The Honda NSX Concept
Discussion
Fashionably late or just late
Ok, so the Honda NSX concept shots do look amazing I admit it and the good news is that after being teased with a bunch of concept ‘sneak previews’ it should look very much the same when it eventually goes into production. But apart from a no doubt ‘magical’ powertrain that I’m sure will combine the forward thrust of a jet plane with the fuel sipping capacity of a cactus, will it be ‘amazing’ enough to make a truly ‘epic’ late entrance into the stacked supercar market? After all it’s been over a decade since the original NSX ‘the supercar you can drive everyday’ ended production. Now when that came out in the early 90’s it brought a level of practicality and ease of use to the ‘really fast car’ segment that made not only the likes of Ferrari sit up and take notice but it forced the whole automotive world to step up their game.
But In a market already littered with an abundance of hypercars do we really need one more? Well that’s a stupid question; of course we do, but what ‘new’ thing will the NSX bring to the party this time? You see “time and tide wait for no man” and in the decade or so that Honda have been out of the supercar game things have moved on. Porsche has gone on to perfect its 911 making it one of the best all round supercars money can buy. Nissan have cemented their reputation by building the giant slaying performance car bargain of the decade the GTR (although it’s starting to get a bit expensive now) and Bugatti wrote themselves into the record books and onto the bedroom wall of every adolescent petrol head the world over, with their 250+ mph Veyron. Of course that doesn’t stop a whole host of talented car makers from having a go; enter: Pagani and Koenigsegg to name but a few.
So what can Honda do? Well, we shall see. Maybe Honda are holding back from us some of the real secrets about this car and with a production date as far away as 2015 who knows maybe it will be powered by hydrogen cells and be able to fly! The only thing is, by then, what will the competition be doing?
Ok, so the Honda NSX concept shots do look amazing I admit it and the good news is that after being teased with a bunch of concept ‘sneak previews’ it should look very much the same when it eventually goes into production. But apart from a no doubt ‘magical’ powertrain that I’m sure will combine the forward thrust of a jet plane with the fuel sipping capacity of a cactus, will it be ‘amazing’ enough to make a truly ‘epic’ late entrance into the stacked supercar market? After all it’s been over a decade since the original NSX ‘the supercar you can drive everyday’ ended production. Now when that came out in the early 90’s it brought a level of practicality and ease of use to the ‘really fast car’ segment that made not only the likes of Ferrari sit up and take notice but it forced the whole automotive world to step up their game.
But In a market already littered with an abundance of hypercars do we really need one more? Well that’s a stupid question; of course we do, but what ‘new’ thing will the NSX bring to the party this time? You see “time and tide wait for no man” and in the decade or so that Honda have been out of the supercar game things have moved on. Porsche has gone on to perfect its 911 making it one of the best all round supercars money can buy. Nissan have cemented their reputation by building the giant slaying performance car bargain of the decade the GTR (although it’s starting to get a bit expensive now) and Bugatti wrote themselves into the record books and onto the bedroom wall of every adolescent petrol head the world over, with their 250+ mph Veyron. Of course that doesn’t stop a whole host of talented car makers from having a go; enter: Pagani and Koenigsegg to name but a few.
So what can Honda do? Well, we shall see. Maybe Honda are holding back from us some of the real secrets about this car and with a production date as far away as 2015 who knows maybe it will be powered by hydrogen cells and be able to fly! The only thing is, by then, what will the competition be doing?
Hopefully this new NSX will move the "sensible supercar"TM market on to a new level - one of high efficiency, low fuel consumption at reasonable cost to the motorist - almost a 918 for 911 money, if you will.
Figures of >300kmh and <6.5l/100km spring to mind.
I very much doubt if this car will even be within sniffing distance of the performance of the hypercars of the past 10 years - it won't be a top speed golly - it will be an alternative that will appeal to those with more modest budgets and aspirations. Whether this will lead other manufacturers to move in the same direction remains to be seen.
When the NSX went out of production in 2005, it was out of date, but because the production volume was so low (less than 3000 3.2l NA2 NSX were sold in the preceding 9 years, worldwide) they are still a very sought after machine.
The new NSX will have to win over the American buyer, hence (one reason) why it is to be built there. Sure, it will not cost less than a corvette and have a lower top speed than a corvette, but it will have to be a better driving and lifestyle experience than a corvette.
I thought that Jaguar would have got there first with the C-X16, but they didn't - the F-Type doesn't have the hybrid element that the C-X16 promised.
Moving the sector forward in a leap rather than by small steps is what Honda is hoping to do with this car.
This halo car from Honda will have to be both aspirational and ground breaking, just as the previous car was in 1991.
Figures of >300kmh and <6.5l/100km spring to mind.
I very much doubt if this car will even be within sniffing distance of the performance of the hypercars of the past 10 years - it won't be a top speed golly - it will be an alternative that will appeal to those with more modest budgets and aspirations. Whether this will lead other manufacturers to move in the same direction remains to be seen.
When the NSX went out of production in 2005, it was out of date, but because the production volume was so low (less than 3000 3.2l NA2 NSX were sold in the preceding 9 years, worldwide) they are still a very sought after machine.
The new NSX will have to win over the American buyer, hence (one reason) why it is to be built there. Sure, it will not cost less than a corvette and have a lower top speed than a corvette, but it will have to be a better driving and lifestyle experience than a corvette.
I thought that Jaguar would have got there first with the C-X16, but they didn't - the F-Type doesn't have the hybrid element that the C-X16 promised.
Moving the sector forward in a leap rather than by small steps is what Honda is hoping to do with this car.
This halo car from Honda will have to be both aspirational and ground breaking, just as the previous car was in 1991.
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