Autoblog Associate Editor Reese Counts drives a 1991 Acura NSX that has been rebuilt by Clarion Builds.
Transcript[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CAR REVS]
REESE COUNTS: Listen to this. [INAUDIBLE] V8s can eat it. This Honda V6 rips.
Clarion Builds says this thing makes 405 horsepower and 296 pound feet of torque at the wheels. That's a significant step up from the 290 horsepower and 220 pound feet of torque this engine made stock. These gears aren't incredibly long. I'm at 62 miles an hour in third gear, and the engine's revving at about 5,500 RPMs. With only about 3,200 pounds to move around, this thing feels quick, even by modern standards.
The clutch is light and the throws on this Honda shifter are nice, and short, and precise. The manual steering is smooth and direct, and body roll is pretty minimal. The brakes fight like vise grips, and the Pilot Super Sports have the perfect balance of grip and slip.
There's been a lot of effort put into the car's performance, but Clarion Builds really knocked it out of the park with the car's looks. Everything from the '90s is coming back into style. Our producer came into work with a purple and teal windbreaker the other day. This NSX is no exception. I would argue, correctly, that this NSX looks better than the late model facelift version that they sold in the 2000s.
Pop-up headlights beat fixed units any day. Not surprisingly, this interior's where Clarion Builds really got to shine. They really didn't want to go over the top. So at first glance, it doesn't look all that much different than a stock LSX. This car uses the JDM factory navigation insert, which is this screen right here. In its place, Clarion installed the surround-view camera.
They redid the leather on the seats, the steering wheel, and the dash, installed new carpet, and being a stereo company, installed their ampless full digital soundsystem. I own an 18-year-old Mercedes Benz C43 AMG. Despite the low miles, it feels like an old car. The steering's slow. The brakes don't work that great. This NSX is totally different. The car doesn't feel 26 years old. For the most part, it's pretty solid.
[CAR REVS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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