Editorial: What the New NSX Should Have Been

Honda enthusiasts and car lovers alike have been awaiting Honda's new move-- their replacement flagship supercar...the legendary NSX.  

Yes, the NSX is the car that was partially designed by Ayrton Senna, the legendary F1 driver.  Originally created by Honda to be the ultimate driving machine which was cheaper than its competitors, more reliable, and of overall better ride and build quality, the NSX was a dream on wheels.

Yes, this is also the same car that inspired the chief engineer of the McLaren F1 (Gordon Murray) as well, setting a goal for ride quality and handling.  Heck, Murray even went to Honda's R&D facility in Japan asking them to build him a V12 or V14 motor, only to be disappointed by a denial and ultimately having to settle for a mere BMW engine instead.

And yes, as one can imagine, replicating this dream on wheels can only be amongst some of the world's toughest tasks.  Asking engineers to make it eco-friendly, competitively priced, and an amazing vehicle to drive as well???  Well, that's unthinkable...or so you believe.

You see, this 2015 NSX in question is an amazing machine.  Sporting a longitudinally mounted, twin-turbo V6 motor with a hybrid drivetrain and all-wheel drive, this car is expected to be pumping out an estimated 500 horsepower (per Jalopnik).  But I'd like to pick a bone with Acura...and I sort of did in this letter I conjured up while in a conversation with my brother.  

This is what I think the 2015 NSX should have been.  A lot of what I say is just comprised of multiple ideas which I believe would lend themselves well to a new, unique, reliable, quick, light, fun to drive supercar.

So here's what I think the 2015 NSX should have been....all opinions welcome, negative and positive:

Since Acura's concept for the NSX was a cheap, reliable, and fast super car that is also eco-friendly, they should have done a couple of things differently.

The weight associated with a hybrid drivetrain, especially one involving three electric motors (two up front and one in the rear) along with regenerative braking and the large lithium-ion battery is insane.  According to Motor Trend Magazine, the curb weight of the NSX would be about 3100 pounds.

Supercars are supposed to be light, but making a fully carbon body like the new Porsche 918 will cost a lot of money and that is not an option for the new NSX since it doesn't fit the car's concept well.

Since the new Civic Type-R is a turbocharged 2.0 liter meeting emissions requirements in Europe, which are extremely stringent, and since Honda is so good at building motors, what would stop them from building a stout, high-performance, twin, sequential turbo four cylinder capable of revving very high but also capable of good emissions?  For example, an adjustable waste gate that responds to throttle input to bypass much of the exhaust gases when cruising to turn down the boost and use less fuel could be one of many ways to cut back on pollution.

Turbocharged engines also create much more torque than naturally aspirated engines, so the final drive could remain relatively high which would be great for keeping RPM's down at cruising speeds which could also save on gas.  In addition, turbocharged engines are more volumetrically efficient as shown by MotoIQ.com.

There would be drawbacks to the turbocharger.  An OEM turbocharged engine is much more reliable than an engine turbocharged with an aftermarket kit, so perhaps reliability wouldn't be an issue.  However, what about turbo lag?  That would take away from the response otherwise present with the electric motors which give so much torque goodness without the wait!

To assemble the car, take the aforementioned engine and put it in a light, small, aluminum chassis, longitudinally mount it in the middle of the car, and give THAT all-wheel drive.  This would cut down weight by a lot, and it wouldn't need much more power to beat the other "hypercars" because the power to weight ratio would be so high.  The design concept would almost be similar to an Ariel Atom, but with wider tires, more aggressive stance, cleaner looking body panels, full interior, and more.

Ariel Atom

There would also be drawbacks to a small chassis similar to the Ariel Atom's.  If it were like the Ariel Atom's it may not be quite as safe as a chassis in an average production car, or in a top of the line supercar.  It may also be uncomfortable for the driver to get in and out of the car, but then again, when you're getting in a racing bucket seat is it that big of a deal anyway?

Regardless of potential issues, the pros associated with a design concept like this would result in a unique and alternative creation.  Not only would this be a four-cylinder supercar, but it would be affordable, light, and quick...at least in theory.

Of course details are always a pain, but let's be honest-- great ideas don't flourish when someone points out why something won't work, but rather when someone points out ways to get around the limitations.  THIS is a design philosophy I believe Honda and Acura have had for years...and that's why I purchase their products.

Thanks guys,

--Lexi.Laron

The New 2016 CR-Z

It seems that after the BRZ and FRS were released the tuner industry exploded.  New parts were being made everywhere and these cars have aftermarket support rivaling traditional Japanese sports cars like the 240sx and the 3000GT VR-4, for example.  As a result, it's not a surprise that rumors of a new, affordable sports car are spouting from Honda enthusiasts' mouths.

 

We all know about the CR-Z.  It was Honda's attempt at a revolutionary sports car that would combine hybrid power with a fun-to-drive chassis.  With a chassis based off of the insight, and with a small weight of about 2,700 pounds this car was supposed to be a success in the tuner community.

 



 

If you follow the chassis or if you're an enthusiast you may be familiar with a few upgrades, like the Jackson Racing Supercharger Kit as shown above, or the full Mugen body kit.  But other than that, this car hasn't been hyped up all that much in terms of aftermarket support.  So what did Honda do?  They tried to make it cooler...and they did.

 

 

The Mugen CR-Z was released at a price tag of around $35,000 USD, however and that may be a little steep for a fancy body kit on a hybrid sports car if you ask me.  Honda also made the Mugen CR-Z RR which was only suppoed to be produced in limited production (about 300 units).  This is cool as well, but I'm uncertain as to whether this went into production or not in Japan.

 

Well, Honda may be trying to remedy ALL of these problems with the NEXT CR-Z.  Do you know what this is?  It's the new Civic Type-R...er well...we'll talk about that.

 



 

 

It's a chassis based off of the Civic Type-R which will supposedly be used for the new CR-Z.  And this would be pretty cool.  With 276 horsepower 2.0 L turbocharged engine, the Civic Type-R is being designed to be a serious competitor with high-performance FWD cars on the Nurburgring, and I'm sure the CR-Z will only come slightly short of that.

 

According to Motortrend Magazine, the new CR-Z which is currently sitting in R&D is sitting on a shortened Type-R platform and is anticipated to come with a turbocharged, 1.5 L engine with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission to transfer the power to the ground.  It is anticipated to still be a hybrid, but this will be no mama car.  This will be a serious competitor for the BRZ and FRS and the price tag is supposed to be below $30,000.

 

Let's see what Honda can come up with!  The ball's in your court now, Honda of America!



New Mazda RX-7???

Browsing the wonderful Site of Facebook this afternoon, an acquaintance within the Philadelphia Car Community posted a status.  No, this wasn't any usual status.  He wasn't complaining and he wasn't talking about Hurricane Sandy or power outages, or any of the other things that people in the area have been ranting about for the past couple of days.

No, this fellow was talking about THIS.

Proposed concept for 2013 "RX-9 Coupe" Source

Or maybe THIS.

FD3S Mazda RX-7 Source

WHATEVER, he was talking about the all-new, in-the-works project for Mazda-- a successor to the RX-7.  Yes, much to the dismay of the beloved RX-8 (or was it?), another successor will be taking its place.

However, this time, the new Mazda is rumored not to be turbocharged as the last FD3S model, which was the first RX-7 to come from Japan with a sequential, twin turbo system that Hitachi helped to design.  It is actually supposed to be naturally-aspirated!  Amazed?  Well get this, the new RX-7 is even supposed to meet European emissions standards, perhaps making it more likely to arrive in the US according to my judgement.  

A Hitachi Turbocharger Source

Mazda's "Sports Car Chief" (Source) also declared that the new motor is "capable of"  approximately 300 horsepower using an increased displacement of 1.6 liters from the new 16X Rotary to help fling out those exhaust gases using those little triangle things that Mazda loves so much.  Whether the motor actually produces 300 horsepower or not is beyond me, but the light chassis which is predicted to weigh approximately 2900 lbs should help in that department-- 300 horsepower or not!

Proposed release date is 2017, the 50th anniversary if the Cosmo.  ;)

16X Rotary Engine Concept from the Tokyo Auto Show Source

Stay tuned for the next installment of Lexi.laron and more news from the automotive and tuner industry!

The New Acura NSX

The new Acura NSX was revealed today at the Detroit Auto Show.  Although details are scarce, the car seems a lot like its father.  It's sleek and sexy, it's got interconnected taillights, and its got a mid-engine setup.

However, this is no normal NSX.  Rather than sporting a meaty V10 like the expensive LFA or a 3.4 liter V8 engine like the previous concept, it will sport a hybrid powerplant.

The engine will be a VTEC V6 with direct injection, and a hybrid drive to send power through its all new Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive System for better handling on corners where torque is needed at slipping wheels.

Although we are all stoked to empty our wallets for this new supercar, it is three years away.  And what is to say that this new concept is any different from Honda's....awesome EV-ster Concept (aside from being a supercar).  Will Acura trash this plan as they did with the previous concept or will they persevere to make this dream a reality?

Only time will tell.  But, I'm just saying...I like this one.