Visit any midwestern American car show during the summer, and the streets will be lined with Mustangs and Corvettes. When we think of high performance here, that is often what we think of. American muscle with large displacement motors and huge horsepower. Honda also used to build performance vehicles, but they were never the kings of the drag strip. They were the kings of the road course. Honda’s flagship super sports car was (and will be again) the NSX. The NSX was sold in the United States under the Acura nameplate. The NSX is a vehicle that we believe will become a future classic.
The Acura / Honda NSX in refreshed trim.
We are particular fans of the refreshed version of the NSX, which ran from 2002 – 2005. In 2002 the vehicle received fixed HID headlamps and a revised suspension. Also the NSX came with a removable roof panel.
The NSX featured a removable roof.
What makes it a future classic is that it was Honda’s real attempt at building an everyday super car. Early in the last decade, people with money purchased vehicles like the Lamborghini Diablo and the Ferrari F355. Those Italian vehicles were often plagued with reliability issues and zero everyday livability. Honda launched the NSX with a higher price than any of its vehicles prior, and promised the excitement of an Italian thoroughbred with the reliability of a Honda.
The 3.2L VTEC engine was mounted behind the driver for weight distribution.
The NSX featured a 3.2L V6 that was all aluminum, and featured Honda’s VTEC technology. For the $80k USD+ cost of entry, the vehicle seemed underpowered with only 290hp. However, when taken to a race track it had lap times that could rival anything at the time.
The NSX’s taillights were the give away feature at night.
For those wanting a super car experience, but do not want to put the time and hassle into maintaining a broken-down car, the NSX is the vehicle to own. To this day the vehicle still looks modern and fresh, and is a great vehicle to learn how to drive quickly on. It was the first everyman’s everyday super car.
