Name: Honda NSX: A Closer Look at The Still-Super Vintage Supercar
Uploaded: 2020-09-14T14:46:17.202424+00:00
Duration: 600 s
Channel: GTChannel

GTChannel

The NSX was a shot across the bow of high-performance car makers when it debuted in the early 1990s. What the NSX lacked in cache as a new Japanese arrival, compared to its more established American and European rivals, it made up for with extraordinary handling, exceptional power-to-weight ratio (thanks to revolutionary aluminum construction) and ease of use unrivaled by the Italian, German and Detroit heavyweights of the day. 

We look inside this pristine example of a 1994 Honda NSX made for the Japanese market and find out what still makes it such a compelling supercar after nearly three decades.

<p>The NSX was a shot across the bow of high-performance car makers when it debuted in the early 1990s. What the NSX lacked in cache as a new Japanese arrival, compared to its more established American and European rivals, it made up for with extraordinary handling, exceptional power-to-weight ratio (thanks to revolutionary aluminum construction) and ease of use unrivaled by the Italian, German and Detroit heavyweights of the day. </p><p>We look inside this pristine example of a 1994 Honda NSX made for the Japanese market and find out what still makes it such a compelling supercar after nearly three decades.</p>

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Stylish lines on this 1994 Honda NSX hide just how innovative this car was in its day. The NSX was the first mass-produced car to make extensive use of aluminum in the body, chassis and suspension.

Honda NSX: Stylish Lines Hide Innovative Design

The NSX was renown in its day for superb handling. That's not surprising when you consider one of the greatest all-time F1 drivers, Ayrton Senna (then sponsored by Honda), lent his hand in chassis testing and development. The NSX was so good it even inspired Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1 supercar, to use it as a benchmark when developing the McLaren's handling character.

Honda NSX: Precision Handling Was Its Signature

The 3.0-liter V6 engine (coded C30A internally) generates 270 horsepower, which wasn't especially impressive at the time, given the Corvette, Ferrari and other exotic choices of the day. Today, the V6 in Honda SUVs makes more power. 

But the C30A was notable for including VTEC, an innovative Honda technology that generated more power at higher engine speeds by varying the camshaft profile. The new technology originally debuted in Honda's more mainstream Integra sports car in the Japanese market, and engineers had to scramble to include it on the flagship NSX when the supercar made its debut in the American market. 

Adding the new technology made the engine physically larger, such that it sits in the engine bay at a slight angle.

Honda NSX: Flagship Car Nearly Missed Honda's Newest Tech

Japanese auto manufacturers use golf bags as a kind of benchmark when considering cargo needs. That's not much of a surprise given the popularity of golf in Japan, and especially in a high-end sports car designed to appeal to Japanese customers with the means to indulge both car and golf hobbies. 

The frunk? Not much room for anything except the spare up there.

Honda NSX: Trunk Built For Discerning Golfers

There's no especially graceful way to get in or out of the NSX given its low roof height and low-slung sport seats. But once inside, you'll find a cockpit that envelops you like a luxury touring car. Primary controls are placed precisely where you need them, and those low-slung sport seats are actually quite wide and comfortable, unlike many examples in today's Japanese cars. Perhaps it's no surprise that NSX designers and engineers were inspired by the layout of F-16 fighter jet cockpits. 

And like many Honda cars made in the 1990s and still on the road today, this NSX shows great durability of its interior materials.

Honda NSX: Fighter Jet-Inspired Cockpit

A supercar in its day, the NSX was still renown for its accessibility. No hyper-sensitive clutch, notchy shifting feel, or heavy steering here. If you could drive a Civic with a 5-speed manual, you could drive an NSX. 

Despite its 3.0-liter displacement, the V6 isn't blessed with prodigious low-end torque, although the car's relatively lightweight makes that less of an issue. But where the NSX's V6 truly shines is high in the rev range, when VTEC takes over and uncorks the engine's additional upper-end power. 

This particular 1994 example still has cable-actuated throttle. Soon after, the NSX shifted to a "drive-by-wire" electronic throttle, which helps with fuel efficiency but is less responsive than a cable throttle.

Honda NSX: The Supercar That Drives Like A Civic

Part of the appeal of Honda's and Acura's more mainstream sports cars, like the Civic Si and Type R or the former Integra and RSX, is the noticeable change in power delivery when the VTEC system engaged. So noticeable in fact that it gave birth to the "VTEC just kicked in" meme. 

But in the NSX, VTEC engagement is far more subtle, perhaps befitting a car of its price and place in the market. It's no surprise that Honda chose to market the NSX in the U.S. under its Acura luxury division. The NSX remains a practical, everyday supercar that is at home handling the mundane duties of daily life, or chasing records on a racetrack.

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