Honda NSX

Developed by Grand Prix legend the late Ayrton Senna, the brilliant Honda NSX looks and goes like a Ferrari yet is as easy to run as an Escort LX!

On the one hand Honda was known for high–revving motorbikes of all sizes, on the other, somewhat surprisingly, rather boring yet highly reliable cars for grey-tops living in God’s waiting room. Admittedly there are some high performance cars in Honda’s genes; the little 360s, 600s and 800s with twin-overhead camshaft, quadruple carburettor engines and more recently the ‘R’ versions of the Accord, Integra, and Civic. Honda only made its fi rst product, a motor assisted bicycle, the A-Type as recently as 1947 but in the next 40 years became very powerful with huge research and development resources. From the day it was launched the Honda NSX, with its all aluminium construction,  Grand Prix heritage and Ayrton Senna input was destined to be a true classic very quickly. The fact that it was made in very small numbers and for a relatively short period makes it even more desirable.

History

The father of Honda Motor Company, Soichiro was born in 1906 and during a happy childhood inherited a manual dexterity and curiosity about machines from his blacksmith father Gihei. Soichiro left elementary school in April 1922 and joined Art Shokai, an automobile servicing company. He worked hard and impressed his boss who gave him more authority and Soichiro not only learned engineering but also customer relations and business methods. All this would equip him well for the future. He worked for Art Shokai for many years and even raced its cars but it was in 1946 that he fi nally set up his own company making power assisted bicycles which were launched to the public in 1947. Over the next few years the cycles became motorbikes and it wasn’t until 1960 that Honda fi rst produced a four wheel vehicle, a small truck. The engine from this was used in the fi rst car in 1962, the 360 a small opentop sports car which developed over the next 4 years through the S600 into the S800, first shown at the 1966 Earls Court Show. This sold well until 1970 when Honda developed the CVCC engine which helped provide its World-wide success. The NSX is a limited edition all-aluminium (even the seat runners!) supercar with a normallyaspirated V6 engine located behind the driver. It was really developed to raise awareness of Honda’s prestige brand, Acura in the USA although Acura’s original advertising claimed that In the mid-eighties Soichiro Honda decided that his engineers needed some action at the track and the NSX was created right next to Honda’s proving ground over several years. They set out to develop an exotic, radical yet stunningly practical sports car.

It is common knowledge that Ayrton Senna had a major input to the development of the NSX but it is less well known that (according to Honda’s press offi ce) Honda actually lengthened the wheelbase as Senna felt it was too ‘twitchy’ – acceptable for racing drivers but a little dangerous for the average wealthy American. The car was fi rst shown in 1989 although launched in the UK in January1991. Early cars had 271bhp naturally-aspirated 3 litre V6 allaluminium engines with either a five-speed manual box or four-speed automatic. Various small upgrades were made until July 1995 when a ‘Targa’ version was added. February1998 saw a signifi cant ‘facelift’ and the manual version engine was increased to 3.2 and 277 bhp with a sixth ratio added. The four-speed F – matic version’s power was reduced to 253 bhp. Finally, in 2002 the ‘pop–up’ headlamps gave way to faired-in units and 17” alloy wheels were fi tted. At that time £10,000 was knocked off the price which must have seriously annoyed current owners. There was a limited edition hardcore, strippedout version the NSX-R which was launched in 1992 but unfortunately not imported into the UK despite being right hand drive.

Driving

Sports cars have a moved a long way since the late-eighties yet even now the driving experience of this car is as good as any supercar currently available. The Ayrton Senna ‘touch’ is unmistakeable and despite just six cylinders, only 3.2-litres and no turbo, it goes like a rocket. It feels like a racing car rather than one for the road yet it is extremely smooth and quiet with an amazingly compliant ride. While the enthusiasts go for the manual, the four-speed automatic is very impressive and will change speeds quicker and more smoothly than any enthusiast with a manual box. The manual version has been road tested at 172 mph with 0-60 mph in 4.8 and 0-100 in just 10.9 seconds. The only problem as a daily driver is the lack of storage space in the cabin – there is not even a place for a map although the boot is perfectly adequate for two.

Prices

NSX prices start at around £10,000 for cars privately advertised in the likes of Autotrader, Top Marques or Exchange and Mart but it is likely that many, if not all of the cheaper cars are imports. There may nothing wrong with an import if it is a long-term purchase but imports are always more diffi cult to sell. Glass’s Guide still lists early NSXs at £20,400 for a 1999 Coupé manual with 80,000 miles on the clock up to £30,725 for a 2002 example with 61,000 miles. Honda dealers still have a few NSXs in their stocks but these tend to be the latest 05 models at prices up to £55,000.