NSX

The way the Acura NSX used to be

Upon its unveiling, the vehicle you see before you will no doubt be referred to in many ways: as exotic, breakthrough, even history in the making. We prefer to think of it as, simply, a mission statement. A sculpted aluminum, hand-built testament to the vision that is an automotive division called Acura. Personal performance automobiles that cater to the driver's emotions and intelligence instead of his ego. Built by people who measure the quality of their prod-ucts, not to mention their own talent and abilities, against a simple three-word slogan. Precision Crafted Performance. A full six years from concept to the showroom floor, the Acura NSX is the proverbial dream car come true. Not a car buyer's dream, mind you ...but a car maker's dream. While other manufacturers were fantasizing about record sales or greater profits, the engineers and designers who conceived the NSX dreamed of one thing only: building an automobile that could take on the very best the world had to offer. A new breed of sports car. A new bench-mark. An automobile that, like every Acura, would not simply improve upon what is, but would prove what could be. Five years ago, Acura revolutionized the way the world looked at an entire class of auto-mobiles. With the introduction of the NSX, the revolution begins again

Spend 5 years at 200 miles per hour and you look at the world a little differently.

Balance. The trademark of a World Champion Formula One race car. And, if weve done our job, the trademark of the Acura NSX. The theorybe-hind both vehicles is the same. A lightweight chassis coupled with an engine that can provide quickness and performance without overpowering the car's responsiveness and road feel. The all-aluminum, twin-cam V-6 engine that rides amidship in the NSX, for example, may seem like an atypical choice for a car of this stature. In fact, it is the perfect choice. Compact, lightweight, high-rpm and, with the right technology, able to produce the horsepower of larger, heavier V-8 engines. That "right technology" comes in the shape of ideas like variable valve timing, or VTEC. Through a unique camshaft and rocker arm design, VTEC literally changes valve timing and lift over the course of the power band, making for optimum low-end torque and high-end performance. A first for a production automobile in the U.S. As are the power plants titanium connecting rods that increase engine rpm by 700. With its mid-engine chassis configuration and forged aluminum, double-wishbone sus-pension, the NSX was targeted to offer more Formula One technology than any production automobile ever had A goal that, for the engineers responsible for the last four Formula One Constructors' World Championship titles, seemed not only reasonable, but reachable.

It has revolutionary written all over it, under it and inside it.

Allow us to make one thing perfectly clear: the NSX has some of the most advanced technology ever built into an automobile. Sports car or otherwise. For starters, the NSX is the first production car ever with an all-aluminum unit body and chassis; 40% lighter than a comparable steel chassis, it's also stronger, thanks to stress analysis done on a Cray II supercomputer. Under this chassis sit a few hundred other breakthroughs, including a revolutionary Traction Control System (TCS) that actually detects slippery road surfaces and adjusts power output accordingly, limiting tire slip-page. And while past traction systems have often operated at the expense of their cars' cornering ability, the NSX system maintains a high regard for handling performance. Another "first" on the NSX is its 4-Channel Anti-Lock Braking System, the most effective braking system ever designed for a rear-wheel drive car. With four separate channels, each wheel can be independently controlled, for optimal performance on even the worst road surfaces. All of which is just what we had in mind when we set out to build the NSX. An automobile that would define the word "revolutionary." And redefine the term "sports car."

ENGINE TYPE:
Aluminum Allow 3.0 liter; V-6 midship. DOHC, 24-valve with Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control. Rear-wheel drive.

HORSEPOWER/TORQUE:
270hp @ 7100 m; 210 lbs.-ft. @ 5300 rpm (5-speed).

INDUCTION SYSTEM:
Computer programmed fuel injection with Variable Volume Induction System.

The term 'sports car' is not an excuse for building an incomplete automobile.

Speed and handling, handling and speed. Those seem to be the key elements built into today's world-class sports cars. But, the way we see it, an automobile designed with only those elements in mind leaves out the most critical element of all. You. From its mid-engine design allowing generous leg room, to its F-16 jet-fighter inspired glass canopy providing 312 degrees of visibility (unheard of in a mid-engine car), to its trunk that's actually big enough to deserve to be called a trunk, everything about the NSX puts the needs of the driver first. Without sacrificing anything in performance. Rigid, lightweight aluminum seat frames that are covered in supple leather hold the body firmly in place. A leather-clad tilt and telescoping steering wheel provides the proper positioning and grip. Even the adjustments for the Automatic. Climate Control System are placed high on the center console, well within the drivers line of sight and reach. All of which means the Acura NSX is the first exotic designed not simply to accommodate the driver and his passenger, but to actually be hospitable towards them.

NSX STANDARD EQUIPMENT FEATURES:
Traction Control System
Four-Channel Anti-Lock Braking System
Driver's Side Air Bag/SRS
Acura/Bose®4-Speaker Music System
Theft Deterrent System

NSX. It's what happens when you chase your dreams instead of the competition.

Six years ago, a group of engineers and designers dreamed of building a new kind of sports car. A sports car that would offer uncompromising perfor-mance, not demand it. With that dream in mind, the success of every theory, every decision and every component that went into the Acura NSX was measured, not only in the clinical terms of things like output and performance, but how it affected the overall driving experience. No expense was spared, no idea was left unexplored. As a result, the NSX will establish a new goal for makers of exotic sports cars. It's an automobile that possesses all of the power and handling of a thoroughbred with none of the eccentricities so long associated with such breeds. An automobile that can satisfy the exacting standards of a driver with the skill and experience of Ayrton Senna and yet recognize that not everyone is a Formula One World Champion. Seventy-odd years ago, someone, some-where, was inspired enough by a driving experience to coin the term "sports car." The Acura NSX just may be the ultimate expression of that inspiration.

NSX Specifications