Honda NSX Development

The Honda NSX, or Acura NSX in North America and Hong Kong, was a sports car produced between 1990 and 2005 by the Japanese automaker Honda. It sports a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and was powered by an all-aluminum V6 gasoline engine featuring Honda's Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) system.

In 1984 Honda commissioned the Italian car designer Pininfarina to design the HP-X (Honda Pininfarina Xperimental), which had a mid-mounted 2.0 L V6 configuration.

After Honda decided to actively pursue the project, its management briefed to its engineers that its car would have to be as good as anything coming from Italyand Germany, the HP-X concept car evolved into the NS-X (New Sportscar eXperimental) prototype. The NS-X prototype and eventual production car was designed by a team led by Chief Designer Ken Okuyama and Executive Chief Engineer Shigeru Uehara, who subsequently would be placed in charge of theS2000 project. The original performance target for the NS-X was the Ferrari 328, which was revised to the 348 as the design neared completion. Honda intended the NS-X to meet or exceed the performance of the Ferrari, while offering Honda reliability and a lower price point. For this reason, the 2.0L V6 of the HP-X was abandoned and replaced with a more powerful 3.0L VTEC V6 engine. The bodywork design had been specifically researched by Okuyuma and Uehara after studying the 360 degree visibility inside an F-16 fighter jet cockpit. The NS-X was designed to showcase several Honda automotive innovations, many derived from its highly successful motorsports program.

The NS-X was the first production car to feature an all-aluminum monocoque body, incorporating a revolutionary extruded aluminum alloy frame, and suspension. The use of aluminum in the body alone saved nearly 200 kg in weight over the steel equivalent while the aluminum suspension saved an additional 20 kg; a suspension compliance pivot helped maintain wheel alignment changes at a near zero value; an independent, 4-channel anti-lock brake system;titanium connecting rods in the engine to permit reliable high-rpm operation; an electric power steering system; Honda's proprietary VTEC variable valve timingsystem (a first in the US); and in 1995 the first electronic throttle control.

Honda spent a great deal of time and money developing the NS-X. With a robust motorsports apparatus, Honda had significant development resources at its disposal and made extensive use of them. For example, respected Japanese Formula One driver Satoru Nakajima was involved with Honda in the NS-X's early on track development at Suzuka race circuit, where he performed many endurance distance duties related to chassis tuning; but Brazilian Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna, for whom Honda themselves had powered all three of his world championship winning Formula One race cars before his death in 1994, was considered Honda's main innovator in convincing the company to stiffen the NSX chassis further after testing the car at Honda's Suzuka GP circuit in Japan. American Bobby Rahal also participated in the car's development. Senna was given an NSX by Honda, although details of this car and its fate are unclear.

The production car made its first public appearances as the NS-X at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1989, and at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1989 to rave reviews. Sports car enthusiasts were astonished by its low height, striking lines and pronounced cockpit-forward attitude. Prior to final production and sale, Honda revised the vehicle's name from NS-X to NSX. The Honda NSX went on sale in Japan in 1990. In North America and Hong Kong, the NSX was sold under Honda's flagship Acura luxury brand starting in 1991.