Autoblog

We've seen plenty of shots of the Honda/Acura NSX hangin' 'round the 'Ring, but unlike previous photos, the crew at Cartribe was able to catch a brief glimpse of the cloaked mule's interior. A clearer view of the gauges reveals a clean chronograph-like arrangement, with large numerals framed by chrome rings. Although the rest of the dash is covered by camera-proof camo, the three-spoke, flat-bottom steering wheel and integrated switchgear certainly speaks to the V10-powered super coupe's intentions. We're hoping to see the next NSX debut during the upcoming show season, reportedly packing over 500 hp and sending power to all four wheels.


[Source: Cartribe via Carscoop]

Not only is team Corvette taking shots at the Nissan GT-R, besting its 'Ring time in the process, so is Acura with its well-publicized NSX replacement. Though we've seen more spy shots, renderings and videos than you can shake a stick at, there are a few more renderings over at 7Tune if you are so inclined. What's more interesting, though, is news that the 5.5L V10 engine expected under the hood of the supercar will include relatively aggressive cylinder deactivation technology. The V10 will reportedly be able to cut its cylinder count in half by running as a 2.75L inline five-cylinder when its full capacity isn't needed. We would imagine that would be quite often, as the car's expected power output of six-hundred horses attests.

In what seems like a highly unlikely possibility, some sources are also reporting that a version of the V10 engine from the NSX could see duty in a future Acura RL sedan. Considering that the RL has never featured anything more than six cylinders underhood, this would be an extremely radical departure for Acura. In other words, don't hold your breath.

[Source: 7Tune]

AutoExpress is just as interested in the styling of the next NSX as the rest of us are, so they pressed a digital artist into action to 'chop the shots of the car running on the Nurburgring. What they've come away with isn't nearly as bad as we thought it might be on our last podcast. It still looks like a hotted-up Accord Coupe in some ways, though the lines and proportions are rather classic, and the anti-flamboyance creates a car that wouldn't look ridiculous next to an F430, except for the quad stacked exhaust tips. Of course, all the renderings really do is muddy the waters until we see the actual car, but at least if these images ring true, the NSX won't suck. It won't stand out, either, but who ever bought an Acura to stand out?

[Source: Auto Express, Photo: Larson]

Who needs Blade Runner technology to get the details in a photo when you've got Photoshop? The folks over at Temple of VTEC have gleaned the dimensions of the Acura NSX mule by starting with the widths of a German license plate and the Honda S2000 door. The mule appears to be shorter, but taller and wider than the previous NSX, with a longer wheelbase. VTEC also has a chart comparing the estimated dimensions with those of the Nissan GT-R, Porsche GT2, and Corvette Z06. While the exact measurements could be slightly off, they should fit together in relation to each other. We expect that in design and dimension the mule's bodywork has little to do with the final NSX -- but we probably have a year and change before we find out... Thanks for the tip, Eugene!

[Source: Temple of VTEC]

By now we've all seen the spy shots showing Acura's NSX revival bombing around the Nürburgring in Germany. There's a reason those drivers are pushing their prototype hard enough to get air through the turns. Inside Line is reporting the Honda CEO Takeo Fukui wants his NSX to toast both the Nissan GT-R and the Lexus LF-A around the Green Hell. Considering that the GT-R has posted lap times on the 'Ring that utterly defy what it should be able to do on paper, and that the LF-A is still a moving target that's trying to best the GT-R too, Honda engineers have some serious work to do developing the NSX over the next two years. IL suspects the next NSX will get a 5.5L V10 producing 550 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque that's derived from a V8 that's slated for the next-gen, rear-wheel-drive Acura RL. They also surmise that it will use an 8-speed auto with paddle shifters, feature an advanced version of Honda's Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive system and use lots of aluminum in its construction to keep weight down. Unfortunately, by the time the NSX arrives, the GT-R V-Spec will have moved the bar again.


[Source: Inside Line]

click above to high-res gallery of Acura NSX spy shots

The spy shots we showed you earlier of an Acura NSX prototype on the street were taken in Germany near the famed Nurburgring test track. Of course, any prototype driving around the 'Ring will eventually be driving on the 'Ring, and so it was today for Acura's future supercar. KGP photographers snapped the NSX prototype being driven hard around the Green Hell, so much so that the car's left-front wheel catches air at one point during hard cornering. There are many more angles and views of the next NSX in our gallery below that should allow you to see the car's form through its heavy camo paint even better.

[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for a high-res gallery of new Acura NSX spy shots

The spies at KGP Photography have captured the first shots of the next Acura NSX in its prototype form. Gone is the makeshift S2000 bodywork the car has been photographed in before, replaced by what appears to be its true form: a classic, long-hooded sports car profile that is significantly more muscular and aggressive-looking than the Advanced Sports Car Concept. The camo effectively hides most of the juicy details, particularly up front,. Still, you can make out the three well-defined intake openings there, as well as headlamps that are larger than the slitlike units shown on last year's concept car. In back, stacked square dual exhausts suggest plenty of underhood muscle, which makes sense since a V10 is expected to be nestled under the car's lengthy bonnet. The mule depicted above also suggests a BMW 6-series-like decklid aft of the rear glass, though there's no way of knowing if it incorporates taillamps that run the width of the rear, as we saw on the concept. No matter. It all adds up to something we want to see a lot more of, and soon.



[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for a huge, high-res gallery of Rd. 3 of the '08 SuperGT season.

After previous incarnations of the Nissan GT-R ran away with successive JGTC titles, Japan's GT Association decided to inflict "success ballast" on race winners in an attempt to level the playing field (i.e give Toyota and Honda a chance).

As the current GT-R race car is built to 2009 Super GT specifications, the GT-A handed it a weight penalty of 50kgs added right from the start of the season. After winning Round 1 in Suzuka car number 23 had to carry an additional 50kgs at Round 2 in Sugo, which it promptly won anyway. Then thanks to also setting numerous fastest laps and other speeding offenses it was deemed that Benoit Treluyer and Satoshi Motoyama's ride would have to port an massive 200ks (440lbs) of ballast at this weekend's race at Fuji Speedway.

That presents a couple of problems. Firstly, where the heck do you safely stow 200kgs of lead? And would the car meet GT-A regulations even if Nissan found a way to do it? The ruling body's compromise was to give the car a 115kg penalty and fit a stifling restrictor to the GT-R's air intake. That knocked 30kph off the GT-R's maximum velocity at the end of Fuji's 1.5km straight, and in the words of Benoit, "Gives us no chance at all."

Follow through the jump to find out if he was right, and to find out how Lightning McQueen faired in GT300 after qualifying on pole yesterday.

Click above for a gallery of the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept.

Acura is slated to release its NSX replacement sometime around the turn of the decade, but despite what you may have heard circulating the 'Net, it's not going to be priced to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini. There's little doubt that Acura's 500+hp, V10-powered super sled has Italy's finest in its sights, along with the perennial show queen, the Lexus LF-A, but even with current exchange rates between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar, the successor to the NSX won't be carrying a sticker around $180,000. After contacting Mike Spencer, one of Acura's press people, he confirmed that the comments he made were taken out of context and that definitive pricing for the new vehicle is still a long way off. He would only say that the exchange rates would have an effect, but it would be unfair to attempt to guesstimate on price this early in the game. Considering that the last NSX was knocking on the $100k door before it was killed off in 2005, we'd expect a higher sticker for the next model, but pulling a number out of the air, comparing it to other vehicles in the segment and claiming it as fact, is hardly fair. As such, we'll wait for a formal announcement from Acura so you can start saving your pennies for the NSX's upcoming replacement.

Click above for a gallery of the Acura Advanced Sports Car concept.

By most accounts, Honda originally planned to show off the next generation NSX to the seething throngs at last year's Tokyo Motor Show. But due to the less-than-positive reception the Advanced Sports Car concept garnered at the Detroit show, Honda's designers headed back to the drawing board to redesign the front clip housing the 550 hp, 4.5-liter V10.

Now, Autocar has gotten word from a Honda insider that the NSX is bound for the 2009 Tokyo show, sporting a new front end that "has Chevrolet Corvette undertones" and is slated to for production in the fall of 2010.

The new NSX will supposedly kick off Honda's first serious attempt at producing rear-wheel-drive vehicles to rival BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Infiniti, including new platforms that will underpin Acura's larger sedan offerings and an S2000-based Acura sports car that takes aim at the Mercedes SLK. The launch of Acura's 7-series fighter isn't due to make an appearance until 2015. For Honda' sake, let's hope they can expedite development to make it happen around the turn of the decade.


[Source: Autocar]