Photo: CarPix
The futuristic-looking NSX has been with us for so long that we can hardly believe it's not actually in production yet. After a cameo appearance in the first Avengers movie as a roadster, it showed up as a concept in Detroit, Tokyo and eventually the Geneva Motor Show. Through all that, the concept evolved steadily until, today, Honda is ready to put a production prototype on the track.
A prototype wearing moderate camouflage was sent out by Honda onto the famous Nurburgring track in Germany. As you can plainly see, 95% of the concept's design remains unchanged. However, the headlights look to have dropped the all-LED design. Is this Honda saving money or just a feature used for testing? Considering a number of Acura's vehicles get standard LEDs, it would make sense for the NSX to do the same.
Honda officially claims that the NSX is being engineered and designed in America. But as you can see, that's not actually the whole story. Besides honing the European testing, we learned about the mid-mounted V6 engine being turbocharged from a Japanese press conference, meaning the whole powertrain is probably developed there.
This V6 will be paired up with a complex hybrid all-wheel drive system and a twin-clutch gearbox being developed for higher-torque applications. The NSX's powertrain will be called the Sport Hybrid Super Handling All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) and will use two motors to power the front wheels and another one for the back ones.
The fact that it looks just like the concept probably doesn't surprise any Honda fan. The Japanese automaker has done the same with the current CR-V, Civic Tourer, US-spec Accord and pretty much every other car launched in the past half a decade The NSX is even registered in Germany, probably at Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH, located in Offenbach am Main.
Honda Europe is also working on another new hot-blooded project for the fans – the new Civic Type R hot hatch. It's expected to come out a little earlier than the NSX and will feature an all-new 2-liter turbo engine that could deliver as much as 300 hp, 50% more than its predecessor.
Will the NSX live up to all the hype? Is this a better car than BMW's i8? We should find out some time in 2015, when production at the Ohio Performance Manufacturing Center starts. Until then we have many more months of looking at spyshots, searching for clues.
A prototype wearing moderate camouflage was sent out by Honda onto the famous Nurburgring track in Germany. As you can plainly see, 95% of the concept's design remains unchanged. However, the headlights look to have dropped the all-LED design. Is this Honda saving money or just a feature used for testing? Considering a number of Acura's vehicles get standard LEDs, it would make sense for the NSX to do the same.
Honda officially claims that the NSX is being engineered and designed in America. But as you can see, that's not actually the whole story. Besides honing the European testing, we learned about the mid-mounted V6 engine being turbocharged from a Japanese press conference, meaning the whole powertrain is probably developed there.
This V6 will be paired up with a complex hybrid all-wheel drive system and a twin-clutch gearbox being developed for higher-torque applications. The NSX's powertrain will be called the Sport Hybrid Super Handling All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) and will use two motors to power the front wheels and another one for the back ones.
The fact that it looks just like the concept probably doesn't surprise any Honda fan. The Japanese automaker has done the same with the current CR-V, Civic Tourer, US-spec Accord and pretty much every other car launched in the past half a decade The NSX is even registered in Germany, probably at Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH, located in Offenbach am Main.
Honda Europe is also working on another new hot-blooded project for the fans – the new Civic Type R hot hatch. It's expected to come out a little earlier than the NSX and will feature an all-new 2-liter turbo engine that could deliver as much as 300 hp, 50% more than its predecessor.
Will the NSX live up to all the hype? Is this a better car than BMW's i8? We should find out some time in 2015, when production at the Ohio Performance Manufacturing Center starts. Until then we have many more months of looking at spyshots, searching for clues.
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