Honda NSX

1991-2001 Honda NSX

The Honda NSX, or Acura NSX in North Americae an Hong Kong, is a sports caur that wis produced atween 1990 an 2005 bi the Japanese automaker Honda. It sports a mid-ingine, rear-wheel drive layoot an wis pouered bi an aw-aluminum V6 petrol ingine featurin Honda's Variable Valve Timing an Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) seestem.

Development

In 1984 Honda commissioned the Italian caur designer Pininfarina tae design the HP-X (Honda Pininfarina Xperimental), which haed a mid-mountit 2.0 L V6 configuration.

Efter Honda decidit tae pursue the project its management informed its ingineers that the new caur wad hae tae be as guid as anything comin frae Italy an Germany. The HP-X concept caur evolved intae the NS-X (New Sportscar eXperimental) prototype. The NS-X prototype an eventual production caur wur designed bi a team led bi Chief Designer Ken Okuyama an Executive Chief Ingineer Shigeru Uehara, who subsequently wad be placed in chairge o the S2000 project. The oreeginal performance target for the NS-X wis the Ferrari 328, which wis revised tae the 348 as the design neared completion. Honda intendit the NS-X tae meet or exceed the performance o the Ferrari, while afferin targetit reliability an a lawer price pynt. For this reason, the 2.0L V6 o the HP-X wis abandoned an replaced wi a mair pouerful 3.0L VTEC V6 ingine. The bodywirk design haed been specifically researched bi Okuyuma an Uehara efter studyin the 360 degree visibility inside an F-16 fechter jet cockpit. The NS-X wis designed tae showcase several Honda automotive technologies, mony derived frae its F1 motor-sports program.

The NS-X wis the first production caur tae featur an aw-aluminum monocoque body, incorporatin a revolutionary extruded aluminum alloy frame, an suspension. The uise o aluminum in the body alane saved nearly 200 kg in wecht ower the steel equivalent while the aluminum suspension saved an additional 20 kg; a suspension compliance pivot helpt maintain wheel alignment chynges at a near zero value. Ither notable features includit an independent, 4-channel anti-lock brake seestem; titanium connectin rods in the ingine tae permit reliable hie-rpm operation; an electric power steering seestem; Honda's proprietary VTEC variable valve timin seestem (a first in the US) an, in 1995, the first electronic throttle control fittit tae a Honda.

Honda spent a great deal o time an money developin the NS-X. Wi a robust motorsports apparatus, Honda haed significant development resoorces at its disposal an made extensive uise o them. Respectit Japanese Formula Ane driver Satoru Nakajima, for example, wis involved wi Honda in the NS-X's early on track development at Suzuka race circuit, whaur he performed mony endurance distance duties relatit tae chassis tunin. Brazilian Formula Ane Warld Champion Ayrton Senna, for whom Honda haed pouered aw three o his warld championship-winnin Formula Ane race caurs afore his daith in 1994, wis considered Honda's main innovator in convincin the company tae stiffen the NSX chassis further efter testin the caur at Honda's Suzuka GP circuit in Japan. American Bobby Rahal an aa participatit in the caur's development. Senna wis gien an NSX bi Honda, awtho details o this caur an its fate are unclear.

The production caur made its first public appearances as the NS-X at the Chicago Auto Show in Februar 1989, an at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1989 tae positive reviews. Sports caur enthusiasts focused thair attention on its law heicht, body lines, an pronoonced forrit cockpit. Honda revised the vehicle's name frae NS-X tae NSX afore final production an sale. The Honda NSX went on sale in Japan in 1990. The NSX wis sauld unner Honda's flagship Acura luxury brand startin in 1991 in North Americae an Hong Kong.

External links

• Honda NSX offeecial wabsteid
• Honda Japan NSX offeecial wabsteid Archived 2015-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
• Honda Japan SUPER GT offeecial wabsteid
• Acura NSX at Curlie