Autoblog

Inside Line snags drive of Acura NSX Roadster from The Avengers

Noah Joseph — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Videos, Acura, Celebrities, Design/Style

What would a superhero movie be without the fancy cars? Well, it would still be a superhero movie, we suppose, but we prefer the kind that has some flashy wheels. Like the upcoming Marvel flick The Avengers.

As you may have heard, Acura signed a multi-picture deal with Marvel to have its cars featured in a series of superhero movies, and indeed several already have. But for The Avengers, Acura had to work up something special enough to replace Tony Stark's Audi R8. Since the old NSX was long out of production when they began shooting and the new one wasn't ready yet, the Japanese automaker and the film studio put together something of a hybrid.

Not a hybrid as we tend to use the term in automotive spheres, but an amalgamation of the old NSX and the new one. They took a 1991 NSX and gave it a new roadster body to mimic the concept car that's been making the rounds of the auto show circuit.

Our compatriots over at Inside Line got a behind-the-scenes look at the roadster, along with the kitted-out MDX crossover and a TL with a similar treatment. Scroll down to watch the video clips they put together, and the corresponding article here.

Continue reading Inside Line snags drive of Acura NSX Roadster from The Avengers

Inside Line snags drive of Acura NSX Roadster from The Avengers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acura previews Tony Stark's NSX roadster from The Avengers

Chris Paukert — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Hybrid, Performance, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Acura, Design/Style

We have to admit to being fairly smitten with the promise of the low-slung Acura NSX concept that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show back in January. But for this moment - and for the next several moments - "promise" is all it is, because Acura says we shouldn't expect an NSX in showrooms until sometime around 2015. (Back in January, Acura advised that the production car is "expected to debut in the next three years.") Until then, Honda's premium outpost is going to do whatever it can to stoke the fires to keep interest high, including star-studded Super Bowl commercial appearances and this - a drophead spinoff that will be Tony Stark's ride in this summer's The Avengers blockbuster from Marvel.

We first saw this car thanks to some intrepid movie set shots by would-be paparazzi back in early October, but this is the first official acknowledgement and image of the car that we've seen. Early in March, we told you about alleged patent drawings of an NSX convertible that was very similar to the Detroit showcar, which some interpreted as Acura planning both a fixed-head coupe and a roadster for production. However, those drawings look an awful lot like the car shown here with the exception of small details like a unique wheel pattern and differing seatbacks, so while it's possible that Acura is pondering a topless NSX, the renderings could have simply been to protect design rights to the movie car, especially considering that neither Stark's ride nor the patent drawings appear to have headlamps.

We'll have to wait and see what Acura decides regarding its Ohio-built all-wheel-drive hybrid supercar, but we suspect that even if it does greenlight a convertible version, we probably won't see it until 2016. Which is... a really long time to keep believing in a promise.

Continue reading Acura previews Tony Stark's NSX roadster from The Avengers

Acura previews Tony Stark's NSX roadster from The Avengers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acura MDX ready to S.H.I.E.L.D. the Avengers from harm

Noah Joseph — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc., Acura, Military, Celebrities, Specialty

Move over, Batmobile, and make room in the geekosphere for the latest comic book superhero ride.

Acura, as you may be aware, signed a multi-picture deal with Marvel to have its cars featured in a raft of superhero movies. The Japanese luxury brand's cars were there at the end of Captain America, they were there in Thor, and they'll be there in full force in the highly anticipated upcoming superhero spectacular, The Avengers.

Most prominent of these will be the NSX-like roadster Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has been spotted driving on set, but that won't be the extent of it for the Honda brand. Feast your eyes on the MDX which Acura has prepared for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division - the fictitious government agency that brings the gang together.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. MDX with the Sentinel Package is, according to its ficticious Monroney, packs the same Palladium-powered titanium engine, nine-speed transmission and diamond quartz brakes as the Stark roadster, albeit packed into a more capacious form. It's got an aerial drone stored in a briefcase in the back, a cloaking device, bulletproof body, repulsor cannon and advanced targeting system.

So what would a fictitious vehicle like this set you back? MSRP (with destination and Sentinel package) is pegged at a nearly $6 million. Suck on that, Bugatti Veyron.

Acura MDX ready to S.H.I.E.L.D. the Avengers from harm originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monroney details on Tony Stark's $9,229,000 Acura from The Avengers

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Acura, Celebrities

See that above? It's the Monroney for Tony Stark's Acura in The Avengers. We saw the car on set last year, when most of what we had to say about it centered on its potential hints to the as-yet-unseen Acura NSX concept. Someone got a closer look at the roadster on display, and its details are nothing short of cartoonish but in the best way.

The $9,229,000 supercar uses a palladium-powered 80,000 TOHC 32-valve engine boosted by, get this, nitrous. As well as its nine-speed hyper-shift transmission, lithium dioxide-injecting shocks and reflex-response steering column with target guidance feedback, it is fitted with a device to create an enviro-clone projected hologram of its surroundings. You know, for defense. And because actual palladium use might vary among agents, the 234 city/302 highway mpg is for Tony Stark only.

Head over to Collider.com for more closeup images of Stark's low-density-plasma-emitting Acura roadster and a closer read of that window sticker.

Monroney details on Tony Stark's $9,229,000 Acura from The Avengers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Tony Stark's new Acura a precursor to next NSX?

Noah Joseph — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Hybrid, Performance, Acura, Honda, Rumormill

When the upcoming Marvel reunion The Avengers hits the silver screen, it promises to be packed with action. Action heros like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America... and a new Acura NSX.

Wait, what? That's right: if the latest rumors from Auto Express prove true, that mystery Acura supercar that Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has been spied driving on the set of the upcoming superhero flick will be our first glimpse at the new supercar from Honda's premium marque.

The neo-NSX will reportedly pack the through-the-road all-wheel-drive hybrid drivetrain from the 2001 Honda Dual Note concept, encompassing a 3.5 to 3.7-liter V6 driving the rear wheels and an electric hub motor in each of the front wheels.

Tipped to be priced to take on the Nissan GT-R, the new NSX could be the Honda supercar we've been waiting for. For its part, Honda officials continue to deny that Tony Stark's car is representative of a new NSX, so we'll believe it when we see it (and we don't just mean at the movies).

Is Tony Stark's new Acura a precursor to next NSX? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tony Stark trades his Audi for mystery Acura in The Avengers (UPDATED)

Alex Nunez — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:05:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Acura, Celebrities

Next summer, when The Avengers opens to packed multiplexes, playboy billionaire Tony Stark will be rolling in a trick new ride. After driving an Audi R8 in the two Iron Man features, Stark apparently switches to a never-before-seen Acura sports car (in keeping with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s use of all Acura vehicles, as seen in this summer's Thor and Captain America films).

The new ride appears in a series of on-set photos published at SuperHeroHype.com (borrowed from WENN.com) showing Robert Downey, Jr. standing next to it as Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) look on. Another shot, posted at WorstPreviews.com (we've posted a cropped version here), shows the mystery Acura convertible by itself, parked on the set in New York's Central Park.

Note to the spoiler-averse: the WorstPreviews.com report explicitly details the scenes that were filmed, and they're reportedly for the the conclusion of the movie. So, you've been warned.

We also have a note in to Acura to see if they'll give up any other information. We'll update the post accordingly if and when we know more.

UPDATE: Acura spokesman Gary Robinson has gotten back to us. Follow the jump to see what he had to say.

Continue reading Tony Stark trades his Audi for mystery Acura in The Avengers (UPDATED)

Tony Stark trades his Audi for mystery Acura in The Avengers (UPDATED) originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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