RE: Honda NSX: PH Heroes

[TeamMalbec]

I recently rented one for a morning in Japan. What a noise (sports exhaust)!

In the afternoon I drove a R35 GTR- the difference in performance was indeed astonishing but it's the NSX that I would take home. Feels special more of the time.

Posing in front of Fuji-san...

[adccl8z]

lurker alert...spotted this week in Westminster Honda

[Crockefeller]

stephen300o said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

Black S2K said:

That's a useful picture because it highlights the humungous rear overhang - not really appropriate for a mid-engined sportscar.

No idea why you'd think rear over hang had anything to do with anything other than boot space and stability.

And indeed the NSX looks cr@p with a shortened rear overhang (not my picture). [url]

|http://thumbsnap.com/JdArKxWt[/url]

Edited by Crockefeller on Thursday 17th December 21:43

[havoc]

Malbec - great shot!

RobM77 said:

I do know what you mean; the NSX isn't one of those cars that feels special when driving around normally, although I would argue that was the whole point of it: it had these amazing abilities to handle like (or better than) the best supercars, but you could drive it to work and back like a Civic without it constantly reminding you (and passers by) that you were in an expensive high performance mid engined sports car. That didn't necessarily suit everyone, but personally I rather like its understated but capable manner - a bit like James Bond compared to Rambo.

Taking mine on-track for a few short sessions over the last 18 months (I'm not a track expert by any stretch, but consider myself smooth enough) was a revelation...I agree that it (like the DC2 ITR) is one of those cars that improves the harder you drive it. Even late-/trail-braking into the Donny chicane revealed nothing nastier than well-telegraphed progressive oversteer (that I caught as quickly as I possibly could).


That said, on track it's definitely a road-car, i.e. you need to drive around its' limitations - engine temps and brakes can't be taken for granted the way you can in a Caterham. Great fun and such a sense of occasion, but something like an R300 is hilarious, esp. for an amateur like me...

[W124]

Baryonyx said:

W124 said:

I saw that car go off at Millbrook. I was right behind it in a 4C. Amazed it was fixable. It looked like a terminal impact. Scary moment that.

What's the story there then, terminal lack of talent from the driver?

Last lap of the day. SMMT day at Millbrook. Always gets a bit silly toward the end. Track was greasy. Everybody tired and fractious. I was one of the very last cars out. The last I think - Saw the NSX ahead, came round the hairpin, debris all over the track, Honda into a small copse of trees inside the horseshoe of the hairpin. Actually it looked pretty bad. It's an old car and, perhaps, after a day of belting new cars around the driver misjudged the limits on the NSX? I wasn't pushing the 4C in any way at all but that track can be a bit of a handful if it gets slick and greasy. I was just marveling at the 4C and rather enjoying myself. A bit of a sudden intrusion of reality there.

[Quickmoose]

Malachimon said:

The NSX is by far the most underrated car of all time, right up there with the MGC, Smart Roadster, Chrysler Crossfire and a few others.

wow

[Buff Mchugelarge]

It would be left for dust by a mildly tweaked scooby away from the lights but look at it...!?
Stunning, and they sound pretty good too.

All this talk of Gran Turismo, I was racing these in The Need For Speed in back in 1994!

[Vyse]

Nothing better than the howl of the V6 in VTEC for me.

[Ozzie Osmond]

stephen300o said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

Black S2K said:

That's a useful picture because it highlights the humungous rear overhang - not really appropriate for a mid-engined sportscar.

No idea why you'd think rear over hang had anything to do with anything other than boot space and stability.

Compare this!! The short tail is IMO massively more elegant than frumpy NSX,

[Quickmoose]

Both proportions have their place...
Long rear over hang short front - NSX
Short rear over hang long front - 458

As long as you don't have both, it can work.

[BarbaricAvatar]

Quickmoose said:

Both proportions have their place...
Long rear over hang short front - NSX
Short rear over hang long front - 458

As long as you don't have both, it can work.

Points to the aforementioned photo of XJ220. That has both and works.

As for an actual rear overhang that spoils the look:

[silver surfer]

Ozzie Osmond said:

stephen300o said:

Ozzie Osmond said:

Black S2K said:

That's a useful picture because it highlights the humungous rear overhang - not really appropriate for a mid-engined sportscar.

No idea why you'd think rear over hang had anything to do with anything other than boot space and stability.

Compare this!! The short tail is IMO massively more elegant than frumpy NSX,

Comparing cars with a 25 year gap is not too rational...then again..the NSX is more practical as an all rounder and easy to live with.
Can you fit the wheel in the boot or anywhere in the Ferrari if you get a puncture?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I really like the long tail of the NSX which makes it look sleek and elegant....a unique quality IMO.

SS

[Erudite geezer]

Ferrari F355 over the NSX every time, all day long.

[Quickmoose]

BarbaricAvatar said:

Quickmoose said:

Both proportions have their place...
Long rear over hang short front - NSX
Short rear over hang long front - 458

As long as you don't have both, it can work.

Points to the aforementioned photo of XJ220. That has both and works.

As for an actual rear overhang that spoils the look:

See I'd class both Jags there in the 'has both' category and for me, neither work... but what I've done here is open the ol' subjective can of worms... we like what we like right...

[kambites]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Compare this!! The short tail is IMO massively more elegant than frumpy NSX,

That shot makes it look really unbalanced with a huge front overhang and much shorter rear one. Personally, I prefer the proportions (and indeed other styling elements) of the NSX. The 458's styling is a complete mess to my eyes.

[RobM77]

Erudite geezer said:

Ferrari F355 over the NSX every time, all day long.

Gorgeous cars, but as someone mentioned earlier, you need to have rather unusual proportions to find one comfortable

[kambites]

I'm also not sure I'd fancy trying to run a 355 as a daily driver even if I did fit whereas the NSX would do the job admirably.

[Quickmoose]

kambites said:

I'm also not sure I'd fancy trying to run a 355 as a daily driver even if I did fit whereas the NSX would do the job admirably.

Agreed..great era though...355, NSX, 911, Esprit....

[RobM77]

Quickmoose said:

kambites said:

I'm also not sure I'd fancy trying to run a 355 as a daily driver even if I did fit whereas the NSX would do the job admirably.

Agreed..great era though...355, NSX, 911, Esprit....

The top of the food chain had the McLaren F1, arguably the greatest car of all time, and there were also some great small cars too, like the 106 GTi and 306 GTi-6 and their 'rallye' versions. The Lotus Elise was also released at this point. Porsche's 993 and 996 define this era too and classics like the 968 and 968 Clubsport were also around. I see the mid 90s as a peak moment before things like drive by wire throttles and ePAS starting ruining cars - the point where the full benefits of advancing technology were felt in a positive way before the negatives started flooding in. Evo call it the end of the 'analogue' era and the start of the 'digital' era of cars.

It wasn't all good though. F1, as usual, was a few steps ahead in technology terms and driver aids were being criticised as ruining the sport. Cars like the FW15b led to a hasty ban on electronic aids, leaving some cars floundering which contributed to the regrettable events of the 1994 season. At least in sport the agenda is for entertainment, and things improved and led to the wonderful V10 cars that followed.

On the road though, we aren't so lucky and we're in a weird situation now where a good Porsche 993 is worth more than a new one (I saw a 993 turbo the other day for £160k!) and a McLaren F1 is worth many times what a P1 is worth (this wasn't the case in the 90s, where successive modern Ferraris and Porsches like the 348, 308 etc had their values stacked up underneath new values).

Edited by RobM77 on Friday 18th December 10:23

[Ozzie Osmond]

RobM77 said:

I see the mid 90s as a peak moment before things like drive by wire throttles and ePAS starting ruining cars - the point where the full benefits of advancing technology were felt in a positive way before the negatives started flooding in. Evo call it the end of the 'analogue' era and the start of the 'digital' era of cars.

Oh, it was also so wonderful 20 years ago.... Except it wasn't. Dreaming of some imaginary golden era makes no sense to me. Back in the 90's they were probably saying the same thing about the 70s - a golden era before the world was ruined by fuel injection, catalysts and power steering!

There are some truly great cars on sale today. It's simply a matter of looking forwards instead of backwards.