The Impact Of The Acura Nsx}

The Impact of the Acura NSX

by

Richard Luck

When the Acura NSX came out in Asia as the Honda NSX, it took the world by storm. This super sportscar was created by Honda to rival the high-end Italian sports cars such as Lamborghini, Ferrari and the Aston Martin. Manufactured from Japan, the NSX had been the pride of the Japanese automobile industry from 1992 to 2005, where it ended production.

In 1984, Honda decided to initiate the project of developing a high-end sports car by hiring the renowned Italian car designer company, Pinifarina. They were famous around Europe for designing cars from Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar and even Rolls Royce. Originally the project was called the Paninfarina Xperimental or the HPX project. It was supposed to include a 2.0L V6 Engine; however, Honda knew that the car could not compete with its Italian rivals. So they decided to scratch the project and start the New Sportscar Experiment or NSX for short.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eojcsEwowtI[/youtube]

Instead of going to the Europeans for help, Honda hired Executive Chief Engineer Shigeru Uehara for the new NSX project. In this new concept car, Honda decided to release their new technology called the Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control known as VTEC. If you are familiar with Hondas, you know that today VTEC is the signature feature in all the Honda model cars, including their minivan, the Honda Odyssey. So in reality, the NSX paved the way for generations of Honda sports cars for years to come.

The Executive Designer in charge of the NSX project, Ken Okuyama, really did a great job with the design of the car. His effort and attention to details really paid off as the car is now considered a classic in its own class. Okuyama was inspired by F16 fighter jet and actually based the interior of the car off the cockpit of the plane. The frame and suspension were both made from aluminum, which had never been seen before. The car was able to reduce its weight by 200 kilograms from its steel counterpart.

After the concept car was completed, it was debuted in the Chicago Auto show in 1989, where it mesmerized the whole auto industry. Following the production release of the Honda NSX in 1990, Hondas sister company came out with the Acura NSX in the United States. Even today, this amazing sportscar is considered a classic that not many cars can compete with. It is not only elegant in design but also aggressive, fierce and extremely quick. Honda did a great job with the first NSX and is expected to release the new NSX in 2013. The whole world is watching to see whether or not that can create another masterpiece.

Richard is a car enthusiast who has been working with high end sports cars such as the

Acura NSX

for many years. You can check out some of the cars he has worked on at

The Garage Way

.

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The Impact of the Acura NSX }

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