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$150,000 Acura NSX Aimed at Porsche Customers Who Are Tired of Their 911s

Now that Honda/Acura have given the world yet another taste of their new-age NSX, thanks to the recent press info and reviews, many have wondered what the purpose of the Japanese supercar is.
2017 Acura NSX 16 photos
Photo: Acura
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According to NSX project leader Ted Klaus, the machine is aimed at Porsche 911 owners who are looking for an upgrade.

We want to catch that person when they’re thinking of coming out of a 911 to their next [car], and I think we offer a tremendous sports car experience and sports car values,” Klaus was quoted as saying by caradvice.

The project leader explains the NSX will be priced somewhere in the $150,000 area, which places it straight into Porsche 911 Turbo or Audi R8 V10 Plus territory.

Each year, somebody tries to come up with a 911 killer, although none of these cars, be they Honda hybrids or Jaguar sportscars, have four seats like the Neunelfer. Sure, only kids can use the seats at the back of the rear-engined coupe, but they’re part of the Porsche spirit that lets few customers escape the fetish once they enter the Zuffenhausen world.

Sure, Honda/Acura have shown us their cool side over the years and they are now betting on the NSX to bring that back.

NSX itself as a brand will help Honda and will help Acura, that’s our understanding. Through the NSX values and brand, we can help educate people about all these amazing things going on at Honda: Honda Jet, F1, Asimo…” Klaus said.

Honda’s this crazy company. Sometimes we are misunderstood, so we are trying to communicate again, and NSX is another chance,” he added.

The man also made it clear that the NSX won’t enter Nissan GT-R territory in terms of pricing.

When we met the new NSX on the Detroit floor back in January, Honda hadn’t given us the complete tech data for the machine.

Here are the official numbers

The internal combustion engine part of the hybrid powertrain sees a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 delivering 500 hp and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. Despite being turbocharged, this stays true to the Honda high-revving tradition, offering a 7,500 rpm redline.

While the V6 is mid-mounted, there’s a rear assist electric motor behind it, one that delivers 47 hp and 100 lb-ft (135 Nm) of twist. Going even further towards the rear of the supercar, we find a dual-clutch 9-speed gearbox.

The 191 mph (307 km/h) top speed is achieved in sixth gear. Given the fact that the hybrid part of the NSX promotes efficiency, it’s only normal to have three gears dedicated to this.

The front axle is gifted with a pair of electric motors (Twin Motor Unit, or TMU), each delivering 36 hp and 54 lb-ft (40 Nm). These draw their juice from a lithium-ion battery pack placed between the V6 and the seats.

The combined output of the system sits at 573 hp and 476 lb-ft (644 Nm). This allows the NSX to cover the 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) sprint in three seconds.

While the supercar tips the scales at a serious 3,803 lbs (1,725 kg), this might just use its SH-AWD all-wheel-drive system in a similar way to the GT-R. We are talking about using an optimal ratio between the weight of the car and the tire contact patch, which should generate impressive cornering performance, more than you’d expect judging by the power-to-weight ratio.

We’ll remind you the NSX has been delayed on multiple occasions, with the supercar set to enter the market next spring as a 2017 model. Spending aficionados shouldn’t fret, there will be plenty of options to choose from.

Going past the infotainment features such as premium audio system, we’ll mention the carbon fiber bits such as the roof, engine cover, and rear spoiler. You can check out the press release below for the full data.
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press release
About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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