descartesfool

Saw the new NSX concept car at the Detroit Auto show. Just stunning. Here is what RealTime is thinking.

vtecjj

Interesting to see how the hybrid system will be incorporated into the performance/racing aspect of it.

Billy Elliot

Ever since I've been doing the Sno*Drift rally, I've never had the time to get out to the autoshow. Since any free time I would rather be spending in the garage prepping the race car.

How many of the B-Spec cars were on display this year?

JW racing

Atleast we have something to look forward to racing with in 15 years. Only 6-8 more years to go before we are all running 09 Civics and TSXs in our events.....

B spec seems more of a reality for most of us though. That's what they should be pushing..

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

I cant see the doors.....
I hope they dont put those damn vw flower vases in them either.

Lo-Buck EF

i don't like it. honda, you SUCK!

Billy Elliot

B-Spec could be the new Spec Miata. SM is super popular since you can buy/build a car for relatively low funds compared to other racing. The manufacturers are all on a gentleman's agreement to equal out their contingency so you're not racing one car over another because that manufacturer pays more.

They just added in wording where B-Spec cars fit into the rally classes. No surprise they go in the production class, but they are still underbuilt to a production class spec car. It would be interesting Rally America adopts the B-Spec class and then can pull in the same manufacturer contingency programs.

I'm more curious how they are going to do the balance with different power/weight levels. But based off stock cars, and if autocross is something to go by, the MINI should be the car to have?

Driven

an ugly R8. nicely done Honda.

descartesfool

You obviously have not seen the car for real. It looks absolutely fabulous. It was by far the best looking car at the show. And there was an R8 GT spyder to look at. Not remotely close to the new NSX.

Shinny

Had no idea what you were talking about at first, then I looked at the pic again. It doesn't show the sharp angles of the car. Top Gear did a whole report on their website with lots of pics from the Detriot show.

descartesfool

No need to bother with the Top Gear site. Here are some pictures I took at the show of the real thing.

descartesfool

Some more

Driven

and even with your updated pictures... I reiterate my original opinion... an ugly R8. The acura tooth ruins the car, but the down-syndrome rear end with the silly vertical exhaust tips don't help either.

ugly copy of a car that did it right the first time. R8 is gorgeous. Honda's copy isn't.

speedengineer

I hated how it looked in all the photos I saw. Then I saw it in person at the auto show. The car is absolutely gorgeous! I haven' met a person yet who's seen it with their own eyes and hasn't liked it.

Lo-Buck EF

It's crap. If I saw it live, I would still say it's one of the worst looking hondas yet. The design team is shot over there. NOTHING looks good anymore.

sander

What are the potential power train options?

I'm somewhat undecided on the looks from the pictures, I'll be curious what the production model looks like. I think it would look great, toned down a bit.

Egezzy

iTrader: (2)

sander,

it is only coming with the sh-awd, as far as i know. two electric motors for the front wheels, also torque biasing. around 400hp, which i am assuming is crank. also, last week i heard that the release could be pushed back to 2014. lol, blue ***** galore. i glanced through here, but i didn't see a price. from what i was told, the base price will be 90k.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

If you really look at the back and front facia.......... Looks an awful like a TL
No imagination anymore with these honda design teams.
Everything is cookie cutter, and looks like the whole product line
Why couldnt they just modernize the old bodywork?
Electric motors.. haaaaaaaaaaaa nothing like turning a car into a sissymobile.
Might as well call it a honda/prius.
When you are driving a car of this nature the last thing you are thinking of is saving gas or hugging trees.

BTW nice job on that 2012 civic guys.. you really built a winner there.(cough cough)
Lets hope you get it right with the redesign.

zuptidi

90k.... i have a feeling sales wont be that great.

JW racing

We need cars that we can afford, that are functional and that are back to the roots of Honda's essence. How many cars are like a Civic Hatch, that can fit 4 people,2 computers and still can go to the track empty all that stuff out and whoop some ***. I don't know if Mr Honda would be happy or sad with the things that have been coming out of the factory the past ..oh 10 years other than the Fit and CRZ. The ONLY things good about the new cars vs the older ones are the K series engines and transmissions,and safety aspects. Maybe they should re-release the EJ1 and EM1 and call it a day so they can recoup the buyers they lost. I've owned a Honda since I can drive the mid 90s, in 2005 I had a chance to get a new car.. I got an SRT4 and yes its a huge piece of fast crap, but better than any Honda offered at the time and since. I hope to scoop up a new car again in the next year or so and I am still not sure I will look at a Honda.

Egezzy

iTrader: (2)

it looks like a tl for a reason. look at the front "grille", every acura now has that "rough alloy" molding piece. just like audi putting those led strips in their lmp car headlights. they are letting you know what kind of car that is.

you also have to remember, they are not aiming at the track minded guys, their market is the general public. the general public with money to spend, they don't care if it has two electric motors or 8 air cooled cylinders. honda/acura can say that they offer a hybrid sports car option etc. look at the times, toyota just released a lmp hybrid car. do you see the pattern here?

i had a car buddy all bent out of shape over the release of the crz. "they should have put a k20a in there." once again, look at the market. your science teacher wants that new cool "green" car, as does most of the society now a days. out of the overall buyer's market for a car like the crz, what maybe 2% wish it to have a "bigger" motor?

JW racing

You do have a small point. But look at the civic in the 90s and how EVERYONE could enjoy it, from your teacher to us track lovers. It was a very universal and adaptable vehicle, for the newer cars this is not the case.
Ford(GT500,Focus turbo)and Chevy(ZL1,Sonic spec B - http://www.autoblog.com/photos/sema-...photo-4574088-) are catering to what REAL car people want and look at their sales, rocketing and they are recovering fine from the potential implosion that was happening.

Egezzy

iTrader: (2)

in the early 90s, there was another car that came out. the nsx, not many got to enjoy it, from teachers to track junkies.

i guess i don't understand some of the complaints about this new nsx. how many of us can budget tracking one, let alone racing one?

paul complains about the new 2012 civic, yes, it isn't the best looking. but, oh well, look at the line hpd put out for it on the racing side.

in the 90s, did honda offer such a thing for the civics and the integras, to that detail? no. yes, there are companies out there that offer cheap cars that everyone can enjoy. that is what the civics have always been, but you want speed, you better get that swap handy.

i don't know about you. but, as a track guy, give me a fiat, i'll drive it. give me a r8, i'll drive it. it doesn't matter to me, as long as i am on track. but, that is not the market share majority. they want gas mileage, seating capacity, and some interior knick knacks.

how many does your hc car seat? one, what is your gas mileage? enough to win, what are your interior knick knacks? they are per the ccr and gauges for your vitals. is that engine stock? no, and what do you think sells more, the zl1 or the base model? why is that? is it because the majority doesn't care about performance?

JW racing

http://www.insideline.com/honda/civi...ally-zero.html

Its cool HPD has the line of parts I agree,I use the HPD program and love the opportunity. Sucks you cant get an SI at the moment though..

descartesfool

I don't get it. Some of you guys complaining about this new NSX concept must be stuck in the dinosaur age. Perhaps you are longing for the return of carburetors. Even NASCAR is moving to fuel injection with TAG-McLaren electronics. You boys need to get with the times. And Honda has completely discontinued anything to do with sports cars. Now the new president of Honda who was an engineer on the original NSX is proposing a new Sports car and all you can do is complain????? Can you boys not think that is might be good for Honda to make a sports car. Perhaps they might even make other future less expensive sports cars once they get the new NSX into owner's hands.

So Honda is proposing to make a car that will likely handle better than any car they have ever made, due to new technology with electronically controllable AWD. You think dropping your tranny and changing the ramp angles on your diff is a better way than reprogramming a couple of electric motors to control oversteer/understeer balance and change it while at different yaw angles and lateral/longitudinal accelerations? OK, not going to be easy to tune for the average Joe, but it is new technology, better than before. Just like Nissan made their reputation worldwide recently by developing and releasing the GT-R. Some new tech, dual clutch transmission as will be used in the new NSX, etc,etc.

And you might not like the styling, but most who have seen it in person including magazines seem to think it looks fabulous. Personal preference obviously. Old CRX's, Civics and Integras are never coming back for a ton of reasons. Get over it, move on. every maker of cars on the planet is trying to move into hybrids and electric cars. At least Honda is proposing to make a high performance version of that concept. I'd be thrilled to own one of these new Honda sports cars, even though I still really, really like my type R.