Acura's 1991 NSX put an end to the era when sexy
supercars could be unreliable, ill-handling, ergonomic disasters. The
all-aluminum mid-engine marvel delivered laser-sharp handling and
high-revving acceleration suffused with Japanese quality, while
advancing the state of the production-car art with firsts like
four-channel ABS, titanium con-rods, and electric power
Since NSX production ended in 2005, the world
has eagerly awaited its replacement. A front-engine V-10 layout was
proposed and developed by Acura Design as the Advanced Sports Car
Concept. Everyone involved agreed that it was cool, but it wasn't an
NSX. The car you see here is.
Expected by 2015, the new NSX will employ a mid-mounted V-6, complete
with titanium connecting rods coupled to a wet twin-clutch seven-speed
transmission and hybridized with an electric motor driving the rear
wheels. Two more electric motors will spin the front wheels, providing
torque-vectoring under acceleration and braking to help the NSX turn
into corners better under all conditions. This Sports Hybrid AWD system
is purported to deliver big-V-8 performance with
"better-than-four-cylinder" fuel economy
We asked Honda's global CEO Takanabu Ito (who started his career as an engineer working on the NSX's aluminum monocoque structure) whether he felt it was important that the next NSX still be made of aluminum. He replied what was more important was that the engineering team face as great a challenge as his did as they work to offset the new car's hybrid drivetrain mass. When asked whether he'd established a weight-to-power target for the team, his coy answer was, "I hope it is better than the first car's." But if we assume that here again he expects to challenge his engineers to an equal extent, and we know that the first NSX matched Ferrari's 348 with 11 lb/horsepower, we can expect the 2015 car to at least match the current 458 Italia (and Lamborghini Gallardo) with around 6 lb/hp.
The sexy, show-stopping shape features Acura's softening Keen Edge design. Dimensionally, it measures 3.7 inches shorter in length on a 1.8-inch longer wheelbase, so overhangs are cropped. It's also 3.3 inches wider and 0.4 inch lower than the 2005 NSX. The concept rides on 255/35-19 front and 275/30-20 rear rubber. The low-profile headlamps are LED-based, and while there is no interior in the concept, design chief Jon Ikedo presumes the battery will package in the center tunnel, luggage compartments will be fitted fore and aft, and the fuel tank will slot in just ahead of the engine as before to preserve weight distribution as the fuel level drops. With production slated for "within three years," the shape has yet to undergo extensive computer or physical testing. Ikedo says early scale-model clays are performing well in the wind tunnel, but cautions that crash development is likely to grow the car somewhat. That development work, by the way, is all happening in the USA, and the car will be built in Ohio. Acura claims the next NSX will represent the "ultimate expression of man-machine synergy," with driver and car working in unison, rather than the driver being taken for a ride by a highly robotized car.
We asked Honda's global CEO Takanabu Ito (who started his career as an engineer working on the NSX's aluminum monocoque structure) whether he felt it was important that the next NSX still be made of aluminum. He replied what was more important was that the engineering team face as great a challenge as his did as they work to offset the new car's hybrid drivetrain mass. When asked whether he'd established a weight-to-power target for the team, his coy answer was, "I hope it is better than the first car's." But if we assume that here again he expects to challenge his engineers to an equal extent, and we know that the first NSX matched Ferrari's 348 with 11 lb/horsepower, we can expect the 2015 car to at least match the current 458 Italia (and Lamborghini Gallardo) with around 6 lb/hp.
The sexy, show-stopping shape features Acura's softening Keen Edge design. Dimensionally, it measures 3.7 inches shorter in length on a 1.8-inch longer wheelbase, so overhangs are cropped. It's also 3.3 inches wider and 0.4 inch lower than the 2005 NSX. The concept rides on 255/35-19 front and 275/30-20 rear rubber. The low-profile headlamps are LED-based, and while there is no interior in the concept, design chief Jon Ikedo presumes the battery will package in the center tunnel, luggage compartments will be fitted fore and aft, and the fuel tank will slot in just ahead of the engine as before to preserve weight distribution as the fuel level drops. With production slated for "within three years," the shape has yet to undergo extensive computer or physical testing. Ikedo says early scale-model clays are performing well in the wind tunnel, but cautions that crash development is likely to grow the car somewhat. That development work, by the way, is all happening in the USA, and the car will be built in Ohio. Acura claims the next NSX will represent the "ultimate expression of man-machine synergy," with driver and car working in unison, rather than the driver being taken for a ride by a highly robotized car.
The NSX won't be first with a hybridized
twin-clutch tranny, but, unlike the Jetta Hybrid's, its electric motor
connects to (we're guessing the odd) gear shaft instead of the input
shaft. By releasing both clutches, more energy can be regenerated with
no engine braking effect, and by connecting the motor to the (odd or
even) gear with the most advantageous ratio. Under acceleration, power
is transmitted through a preselected odd gear even when an even gear is
in use
