Hot on the heels of the impending ninth-generation Civic come reports out of Japan that Honda has confirmed the manufacture and development of the next NSX. Rumors about an NSX redux have been doing the rounds for a while. You’ve probably read all about it by now. Takanobu Ito-san, when asked about an NSX replacement, did not vehemently deny it for the first time. Unconfirmed reports also abound of this vehicle packing a hybrid system keeping in tune with Honda’s current direction.
Details are scarce as of now. There is no confirmation of the drive train this car will pack or whether it will be based on the reverse Accord platform. Whatever the case may be, we think Honda has an uphill task ahead of them.
The original NSX bears a lofty pedigree. Ayrton Senna and Satoru Nakajima helped develop the car under the leadership of Shigeru Uehara. Back then, it packed everything needed to compete with the exotics of that time, while also going a step further. The original NSX was a civilized steed to drive around town, unlike its competition. It inspired Gordon Murray to create the McLaren F1. In short, Honda established a new benchmark against which exotics were measured. Reliability, hitherto a factor that was unknown to exotics, became par for the course, courtesy of the NSX.
Tomorrow’s NSX will not only have to compete with the competition on price, but must also strive to set a new benchmark as its predecessor did. Whether that will be something that can be done by Honda is the million dollar question.
Should Honda succeed in hitting the proverbial nail on the head, then we have no doubt that, buoyed by the success of the NSX, they could very well give us another S2000, and that is why we are excited to hear news that development has resumed on the NSX. Our fingers are crossed, hoping there is no disappointment this time around.
What about you? Do you think Honda will be able to succeed with the new NSX? Should they call it an Acura or sell it as a Honda? Do you think it increases the chances of another S2000 from Honda?
Image: Courtesy of Wikipedia
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on Feb 7th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Well if it sells as a Acura….. The price tag will just be higher. From a marketing stand point Acura would probably be the clear choice because of the NAME like lexus, Infiniti ect at least here in the States
People that can afford one…… that I’m sure have performance in their heart still have flashy badges and High dollar design on their brain. hell I’d settle for a 92 over my S probably… What! blasphemy on this site!!!!! but hey I’m sure some of you would and I know one guy here that has.
Face it, if you Drive a S you love the “flashyness” the looks you always get on the road, the thumbs up you get from the older crowed in their 60′s muscle to the guys in their Evo’s and STI’s.
I support production of a new NSX… I love all that is Honda and ACURA! lets just hope that Honda’s new direction does not lead to a Automatic Hybrid of a S2000 that will most likely gets the convertible hard top that we have always wanted…..Then we all just hang are heads and cry.
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 9:44 am
I personally would not like to see another S2000 from Honda. Let’s keep the status quo the way it is, and not dilute the S2000′s legacy. The NSX? Yeah, why not, the majority of us will never be able to afford it anyway, so we can at least drool about it and dream about it. Doesn’t hurt right? Having said that, the original NSX was a benchmark in many areas (they used the Cray supercomputer) but it’s been such long time ago, over 20 years, that things have progressed significantly since. Many other supercar manufacturers have been able to set new standards with subsequent new models, trying to outdo one another. I don’t thing Honda should focus too hard on trying to set benchmarks this time around. Honda should instead focus on drivability, feel, passion, engineering etc. that covers the total package of the car.
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 10:04 am
I have zero faith in Honda these days, the specs for the new Civic Si 2.4 makes it look like Honda has just given up. IMHO if it is not a Fit, a Civic or an Accord they just don’t care about product development. I say if they do indeed actually make a new NSX, then it will be just another CR-Z like disappointment. Heck, I even half expect it to have an ECON button from the Insight in it……
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 10:08 am
Whether the names Acura or Honda, that will not make any difference on the car or the price. It’s just a marketing thing.. the NSX was a Honda *everywhere*, only un USA was relabeled as Acura (for whatever Marketing decision)
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 11:19 am
Correct, I figured it would only be labeled as a Acura in the States to Market the “status label” of it. As for the price you are probably correct and the Name HONDA for some reason in the US just does not seem to carry as well as the rest of the world on a High dollar car.
My S is badge less and with a Mugen hard top all day people look and say ” man what a cool car” followed by ” what is it ” when I say “Honda” proudly I can still see the look of shock ” really that’s a Honda “.
I love Honda and all that they have achieved in performance, design and racing and continue to support the cars they produce even if Fit,accord and civic is all they focus on… lets face it you got to sell the bread and butter to afford to produce cars like the S2000 that you know are going to appeal only to a certain crowd and knowing that a huge drop in sales will follow every year they are produced…like the history of the Prelude.
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
don’t matter. whatever motor it comes with, suspension, chassis,… if u don’t like it u can change it. motor is too weak? get internals or fi it. no money? drop $8g on a full built ls motor. tires, suspension, stitch welding, roll cage, safety…. all available in the market. no worries. if they make this, im gonna buy one
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
yes, honda or acura should make this. don’t matter about the badge, people will change them anyways. just give me a price, what it comes with and let the aftermarket gurus provide all the upgrades. and it’s a done deal/
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
I don’t see the new NSX being anything like the legacy it is based off. I believe this will be more luxury than performance, while the original NSX was a pure sports car. However, this does give me faith in Honda bringing up a new S2000 in a few years. As I believe, Honda said they would be opening up the NSX and S2000 projects for another go in 2008, but then canceled both after the economy fell through the floor. Hopefully their reopening of the NSX will be followed up a new S2000, even if it is hybrid, I trust Honda to retain the “pure sports car” name it has achieved.
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
When they canned the nsx in 08 it was “done” as per someone who had that information and would be dusted off when the economy returned. I was surprised the nsx team consisted of only about 50 people actually.
Then it was the HSV with a 5 liter v10 and shawd now it will be a more refined shawd and probably a smaller engine like the rumored 4 liter high output motors there working on for the higher end acura models and as a base for the future ridge line.
I think that a 28-2900 pound car with 500hp all motor and awd would be the “it” car. Especially with a version of the new lambo gear box.
It’s gonna be very fast but will it give you the same feeling of imminent danger the s2000 can – no 36/64 tq split and torque vectoring tc will ensure you always stay safe
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
chances are itll probably be a similar motor to the one used in the HSV-010 (3.4l v8) that made a limited 500hp for the gt500 class. I say sell it as a Honda im so sick of this acura bs all they do different is make the seats wider haha. Im definitely looking forward to seeing it hit the road…and god dammnit it better have a manual transmission, none of this paddle shift ******. And i really hope they can bring back the s2000…however my proposition would be an s3700 haha y **** around with something thats obsolete. if your playing with the big boys now (mustang, 370z, camaros) you need to be making north of ATLEAST 350 hp. seriously tho honda has been depressing me. all their technology and engineering that seemed to be leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else like making 240hp f20c’s etc etc….has went down the shitter for ***** SOHC setups. **** HYBRID, **** AUTOS…give us the cars we all missed so much. cars with that driving vibe. dont let the NSX be a dissapointment.
on Feb 7th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
I’m so happy to hear this. I can only hope that they follow in the direction of the HSV-010 rather than the CR-Z.
on Feb 8th, 2011 at 12:31 am
In the past few years, Honda’s taken a different approach. It’s gone GREEN and just witness their current product line-up. Bread and butter models, check. Performance models? Hmmm……anybody home? Civic Si is one cool car, but it simply can’t appeal to the older crowd. Say you’re over 35 and do you really want to be seen driving a Civic SI? I think not. The CR-Z is one of the most important new car to appear recently for Honda, and boy, did they really screwed up on that one. Hybrid power and 1.5 liter 4 banger? Well, thanks, but no thanks. It’s practically an insult to all the Honda enthusiasts who eagerly waited for this new model. Where’s the horsepower? Where’s the turbo? How bout a DOHC i-VTEC at the very least? No, no and no. The K23A1 would have been a nice option. Waste not a good engine, I say. 240 bhp in the CR-Z is a solid choice for those seeking Honda engineering, brand, performance and affordability. But this is not about the CR-Z. This is about the NSX question, and rumors abound that it’ll be a V-10 under the hood, presumably a 5.0 liter and should be good for at least 450 bhp. Let’s not forget that the original NSX was so pricey because of its aluminum body. Say, Honda ditches the aluminum this time around and stick with regular steel and they should be able to price it to compete directly with the Nissan GT-R. Now, that would be around 100K. Questionably, can you imagine walking into a Honda showroom and see a 100K NSX being displayed next to a 13K Fit? I say, why not? Nissan can sell the GT-R next to the Versa, Sentra and it works just fine. No need to badge it Acura this time. Plus, Acura’s gone a different direction now, and they should just stick with that theme of selling luxury automobiles. Let Honda take care of business with the new NSX. Plus, Honda buyers are intelligent enough to know what’s real and many have extensive knowledge on the pasts great honda cars and it’s pedigrees whether it’s American market, JDM, or european, it doesn’t really matter. Witness, the type Rs (nsx, integras, civic, accords) of the pasts. I just hope Honda will take time to consider offering a 6 speed MT as most true enthusiasts clamor for it. Sadly, the default choice for most new supercars nowadays are the dual clutch transmission or paddle shift, just like what the GT-R has. Honda can be sucessful if they offer both MT and dual clutch to the market. I’ll stick with my earlier comment that Honda should not pursue another roadster type car like the S2000, and here’s my reasons why. The S2000 was a “special” car, a 50th anniversary gift that can never be duplicated ever again. Keep it intact and not dilute its place in history. Having one of the highest horsepower per liter NA engine courtesy of the F20C, was truly a great achievement for Honda, let alone any car manufacturer. It was like McLaren built the F1 and that was it, they can never build another car to resemble the F1, any car they build in the future is not going to be the same. So, yeah, no S2000 part two.
That being said, Honda should and probably will come up with another roadster in the near future, but it’ll most likely take a different approach and direction. Perhaps a combination of hybrid and gas engine. Or gas and turbo. Or hybrid gas and turbo. Who knows for sure, but power will definitely be north of 300 bhp, with better emissions and fuel economy. However, one thing is for sure. They will never be able to sing like the F20C at full song, ripping to 9000 rpms in a naturally aspirated engine and this is where I want to see the S2000 remains, heading into the future as a classic car.
on Feb 8th, 2011 at 8:53 am
I agree, although another roadster would be yet another great achievement from Honda, hell even if it bares the ” S ” badge followed by 5000 hahaha or a more practical 3700 just like its predecessors the S600 and the S800.
Correct, it will never sing the song of the F20c! although I do like a lot of different music and just think of the song a turbo V6 engine in clean sleek convertible with sexy body lines and a retractable hard top would sing “oh man”
as I clean off my keyboard and remember that we are talking about the NSX, I also believe that it should not be made as a paddle shifter and I only hope Honda sees that, like the s2000 they kept the pure sports car feel! and really they did! my Ap1 does not even have a Clock! and I always end up early to work! : ) now who wants to do that?
The NSX will hopefully follow their same path but lets face it as the “enthusiast consumer” I don’t know if our opinion will matter much to the design team, it all comes down to the competition with other car manufactures and the men (some women) that will spend that all mighty DOLLAR.
on Feb 8th, 2011 at 9:23 am
Re the NSX: If it comes back it will be a very different car. The original was never a very good seller and I believe Honda lost money on every one they built even though the original development costs were spread over 16 years. Honda won’t do that again, even for a halo car. In fact an NSX follow-on will be so different it will likely not even carry the NSX name.
Re the S2000: One rumor has it that Honda is developing a more mainstream roadster to compete with the Miata. If so, expect a hubrid with decent power and torque but well down-market from the S.
on Feb 9th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
have you looked at a miata lately ? folding hardtop decent power and the next gen is supposed to be knocked down in weight to 2100 or so pounds. certainly a nice interior. I’d expect Honda to use injection molded parts for the main car to trim weight and save cost and direct injection to boost power and mileage.