NSX Notes for the Enthusiast : 

• Ridiculous thrust :

No matter which gear you are in, no matter what speed you are doing; the modern NSX with its hybrid powerplant can throw you back in your seat as soon as you decide to put that pedal to the metal. This also results in its very “video game” like handling where it feels like it’s going to understeer but it doesn’t, courtesy of its electric motors splitting torque faster than our minds can fathom. 

• Unmatched Practicality:

The service intervals for both generations are Intune with a regular mass-market car like a Civic or a Golf. A truly rare phenomenon not just by olden standards, even modern supercars struggle to keep up with the convenience this hybrid sports car offers. This is another reason why it nicks the crown from the Audi R8 and the 911 Carrera which even though offer excellent drivability, just can’t match this iconic badge from the east in overall reliability and running costs.

• Is it even a Supercar?:

Honda set out to make a sports car, with the very first NSX, but it ended up sitting in an award but a strategically significant position in the classification system. The original, though overpriced if you choose to purely go by the numbers, but in reality, it was quite the bargain, because it managed to nail the usability factor, a feat which at the time, could only be achieved by two cars from two different ends of the spectrum. By that I mean you could take your NSX to work Monday through Friday and then hit the track on the weekend without any compromise.

• NSX-R & NSX Type-S:

If you are reading this, then you have probably seen the Top Gear episode where Richard Hammond test drove the NSX Type-R, right after getting out of a Civic Type-R and called it too extreme and very un-honda because it was too expensive and too easy going. That was largely the mindset that lead Honda to create the Type-R version in the first place. He also mentioned that the same year they only managed to move 28 units of the car, which sounded like an insult back then, but now the lack of sales has resulted in its rarity and exclusivity. As a result, a recent example in excellent condition is expected to carry a starting price of $408,000 at an auction.

But it’s not just the rarity that triggered this sudden interest, Chrysler TC was also pretty rare and a sales disaster, but you don’t see people lining up to buy those at half a million a pop. The NSX was always ahead of the curve, too far ahead in fact for people to appreciate what it brought to the table. Almost 2 decades after the original’s demise, people have found a special appreciation for this “underpowered” sports car in a time when 1000 horsepower has become the new normal.

The folks at Honda are well aware of this history lesson, but despite this, they launched the Type-S at a time when the sales are steadily stagnating and most likely the brilliant NSX Type-S will be met with the same fate, but for Honda, it is not about the figures, it’s about making a halo product that shows the world that we aren’t just about the frugal Civics and practical Odysseys, it is a way of showing their engineering prowess and rich racing pedigree and without a doubt in a couple of decades, people will realize how it always was the epitome of hybrid powertrains. So if you have a few hundred grand burning a hole in your pocket, I suggest you buy one because it’s not just a car, it’s an asset.

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Adieu to the Underdog:

It was unanimously established by the automotive industry at large that the NSX is the future but on the down-low. None of the seasoned brands like Ferrari or Porsche will ever admit it, but Honda quite literally laid out the blueprint for the future supercar, and no matter how much these brands harp on about their racing pedigree and cutting edge innovation, the fact remains that the NSX started it all, and wrote the playbook which since then has seen various adaptations by seasoned players in the form of their respective visions of the future and they have managed to sell them with 7 digit price tags. Everything from the million-dollar La Ferrari, right down to the latest Ferrari 296 GTB is evidence that even the greats are now following suit.