NSX laps 'Ring unofficially at 7:37
by Jonathon Ramsey on Jun 19th 2008 at 3:25PM 
Click above for gallery of high-res Acura NSX prototype spy shots
The next generation Acura NSX is still two years away. But the cars with which it will compete are currently moving the goal posts further and further toward the horizon. By the time the NSX arrives, it could need rocket boosters and a hyperdrive. Or maybe it already has them?
The NSX prototype that we recently showed you lapping the 'Ring has recently been clocked unofficially by KGP spy photographers doing a 7:37 lap around the 'Ring in traffic. It's no secret what kind of cars live in that 7:30 bracket. Seeing as how Honda CEO Takeo Fukui wants the NSX to lap the 'Ring faster than the GT-R, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Nissan's supercar has done it officially in 7 minutes, 29 seconds.
Remember, though, when the Nissan GT-R was casually timed by trackside reporters, they clocked it doing a 7:38, and well know now what GT-R can really do when pressed by a professional. If the NSX mule and it's rumored 550-hp 5.5L V10 are really that good already, then the car looks in good shape to deliver on Honda CEO Fukui-san's command to beat the GT-R and LF-A.
As a bonus, KGP also managed to snap the interior of the NSX prototype. While not revealing much, we can see its gauges and the paddle shifters for its rumored 8-speed transmission. Also note that these new pics of the NSX prototype were taken while it ran that 7:37 lap.Gallery: Spy Shots: Acura NSX
[Source: KGP Photography]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
sw 3:32PM (6/19/2008)
I wish they had these pissing contests in the sub 25k range. It's nice and all what these cars are doing, but none of these cars are things that the average person can afford.
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Richard 4:23PM (6/19/2008)
You mean like the WRX and friends? The MazdaSpeed3 maybe? There are some mighty fun cars down in the 20s these days that we in the US didn't even have access too not so many years ago.
sw 9:26AM (6/20/2008)
I figured you were in the states. In Canada while these cars are more attainable, they're still not cheap. A decked out evo and sti after taxes and such will run about 50k. the regular wrx about 34k. And we get taxed more than you guys
RG 3:36PM (6/19/2008)
Please, the NSX is hardly done. This is a camouflaged prototype caught racing around the ring. I am sure that the adjustments made to the wheels, tires, and body for production will most likely bring the NSX down to the GT-R goal.
Lest we forget this GT-R video showing the prototype GT-R tooling around the Ring at 7:38:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/25/video-nissan-gt-r-laps-the-nurburgring-in-7-38/
This GT-R looks more polished than the NSX.
Now my next question is- any reports on track conditions? Because, again, as we saw with the GT-R, they could have quite an effect on the overall lap time.
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James Sonne 10:13PM (6/19/2008)
Regarding track conditions, per the article, this time was taken on an OPEN TRACK with TRAFFIC.
CarbonBlack 1:31PM (6/20/2008)
the NSX also seems to have some sort of padding or false body panels that would trash the aerodynamics.
Wally 3:37PM (6/19/2008)
Hopefully this, the LF-A, the GT-R, Z06, ZR-1 and cars like it will be available after the CAFE restrictions are jacked up. This seems like an exciting new time in automotive history (the Engineering Age?) and it would be a shame if it is hamstring'ed by government restrictions. It's great for us car nuts to see the manufacturer's going after each other like this
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Mez Jr 10:56AM (6/20/2008)
It seems fairly typical to periodically have the govt put restrictions on cars to make them more practical somehow (pollute less, no lead in gas, CAFE) then HP drops, after awhile it makes it back up again with all said restrictions. CAFE won't affect handling. Getting high HP motors isn't anything new, getting them to comply with emissions is. Next step will be getting them with better mileage or whatever's next. It's all rather exciting.
Mike 3:39PM (6/19/2008)
At the Honda dealer meeting this year, when the next-gen NSX was announced, they mentioned a minimum of 605hp out of that V10. Not sure if they've changed their tune since then, but that's what my GSM is telling me at the Honda store I work in.
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tankd0g 3:55PM (6/19/2008)
Nice pun.
hotwings1 3:41PM (6/19/2008)
This is all fine and dandy, but there is something that all of these other cars lack that the GTR has taken care of so well. The new GTR is an engineering marvel, but yet it still maintains some of the character of the old car, such as the round tail lights that first appeared back on the 1963 Skyline. None of these new competitors like the new NSX or LF-A retain any of their history or character from past generations.
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icu812ru469 3:45PM (6/19/2008)
Excellent point. The previous NSX had a more wedge design, this thing just looks like it's going to be a big bloated egg... sorry, but NSX this is not... very sad day indeed....
RG 4:11PM (6/19/2008)
Well, FWIW it looks as though this NSX mule is going to have a light bar the full width of the rear, ala the NSX.
Although I do with this NSX kept some minor things from the past car- the door handles spring to mind- I remember how cool looking those things were.
Franz 4:01PM (6/19/2008)
Considering that Lexus has never made any coupe other than the pig heavy SC series (who's design was always questionable btw) and the LF-A is certainly their first foray into the supercar business, there's not much character for them to retain. The latest SC was a blandly styled, overweight, rough riding 2+2 that should've been a two seater because those rear seats were nothing more than finely upholstered parcel shelves. It's best if they forgot everything about those previous cars.
And Honda has abandoned the mid-engined layout with this new NSX, so it's almost impossible for them to mimic the styling of the old one, let alone retain character with this FR layout. The most Honda can do with this layout is keep the weight as low as possible, and make sure the (naturally aspirated) V10 mill revs high and exhibits decent manners like a traditional VTEC motor. It's not gonna look like an NSX with the long hood & front engine. Like I mentioned in all my posts on this car, it's a shame they're not keeping it true to the NSX of old, but since this is only a test mule, I'm gonna cut them a little slack & not be (too) critical of the design until I see something closer to production trim.
s13hybrid 4:14PM (6/19/2008)
@ Franz
Toyota made the Supra, and Lexus=Toyota. So I don't see how you can say this is their first go at a super car. The SC300/400 is a Toyota Soarer.
If you look at it like Lexus has never had an entry to super cars, then I guess Honda has not either to my knowledge. The early NSXs were badged as Acuras.
Franz 4:28PM (6/19/2008)
Unless I'm mistaken, Toyota hasn't done any supercars. I wouldn't consider any of the SC cars supercars. And I used to own a Soarer with the 2JZ. Any 2JZ powered car (Supra included) is just a turbo swap away from 500hp & loads more, but they're not supercars. Neither was any Skyline GT-R for that matter. I'm not debating what the cars can become with after market tuning, but their performance straight out of the box.
Franz 4:33PM (6/19/2008)
Also, the original NSX was indeed a Honda... you say it like it's a bad thing! The RSX is an Integra. Everybody knows that the JDM versions of these cars are much better performers than their US Acura badged counterparts. To me they're all Hondas, and that's a very good thing.
Dustin 4:47PM (6/19/2008)
The NSX, like Acura, doesn't have much of a history - it's only one car. The GT-R has been around for nearly 40 years. It would be ashame if that car abandoned its history, but not in Acura's case. It won't be called the NSX anyhow.
s13hybrid 4:50PM (6/19/2008)
No the NSX as a Honda is not a bad thing, I think every Acura should just be badged a Honda, and Lexus a Toyota, and Infiniti a Nissan. It is marketing to the superficial US public that make things so, and nothing else in my opinion.
I may be reading your words wrong, and for that I apologize.
Is the old NSX in a different category than the old GT-Rs or Supras (the soarer was never a big contender in my opinion, but I still like them, so I am not insulting your choice of a soarer).
Franz 5:15PM (6/19/2008)
@ s13hybrid:
No offense taken. I wouldn't put the NSX in the same category as the GT-R and Supra. The Skyline GT-R was basically a regular Skyline on steroids... and I love the hell out of them, so I hope nobody thinks I'm knocking it. Just like a Lancer Evo is a hotted up econobox... the end result is greater than just the sum of it's parts. And Supras were more grand tourers than supercar.
The NSX was a purpose built supercar: aluminum intensive construction, mid engine layout, monocoque chassis, titanium con rods and 8000 rpm redline from a V6. From the get go it was designed to be a Ferrari 348 competitor... Gordon Murray has even admitted to benchmarking the NSX's ride and handling for the McLaren F1 hypercar. The fact that it went virtually unchanged throughout it's entire production run is also a testament to how far ahead of it's time it was. Save some minor cosmetic updates, revised rear suspension geometry and a displacement increase, it remained virtually the same.