared to a 360 Modena. The Modena would look pedestrian compared to this. This car will still turn heads! Sure at first it was an underwhelming cruiser, up until the Type-R was released (but enough of that). And this car set the benchmark as an everyday, easy-to-use "supercar". Plus Gordon Murray got inspired of building the MacF1 because of the NSX. This was Honda's pinnacle milestone for the company. 👍

EDIT: This car should be in Kelvin's Box! Nuff said.

It's a great car, but it doesn't really have anything extra to put it into subzero.

Justin

This is a supercar.

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Not saying it isn't.

Justin

290HP isn't even close to supercar range even in the early 90's. Hell the C4 Corvette was making 375 in 1990.

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Clarification... the C4 Corvette ZR-1 was making 375 hp in 1990. And that was a car that was twice the price of a regular Corvette, built with bespoke engines on a modified chassis. It was slightly cheaper than the NSX, but it was also considered something of an American supercar during its time. The NSX had nearly 100 hp less, yet was only 4-5 tenths slower to 60.

Justin

Edit: Also, most people mistake this for any other Japanese compact, hell I've shown people pictures of an NSX and they ask if it has a 4-banger in it.

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You go around showing people an NSX picture to prove a point? Most people who know nothing about cars struggle to identify the NSX as Japanese. In fact, many automotive novices haven't the foggiest that an MR2 isn't a Ferrari, and that it is, in fact, a four-banger. Those of us who do know what an MR2 is, snicker at the Testarossa conversions. I've had people straight up ask me if that little yellow Toyota in the corner is a Ferrari... (and yes, I can cite who, when and where that happened... that car spent a loooong time at the shop for the turbo conversion).

I'd actually ask you... what do they mistake the NSX for? A Civic? A del Sol?

Except for tifosi who have nothing better to do with their time than to sneer down their noses at pedestrian automobiles that don't catch fire every other week, most people stop to take a gander at an NSX parked on the street. Unless they know who actually builds Acuras, they won't know it's Japanese, and unless they see what's under the lid, they won't know there's anything less than a V12 under there. An NSX is an occasion.

Maybe not so for motorheads who think a 0-60 is the be-all and end-all of performance, but really... bragging numbers are not cool.

I think this car is beautiful, especially the more recent versions with the fixed headlamps rather than the "hiding" lamps. Performance is respectable, but please remember that what the NSX lacks in HP it makes up with suspension/chassis engineering. The NSX Type-R is a perfect example of this.

Best Motoring has a wide selection of DVD's featuring NSX's and on a track they are formidable.

niky

Not saying it isn't.

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I'm not saying that you said that, mearly pointing out that the NSX isn't a super car.

You go around showing people an NSX picture to prove a point? Most people who know nothing about cars struggle to identify the NSX as Japanese.

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Almost everyone I know knows Acura is owned by Honda and most of them can't even change their own oil.

I'd actually ask you... what do they mistake it for? A Civic? A del Sol?

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They don't mistake it as some other car, they just say it's a Japanese car and ask if it has a 4-banger.

most people stop to take a gander at an NSX parked on the street.

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People also stop and look at the Chevrolet SSR, doesn't make it cool. I would guess most of the people who stop and look at an NSX are thinking "What the hell is this?", which again doesn't equal cool.

Havok_-> According to the boys in Top Gear UK TV, pop-up headlamp are already cool by default. Clarkson oogles them!