Honda NSX 2015

The year was 1989. ayrton senna was in Japan, testing his honda-powered McLaren Formula 1 car. a bunch of honda’s engineers, who had been at the same track testing a new sports car, came up to senna and asked for his opinion about their latest creation. They had spent months track-testing their all-aluminium Ferrari-challenger, and were more than confident that the Formula 1 legend would share their perspective. after a few laps, senna returned to the pits, and told them that it was “too fragile”. The launch was just a few months away, so honda scrambled to fine-tune the suspension, under senna’s guidance.

The touch of the master was all that was needed to complete the masterpiece. The engineers upped chassis stiffness by 50 per cent, and a legend was born. In the last 25 years we’ve seen our share of NsX concepts, changing in shape and engine displacement, not to mention the charred remains of one which were lying about the  ’ ring late last year. enough blue-balling then. Presenting the all-new honda NsX (we’ll gloss over the acura badge for now, thanks to  the americans).

Honda is still a little cagey about all the technical details, but here’s what we do know: there’s a mid-mounted 75-degree twin-turbocharged dry sumped V6 engine, mated to a new nine-speed dual clutch transmission, in conjunction with not one, not two, but three electric motors, to provide power while the turbo spools up. and you thought the Germans were good at electronic wizardry. said to have a total output of over 550bhp (on par with rivals like Porsche’s 911, Merc’s AMG GT, and the Ferrari 458), the electric motors are placed on each of the front wheels, while the third is meant to reduce turbo lag. No word on how much the NsX’s hybrid engine shares with the new range of honda F1 engines, though the Japanese company has confirmed that the engine uses a ‘race-inspired compact valve train and dry sump lubrication system’.

There’s a whole lot of electronic aids getting all that power to the 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, including  ‘super-handling all-wheel Drive’, where the engine sends power to the rear wheels, while two electric motors in each of the front wheels provide drive (independently) up front. handling is aided by ‘agile handling assist’, that subtly applies brake torque to raise cornering speeds, and ‘Integrated Dynamic system’, a four-mode dial allowing one to choose between Quiet (which we’re guessing is full electric), sport, sport+ and Track modes.

There’s also a launch control system that allows for a perfect start from standstill, benchmarked against the likes of the Tesla Model s and the Nissan GT-r. honda claims that it’ll leave both behind! a lightweight body made from aluminium, steel, and carbon fibre ensure a light and rigid structure. honda has packaged the sportscar so as to have all the weight in the middle (slight front and rear overhangs emphasise this), with the manufacturer claiming the lowest centre of gravity in its class.

There is a fully-independent all-aluminium suspension at the front and rear. Unlike its legendary predecessor, the new NsX will not be produced at Tochigi, Japan, but at the new Ohio facility in the Usa, hence the acura badge. what you do get for your money is Ferrari 458-level performance, 650s-esque electronics and a price tag that would ordinarily get you a Porsche 911 or an audi r8. Three electric motors, a twin turbo V6 engine and a target weight of 1400kg; sounds like honda's in the right spirit of things. Back in the day, the NsX gave Ferrari a serious fright, and resulted in them upping the game with the 355. Can't wait to drive the new NsX to see if it moves the game on yet again.