Filed under: Spy Photos, Supercars, Acura, Honda
Spy Shots: Acura NSX mule out in the open
by Damon Lavrinc on May 23rd 2007 at 9:04AM 
When spy pics of the new NSX surfaced a couple of days ago, it was just a matter of time before we got a better look at Honda's forthcoming supercar running the 'Ring. The previous shots of the S2000-cloked mule gave us a rough idea of the length and rear suspension setup, but these new shots tell more of the tale.The stock wheelbase of an S2000 comes in at 94.5-inches and this test car has obviously been stretched a good 10-inches or more. As such, the driver seems to be placed dead center within the vehicle. The rolling stock is also much larger than anything previously seen on Honda's four-wheeled superbike, likely sporting 18- to 19-inch wheels. As for the width of the mule, it seems to have remained the same, but the naked eye can only tell so much.
Although the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept foretells the future styling direction of the new NSX, the lack of any new sheet metal would indicate that the chilly reception it received has forced Honda's designers back to the drawing board. We're certainly okay with that, as long as the 500 HP V10 remains unchanged. We're still coming to grips with the idea that the next iteration of the NSX will have a front-mounted engine instead of the midship V6 of the previous model, but time will tell when the NSX debuts, likely sometime in 2009.
[Source: Straightline]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dave in MI 9:18AM (5/23/2007)
Looks like an RX8 with the crazy wide FJ 'B' pillar.
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Devin 9:21AM (5/23/2007)
While Honda is very smart to not reveal any future designs by covering up their prototypes w/ old designs (and yes, i know, they are not the only ones to do this), their NSX might turn out to be a little late to the japanese supercar party. True, the GT-R is a little stale now after soooooo many spy shots, but it will still be a great car when it launches next year. The LF-A will be out in a year, and while most people are probably not ready for a Lexus Supercar, people will still be able to choose from either that or a GT-R before the Acura even shows it's face.
Either way, the Corvette will always hold it's value as the best supercar for the money. 480 hp in the most extreme GT-R? how about 650-700 hp in the most extreme Z/07. And the base Corvette still has 430hp which screams value compared to any of these other cars.
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Aetius 9:21AM (5/23/2007)
I actually liked the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept. It had a very 80s sharply-cut look to it.
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darren monk 10:04AM (5/23/2007)
If the car is to be designed by European trained/experienced designers,it will have a fighting chance however;if it's going to be designed by Americans (trained)namely the same geeky,nerdy monkeys at the Acura "design studios" and who use such phrases as "kinda cool" it will flop!!!
felipe 9:29AM (5/23/2007)
yea for power!
boo for a car that looks like a mish mosh of 4 or 5 other cars.
what is with that itty bitty spoiler?
the exhaust looks retarded, even more so with the lower cutouts still there.
the whole thing looks like my 4 yr old tried photo shop on an S2000.
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Keith 9:37AM (5/23/2007)
You Corvette people make me laugh. Who wants to have a car that I see at least 5 on the way to work every morning with 70 year olds driving them...
Yes, it's a great performing car, but the stigma and normal corvette buyer is enough to steer me away.
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Den in IN 10:01AM (5/23/2007)
You Corvette people make me laugh. Who wants to have a car that I see at least 5 on the way to work every morning with 70 year olds driving them...
"Oh look, that old man who just passed you is driving a Chevrolet. Such a commener driving a commener car, and he is so fast too. Good thing you never go that fast, huh?"
Some of us are under the impression that the whole supercar thing is about speed. Maybe we are mistaken, and old.
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sean 10:02AM (5/23/2007)
I wish people like felipe would realize this is not what the car will look like, this is basically the same thing Nissan did with the GTR when they just threw the GTR motor in to a G35/Skyline Coupe. In this case though, its just an elongated s2000.
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felipe 10:52AM (5/23/2007)
ah jeez, this isnt what it's going to look like? seriously?
oh thank god. please continue on Acura.
Johnnie 10:56AM (5/23/2007)
That's not an NSX.
That's a hardtop S2000.
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Steven T. 10:56AM (5/23/2007)
I'm disappointed that Honda is moving in this direction. It really doesn't make sense from a strategic standpoint to offer a 500 hp V10.
At least the old NSX offered a clear counterpoint to the conventional design of the Corvette. And even if the V10 engine will ultimately be used in a top-end Acura sedan and SUV, does anyone really think it will ever achieve sufficient volume to pay for itself? I suspect not.
The great irony is that rising gas prices could result in the market shifting toward sports cars like the old NSX just as Honda has joined the Corvette in the "mine's bigger than yours" race. A classic example of dysfunctional groupthink.
Honda seems to have lost its genius for staying ahead of the curve. Either that or it has lost its courage.
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Alex 11:32AM (5/23/2007)
"Either way, the Corvette will always hold it's value as the best supercar for the money. "
I disagree with the comment about the Corvette with 600 hp you're talking about serious issues with traction control and getting a clean launch, assuming that you even have enough skill to use the power.
Of course never mind high speed driving or going into a corner with that much power the VAST MAJORITY of drivers could easily find themselves spinning out.
Sure there are some drivers that can actually use 650-700 but they are the exceptions and are probably professional racers.
With 460-530 hp and AWD I think the Skyline GTR will be THE performance car to have since it, assuming that you even have the courage and wherewithall to actually test those limits.
Most people who drive high powered sports cars are posers and have no idea what their machines can do. Even if most sport car owners did know wht their cars were cable of they would never push their cars even 50-60%.
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Rick Lyon 11:39AM (5/23/2007)
Jonnie- it does look the s2000 and I think that's ugly too. But I wouldn't put it past Honda (Toyota-Nissan-Ford) to use a near identical design, slap in a different interior and charge more with a high end label.
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Robin 11:39AM (5/23/2007)
That is NOT an Acura. It's a HONDA, hence UK plates.
So development will be buy HONDA, who have quite a big presence in the UK.
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papercliprebel 12:46PM (5/23/2007)
1.apparently people still don't understand the concept of a MULE. disregard the s2k body - the testing of the concept above is for chassis and engine testing (i.e. everything of significance is under the skin and the outer shell is still being designed). it will not look anything like this in its final form. what is it about mules that is so hard to get? regardless, i'm willing to bet that someone underneath this post will still manage to say "it looks like an s2k".
2.the corvette is easily the best sports car south of a 100k. the z07 is easily in porsche gt2/3 territory on paper, but then again, some people by cars for the label, and others to drive and race. if you are the former, why are you even on this board, shouldn't you be perusing the speigel catalogue?
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Gooch 1:14PM (5/23/2007)
Keith,
I didn't realize there was "stigma" to driving a Corvette. What, pray tell, is this stigma? If you're too much of a pu**y to get a car because of its "stigma" and because of the "normal Corvette buyer" (whatever the hell that is), then it's you with the "stigma." If you're thinking gold chains and disco shirts, that image went out with the 70s. Grow up.
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Ben Levy 1:54PM (5/23/2007)
I find it funny that so many people like to compare cars that don't even exist. When the cars are this level you shouldn't bother comparing just numbers. Everyone knows that on the street a good driver in an EVO can mess with a Corvette even though the number clearly put the Vette ahead. The Corvette will always have great numbers and do great on the track, but the NSX has always had an aim at a different sort of customer. The Vette is a great value, but people looking for luxury sports cars usually don't care about value.
We still don't know what engine this future car could have but I hope they take a page from BMW and make a family of V engines that can be shared across platforms. Honda is way overdue for that.
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Nastinupe 3:21PM (5/23/2007)
I don't care where the engine will be in the New NSX, as long as it looks good and performs well.
I hope that the new body is evolutionary and not revolutionary. I liked the old body style of the NSX. Just take the old body, throw in a more powerful engine, condense the length a bit, redo the interior, give it bigger rims, new front and rear lights and you have a winner.
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BOB 4:16PM (5/23/2007)
As I wrote the last time, if Honda (not Acura -- except in a few countries they are all Hondas) is smart this time, they will make a more mainstream vehicle at closer to $60,000. This will actually SELL, unlike the NSX, nicely complement the upper end Acuras, and bring people into the showroom for sedans.
The Ferarri wannabe thing of the previous NSX was an ego trip.
As for the Corvette thing -- wonderful car in comparison to former versions, wonderful muscle sports car. The market is wide open for a car like this which lacks the "grandpa always wanted one" connotation.
----Yes, the image is not "gold chain and muscle shirt" -- unfortunately, it is "gold chain, white beard and size XXL flowered polo shirt". If you see a young man driving a Vette, you figure he is a kept boy with a Sugar Daddy. (and Daddy chose the car to remind him of his own youth).
At least in LA, I can recall seeing NO ONE under 55 driving a Vette, in many years. When these guys go, their sons wont want the cars. Time for a new styling and quality direction.
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Ligor 5:24PM (5/23/2007)
so they're using and S200 to cover it up?
how's that V10 fitting under there, the car doesn't seem much wider than the S2000.
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