autoevolution
 

New Photos Shed Light on 2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire at the Nurburgring

Over the years, many sportscar prototypes have been claimed by fires during Nurburgring test sessions, that list famously including the Audi R8 V10 back in 2008 and the Nissan GT-R Spec-V in April this year. Yesterday, during only the second day of track testing, Honda's prototype for the 2015 Acura NSX was engulfed in a ball of flames that originated in the rear engine bay.
2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire 18 photos
Photo: SB-Medien
2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire2015 Acura NSX Prototype Fire
Those early pictures we showed you were taken right as track officials had arrived on scene and show the NSX almost completely destroyed. However, one of our photographers was stationed near the area where the prototype came to a halt and was able to see the incident from a much earlier point in time, right as the first flames shot out.

The fire spread very easily because of the volatile nature of the wrap and the materials used to make the NSX. The exact cause of the incident is unknown right now, but the engine powering this car is a high-output twin-turbo V6 that's never been used in a production car before. The fuel or oil systems could have easily developed a leak due to the extreme stresses of track testing. One squirt of fuel over the hot exhaust and the whole car can be totaled.

Onlookers on the sidelines of the track say they heard two massive explosions during the fire. They were caused by two high-voltage batteries, located in the rear of the car for better weight distribution. Both the test drivers and the fire crew were lucky enough not to be affected by the blast.

The second-generation NSX needs those massive batteries because it's a hybrid sportscar with a tri-motor setup. Two electric motors are located at the front, each powering a wheel, and there's a third motor coupled to the V6 engine and gearbox at the back.

So should we buy into the idea that Honda is don't a bad job? No, not really. The car isn't even ready yet, but Porsche had fire problems with its 911 GT3 after it went into production, having to recall over 700 units and do a complete engine swap on all of them.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories