Has Acura cheaped out and sold out?
February 8th, 2007When the NSX was introduced it was so boldly innovative it changed sports cars and our expectations of exotics forever. The power to weight ratio came from light weight rather than big horsepower – the compact, mid-mounted V6 and groundbreaking all aluminum construction saw to that. The panoramic driving position was also a revelation – like Hondas of the day the low cowl and large greenhouse gave the driver a cinematic view of the road ahead and the sightlines to place the car within a micrometer of the apex. The light nose and sticky 16 inch wheels allowed the steering to remain unassisted for maximum feel. The car was an object lesson in how things turn out when the engineers are put in charge.
At first glance, the Advanced Sports Car Concept that hints at the next NSX has me wondering if the engineers had much say this time around. It seems as though the marketers demanded higher power and lower price whatever the cost to the car as a whole. With no more aluminum, a front mounted V10, a tiny greenhouse and a slab-sidedness that almost requires larger wheel sizes the Acura makes many of the same archtectural mistakes BMW did with this M5, and as anyone who understand cars can tell you the laws of physics can be bent but not broken.
I have no doubt the car will be a thrilling drive it its own right, but doesn’t the NSX deserve fresher thinking? In fact Audi’s R8 is a closer spiritual successor to the NSX than this!