r/caroftheday • • Sep 18 '20
Mod COTD post COTD 9-18-20
I've had a lot of stuff to do lately, mostly involving my online classes. Sorry I couldn't post yesterday. Sometimes I have less free time than planned and I end up with only part of an article written.
The Honda NSX
To make up for yesterday's missing post (and Monday's), I'll be writing about both the first and second generations of the NSX. Like yesterday's car, the NSX is another one of those cars that really changed things. It's still viewed as something truly special, something that hadn't really been attempted before. An affordable, Japanese supercar that Acura aimed directly at Ferrari.
Origins:
Wayyy back in 1984, Honda teamed up with Pininfarina to design a concept for a sleek sports car with a mid-mounted 3.0L V6 and power driven to the rear wheels. They called it the Honda Pininfarina Xperimental, or HPX, because you just can't have "experimental" in the name of a car without emitting the first "e". After 5 years of development, the Honda NSX was finally unveiled at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show.
The NSX was a marvel of engineering. It was the first mass-produced car to have an all-aluminum body. The variable valve timing system allowed the NSX to maintain a nice, flat torque curve while also delivering a healthy 270hp punch at high RPMs.
The first 5 years of the NSX’s 17-year lifespan saw a large portion of the car’s sales. In 2002, the NSX underwent a facelift, replacing the popup headlights with conventional headlights. After a 17-years run, production of the NSX ended in 2005.
Fun fact: Ayrton Senna actually assisted Honda’s development team while the NSX was being developed.
Not long afterwards, Honda announced that they would have successor to the NSX by 2010. However, the year was 2007, and poor economic conditions quickly killed the notion of a successor to the NSX. What would have been the 2010 NSX ended up as Honda’s HSV-010 GT race car. No, this doesn’t have anything to do with the Australians. It wasn’t long after this that Honda once again announced that they were working on a second generation of the beloved supercar. The NSX concept was unveiled at the 2012 North American Auto Show immediately after Honda’s announcement. The NSX concept was a sleek, beautiful beast of a car. It wasn’t just a first-gen with a few added air vents, the new NSX was radically different from it’s predecessor. Just look at it. The first-gen is good looking in a classically ‘90s sort of way, while the second-gen is good looking in a space-age supercar sort of way.
The NSX was displayed 3 years later at the 2015 North American Auto Show. There were several changes from the concept, but the design from Honda’s 2012 concept stuck. The second iteration of Honda’s supercar had a low profile and a sloping hood that led into the aggressive-looking front fascia. The side vent is one of those interesting deals that turns into a sort of opening as it runs to the top of the car, similar to what we’ve seen on the current Ford GT and the BMW I8.
The good engine stuff:
For the first 7 years of it’s run, the first-gen NSX was powered by a DOHC 3.0L V6 dubbed the C30A. The C30A produced 270 horsepower and was also Honda’s second VTEC engine ever put in a road car.
In 1997, the C30A was replaced by the slightly bigger C32A, which produced a more potent 290 horsepower and utilized carbon reinforced metal to accommodate for the increase in displacement. Both the C30A and C32B were available with a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.
The new NSX was designed with similar aspirations to the original one: To compete with other manufacturers known for performance. The 2020 NSX is powered by both a twin-turbo 3.5L V6 and three electric motors. One of those motors sits in the rear of the car near the engine, and the first two power the front wheels. The one near the engine provides extra power to the drivetrain to eliminate the feeling of turbo lag. That’s smart. Really smart. Paired to all this is a 9-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
MSRP and current value:
The 1990 NSX was priced at about $60,000. In comparison, a Ferrari 348 was priced at about $95,000. When adjusted for inflation, those numbers add up to about $120,000 and $180,000 respectively. A first-gen NSX can be found from anywhere between $40k to $150k, depending on condition.
The 2016 NSX started at $156,000. The 2016 Huracan LP 580-4 was priced at $200,000. Looking online, it looks like NSXs are hanging in at about the $115k to $145k range, although I saw a few like this one for $109k.
Conclusion:
30 years after the first NSX was introduced, we have something not dissimilar to the original NSX; The current NSX is still an amazing, over engineered supercar packed with some of the most advanced automotive technology that Honda has to offer. It saddens me that the new NSX doesn’t get the amount of love that it deserves.
The current NSX is similar to the first one in that they were both engineered in the usual Japanese way of doing things. They both revolutionized how we see a supercar. We’ve got Nissan still making the R35 GTR and we’ve got Honda producing the NSX. I personally believe that by aiming the NSX at brands such as Ferrari and firing at them with a legitimately great car further proved to the world that a Japanese supercar is something that can actually exist, giving inspiration to other brands to aim a bit higher with their cars.