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Thread: NSX (new and old) Feature in December Classic and Sportscar magazine

  1. #1

    Default NSX (new and old) Feature in December Classic and Sportscar magazine

    Based on this email which I received a few days ago, it is written by someone who clearly 'gets' fast Honda's and as such may be an informed and interesting read:

    "I get to drive a lot of cars in this job; some are great, some are rubbish, but all are an experience. After 10 years of writing feature articles, the best measure of how good a car really is seems to be how tight my grip on the keys remains at the end of the day. And one model I always struggle to give back is the Honda NSX.
    I had my pick of the bunch recently. Someone got in touch to offer us a drive in their 16,000-mile NA1, and before the day was out I’d hatched a plan to pull together all the best variants to cover off the entire model history, from the earliest 3-litre version to the latest hybrid supercar. The one machine that I hadn’t driven – and which I was most looking forward to – was Mike James’ facelifted NSX-R, one of less than a handful in Europe. You can check out the December 2021 issue to find out what I thought of it in greater detail, but, in short, it was an eye-opening experience that left me feeling as if I’d driven something truly exceptional. Something that probably won’t be repeated; a true great.

    Incredibly, those cars are now worth as much as £500,000. To even think about getting into even a rough example you’ll have to have at least half that. And that’s when it hit me: I’ve felt that feeling before.

    It was a few years ago, when Tom Lynch and Simon Branney from Honda’s UK press office arranged a trip to Barcelona, featuring the bulk of the firm’s historic fleet. There was everything from first-generation Insight to CR-V – all with Gina G or Snap! blaring out of tinny speakers from period-correct Now That’s What I Call Music cassette tapes – but the one I made a beeline for was the Integra Type R.
    The DC2 is something of a legend in modern classic circles, regularly hailed as one of the best-handling front-wheel-drive cars of all time. I’m not a big one for hyperbole, but after a spirited drive around the country roads of Catalunya, I couldn’t help but agree. It was incredible, digging in and gripping at speeds I didn’t think possible for a front-drive car, let alone one that was more than 20 years old even then.

    The 1.8-litre B18C ‘four’ puts out a respectable 197bhp, spinning to a spine-tingling 8700rpm, with a similar VTEC variable valve timing system to the NSX that creates a familial link between the two machines. And you can reckon on somewhere in the mid-6 secs for the 0-60bhp dash.
    Opt for a Championship White example and you’ll get the exact same special shade as used on the NSX-R and, inside, the magic of the limited-run supercar continues. The Integra feels a similarly special place, with red-trimmed bucket seats (albeit not the c£30k examples in the mid-engined car), a racy steering wheel and lovely milled gearknob.

    I loved the Integra when I drove it and initially swore that I had to have one, but the modernity of it put me off. I like my cars a bit simpler. Yet the more time has passed, the more I feel myself being drawn back to the DC2. Nothing is new for ever, and there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll look back on the Type R with the same misty eyes that we do the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 – usually as some sad guy down the pub tells you they passed one up for £1500. The best bit? You can still pick up a half-decent example for about 10 grand.

    Greg MacLeman
    Features editor
    "
    2001 3.2 Circuit Blue Coupe with pop-ups!

    "If you want to argue that The Best Car in the World is a supercar, go ahead. But there is only one that makes the grade. Only one that's built properly.
    Gordon Murray knows.
    Rowan Atkinson knows.
    It's the Honda NSX."
    (J. Clarkson)

  2. Default

    The article is what any NSX owner would expect, but maybe an eye opener to those who have never experienced one. I think the prices quoted to buy are a little "hopeful" (on the low side)

    One Quote I like "And yet plenty of people will probably tell you the NSX is boring. It's a bit like a dating game so many people these days want someone who will "keep them on their toes", as if somehow going out with a volatile sociopath is a good thing - necessary trade off for having someone attractive on your arm. A partner needn't be a robot just because they don't randomly cut up your shirts and flush your phone down the toilet, and because an NSX can run for 160,000 miles on the same clutch rather than needing a new one every couple of years doesn't make it uninvolving or soulless."
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    Mike

  3. #3

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by sorepaws View Post
    The article is what any NSX owner would expect, but maybe an eye opener to those who have never experienced one. I think the prices quoted to buy are a little "hopeful" (on the low side)

    One Quote I like "And yet plenty of people will probably tell you the NSX is boring. It's a bit like a dating game so many people these days want someone who will "keep them on their toes", as if somehow going out with a volatile sociopath is a good thing - necessary trade off for having someone attractive on your arm. A partner needn't be a robot just because they don't randomly cut up your shirts and flush your phone down the toilet, and because an NSX can run for 160,000 miles on the same clutch rather than needing a new one every couple of years doesn't make it uninvolving or soulless."
    It was certainly a good month for NSX articles. I couldn't help though but write to both authors (in C&SC and CC) as one was littered with minor mistakes and the other tried hard to say that the NSX was good (see above) but still couldn't help but keep on saying (even as passive observer) that it didn't look right from the back and that the car had its detractors. I had to make the point that actually the car looks really good from the rear especially at knee level looking up (think Mr Wolf's in Pulp Fiction) and that the only detractors are those who have never driven or indeed seen a NSX in the flesh.

    It would also seem that NSX prices are finally going into orbit. And about time too.

  4. #4
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    To add to the NSX articles on DMAX today there was a great summary of the NSX on 5th Gear (Series 28 Episode 9) with an explanation of the Vtec about 35 minutes into the programme

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