Ayrton Senna and Honda NSX: Legends Never Die
Formula One is on of the main reasons the Honda NSX exists. Ayrton Senna, a Formula One champion, is one of the reasons the NSX is so legendary.
Ayrton Senna won the Formula One championship in 1988, 1990, and 1991. He was racing for McLaren at the time and Honda was the engine supplier. From 1986-1992 having a Honda engine in your F1 chassis meant the podium and ultimately a championship could be yours. During this same time frame Honda was developing the new halo supercar, the NSX. The goal was to beat Ferrari and build a better mid-engine sports car with better reliability at a less expensive price point. At the time Honda had a lot of technology from their F1 programs and was using it to develop the NSX.
Ayrton Senna was a given a early NSX prototype to drive on track and give feedback. Senna gave the Honda engineers a critical insight, just months before the press would be driving the NSX for the first time. He said the chassis felt fragile. Shocked, Honda’s engineers went to work and made the chassis 50% stiffer based on his criticism. Senna would later again have his hand in the NSX, as he helped tune the suspension at the Nurburgring. Without Senna’s input the NSX would not be what we know it as today, a legend, just like Senna himself.
ALSO SEE: PROJECT NSX: What if Honda Built the Original NSX Today?
In this video, YouTube channel THE-LOWDOWN.com shows us a unique red wide body NSX. The license plate on this red beauty is 5ENNA or Senna. This is a tribute to the legendary F1 driver and his influence on the NSX. The video is incredibly beautiful, it almost looks like a CGI or a video game. The 4K footage is so smooth. The color story has the red popping off the screen, like the NSX hitting VTEC. Let us know what you think about the NSX in the comments and check out the Honda-Tech Project NSX.
