One Man Gets a New NSX!

I am pleased to announce that I will soon be picking up my newly acquired 1993 black Acura NSX which I am purchasing from a long time member of the NSX Prime group named Brandee. The car is in San Francisco, but I’ll be meeting Brandee a week from today to pick it up and drive it back to Dallas.

For those of you not intimately familiar with the NSX, don’t worry… most people wouldn’t even be able to tell a Ferrari 308 from a Lamborghini Diablo because all of these cars are handmade in such limited quantities and you rarely see them in person.

So, allow me to take a little time to introduce you to the world’s only Japanese Supercar, the Acura NSX.

We’ll start with an Acura commercial for the vehicle:

Acura built the NSX in extremely limited quantities from 1991-2005. Each vehicle was built entirely by hand out of what can only be described as racing car components. In 1993 they built 608, of which only 194 came in the black exterior / black interior derivative.

ConsumerGuide.com had a good description of the vehicle so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel here:

Honda’s luxury division basically broke the sports-car rules with the NSX. For a high performance “exotic,” the NSX is extremely refined, reliable, and at least modestly practical.

Acura’s sports car offers a unique combination of race-car engineering, performance, and looks, along with its pragmatic virtues. Not only is this 2-seater extremely fast, but it’s also smooth, surprisingly quiet, and easier to drive than most high-performance cars.

Despite smallish engines, acceleration rivals that of the V8 Corvette and the late-’90s Porsche 911. Our tests bore out Acura’s performance claim, with 0-60 mph acceleration in 5.8 seconds. Even economy is impressive. A late-model 6-speed NSX averaged a relatively frugal 22 mpg.

Sure, some folks might crave more raw power, but an NSX offers most of the rewards of a true exotic with almost none of the usual drawbacks–except for its high price.

• The well-behaved automatic transmission is only slightly less rewarding than the 5 or 6-speed stick.
• Handling ranks among the world’s best.
• Steering is precise, though heavy for parking if not equipped with power assist.
• Cornering is flat and stable, braking short and true, noise levels acceptable.
• The ride is firm, but supple enough for such a high level of performance.
• Standard traction control enhances wet-road safety, but can be switched off when not needed.

On the down side, the low nose demands some caution around dips, parking-lot barriers, and certain speed bumps. Despite road-hugging styling and a midengine layout, an NSX affords easier entry/exit than most sports cars, including the Corvette, plus the best visibility of any exotic automobile.

Over-the-shoulder views are poor, however, and the top of the dashboard reflects in the windshield. Strong sunlight can wash out the electronic climate and audio displays, too. There’s enough cockpit space for husky 6-footers, and the dashboard is as user friendly as a Legend’s. Seating is low-slung but comfortable. Luggage space is sparse.

Finally, rather than blabbering on endlessly sometimes it better to actually SEE the evidence. So, here are two videos.

The first is British car enthusiast video magazine Fifth Gear’s tribute to the NSX when they announced that 2005 would be the final model year.

The second, is a compilation video which shows the NSX in true form. Kicking Porshe 911 asses and generally acting like king of the race track. Enjoy…

More Acura NSX info can be found here:

• Wikipedia NSX Entry
• Honda NSX Official Site
• NSX Prime Forums
• Musclecar Club

The photos and story of my new car starts here.