We (and many of you) were blown away by Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept when it was unveiled at NAIAS in January. Though we were a bit disappointed the concept was only a non-running turntable tease, Honda assured everyone that an improved, closer-to-production show car was in the works for the October Tokyo show.
Winding Road says its sources have heard the contrary, that Honda is going back to the high-performance drawing board to come up with a more super supercar. Word is the ASC just isn't impressing as many people as it needs to be. Perhaps Honda management saw the ASC wasn't its company's best effort, and instead of dumping the project entirely (like Chrysler did with the ME Four-Twelve or Ford with the GR-1), it's committing the resources needed to create something truly special in the $100,000+ sport coupe segment. As such, we're not quite sure what we'll see in October at the Tokyo Auto Show, if anything at all.
At least this is what we hope they're doing. Honda could have scrapped the whole thing and reallocated the funds to development of the next generation Pilot. Eeek!
[Source: Winding Road]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Matt Dell @ Feb 21st 2007 6:32PM
With looks like that, I'd go back to the drawing board, too. And while they're on the drawing board, they should move that engine back to its original MR location.
naggs @ Feb 21st 2007 6:35PM
good call, that thing was a loosing propsition. everything from the blah styling(for a $100k+ supercar) to the extremely long wheelbase (for a supercar). honda is best when it tries to do more with less, the asc would have been big and over weight and unless it had 600+ hp, not particularly fast.
honda should build a new nsx, call it the new nsx and give it a high reving v8. keep the wieght down by avoiding unnecessary features (like awd) that dont make the car faster. no matter how nice your interior is, if its not faster than a zo6 its going to be a massive dissapointment for honda fans.
2600 lbs
400-450 hp high reving v8
rear mid layout with rwd
if they build that car and call it an NSX, there is no way they can go wrong.
naggs @ Feb 21st 2007 6:42PM
honda really does need a v8. this a perfect opportunity to develop a new high tech, high performance v8. acura sales are hurting because of the lack of high end engine options and that would be solved if acura had a 350-450 hp v8 that trickled down from their supercar.
Carletti @ Feb 21st 2007 6:43PM
To be perfectly blunt, Acura's "Advanced Sports Car Concept" (what a name!) doesn't impress me in the least bit. From a purely design standpoint, the vehicle has about as much appeal to me as does the RSX. The chrome wheels are a distraction, there are lines everywhere and, moreover, those lines don't seem to hold much purpose in the first place (they don't really shape the car, oddly enough. For the car is still kind of...fat and dumpy). Granted, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," but this showing by the ASC car makes me wonder how Honda would manage to meet any projected quota to sell this car given the commanding price range that it, supposedly, is to belong to. I don't mean to argue that the RSX is not a necessarily pleasant looker, but for $100,000 people...how could anyone live with him or herself after knowing that they basically purchased just, in my view, another regular Acura when they could've, instead, taken a decidedly commanding grip of the road in a unique, and truly fierce, CLS63 AMG, for example. While specs matter, and they do, it is my contention that design (including originality and design that truly separates a car from the rest) is probably on an equal playing field with supreme technical specs in order for any $100,000+ GT to be a legitimate prospective contender amongst the elite GT's from Aston Martin, Bentley, and Ferrari, as an example. Make no mistake about it, this ASC car is not evocative of a prime competitor for the latter makes. Good for Honda in realizing that.
Ivan @ Feb 21st 2007 6:50PM
I am glad they are doing this. We don't need the next NSX so they can take their time making sure it is as good as it's legacy. I think the ME 412 looks more like what the NSX should look like. Yes put back the engine in the MR. I agree with 2600lbs with ~400hp would be perfect. I wouldn't mind a Turbo 6 or a A-VTEC V8.
Hondacura @ Feb 21st 2007 6:58PM
YES! they listen to the survey I took back in January.
American Instinct @ Feb 21st 2007 6:59PM
So much for that great Japanese ingenuity. Meanwhile the Super Corvette SS "Blue Devil" is well on target.
This piece of crap never stood a chance to begin with.
Hondacura @ Feb 21st 2007 7:01PM
I want a new NSX as much as the next person (that loves Honda) but I want it to look better than what they came up with.
doglet @ Feb 21st 2007 7:08PM
the asc looked like a concept car from the mid nineties. it doesnt have the proportions or styling that make me think supercar. it looks like a big GT, would have been a horrible starting point for a supercar. i bet the engineers were given that drawing and told to make a fast car and very quickly they realized that it just wasnt going to happen.
good job scraping that junk, now give us an NSX
NoNameDenton @ Feb 21st 2007 7:28PM
A V8 would be better for this car, then they could put the same V8 in the Ridgeline and other Acura products
Carlos @ Feb 21st 2007 7:42PM
I want another NSX too - a pure sports car, not a luxified GT.
But this is Acura's concept car, not Honda's. Acura doesn't do hardcore sport, they do techy GT stuff... so I thought the ASC was a good fit for them. Not that anyone would buy it, but IS true to the brand.
Any future NSX (or S2000) should remain a Honda.
Nick @ Feb 21st 2007 7:54PM
There's already the perfect engine for the new NSX, in the likes of the MUGEN MF408S V8. The engine was used both in competition, as well as in the Honda Legend Max show car.
Layout: 90° V8, normally aspirated
Displacement: 4000 cc
Valve configuration: 32 valves, DOHC
Horsepower: 590+ hp @ 9500 rpm
Torque: 383 lb-ft. @ 7500 rpm
Restrictor: 33.4mm(2) or 46.8mm(1)
Clutch: Carbon, 5.5", 4-plate
Length: 559 mm (not including fly wheel)
Width: 720 mm
Height: 577 mm
Crank height: 92 mm
Weight: 131 Kg
akatsuki @ Feb 21st 2007 7:56PM
I agree, that thing is a dog. The problem is that the supercar segment is super-competitive, and frankly you have the Vette and the GT3 as, I think, the two leaders to beat for a pure sportscar. The luxury GT market is actually more forgiving, but then the problem is you need style, like an Aston-Martin, a Maserati or Ferrari.
j0rd4n @ Feb 21st 2007 8:26PM
Re: Nick
That sounds like a great engine, but how much maintenance cost/scheduling will be needed compared to other cars in its competing segment. The only widely-available (generally speaking) motor that has a redline near 9500rpm is the Renesis (which I prefer anyways...well, not the Renesis exactly, but the 13B). I know that the original SHO motor was engineered to withstand 12k on a normal basis until Ford slapped in their internals and changed that to 7000, so I'm sure it could be done, I just haven't seen it done.
Typesbad @ Feb 21st 2007 8:32PM
Many you guys are a tough audience. I actually liked this concept. I sure found it more attractive than the Lexus and Toyota concepts and the Infinity GTR. Smooth lines, low profile, nearly perfect proportions, it basically worked for me. Most of what I didn't like such as the overly complex wheel design and the confusing rear window treatment I chalked off as concept car affections anyway.
While I was also sad to the loss of the mid engine, I can understand the broader appeal of the front engine layout. Such a platform may also pave the way for a new flagship sedan, which would improve the business case for both vehicles. But given I'm in the minority here, and probably a decimal point away from the target's income anyway, perhaps Acura made the correct choice.
Jim @ Feb 21st 2007 9:32PM
My wife can identify two cars other than her own. A Jag, and an NSX. They need something that has that kind of pull.
When the NSX first came out, car enthusiasts the world over were awed at what lil' ol' Honda had made, mid engine, aluminum body, something darn like a Ferrari, at less that half the cost! I'll admit it would be hard for Honda to work that kind of surprise again, now that we all know what they can do, but they need to come up with something that has the same 'wow factor' that the NSX had. This was just like what every one else has.
Cameron @ Feb 21st 2007 9:40PM
The next NSX needs to be 95% of a GT3's performance for 75% of the price. Doesn't need to be fancy. No hand-crafted wood trim, no hand-stitched steering wheel leather. Hell, make the stereo and A/C optional.
Give Honda the track star and give Acura the GT.
Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind a Honda-badged Elise killer instead of a redesigned NSX!
Todd @ Feb 21st 2007 10:05PM
I also really hope that this could possibly mean they are going to give a MR configuration a second look. If they are set on making this flagship monstrosity as FR or awd then why not make a S2000 replacement in the same cost range (30k+) MR with the styling of the HSC? Just give it the same turbo engine from the RDX but with better tuning.
doglet @ Feb 21st 2007 10:43PM
"There's already the perfect engine for the new NSX, in the likes of the MUGEN MF408S V8."
10k rpm race motors dont make good street motors
Felix @ Feb 22nd 2007 1:23AM
Thank god. I really expected more from honda