A day with the new NSX
“The new Nsx, A worthy successor to the old Nsx?”
During the NSX-CE Tour charity auction we had some amazing items. But the “best” item without a doubt is the one Honda Europe offered us. A one day drive with the new Nsx. The bidding war was on and in the end Michael Clark of R-motion was the highest bidder. Last weekend the day was finally there, he could pick the NSX up at the Honda R&D plant in Frankfurt Germany. Michael asked us to join him during this special day. As he is (to our knowledge) the first European private individual to drive the car for a full day.
Seeing they offered the car for a full day it ment getting up bright and early. Around 08:00 we arrived at Honda’s R&D center, after a short wait there she was. And she was Michael’s for a day, he received the keys and off we went.
What do you do when you have a the new NSX for a day and you are in Germany? Yes, you go to petrol head heaven, the Nurburgring. Fortunately there are a few “unrestricted” stretches of Autobahn on route. To answer the question on everybody’s lips, YES IT’S FAST! On the Autobahn the acceleration is mind blowing in every gear. The Hybrid system compliments the 3.5 V6 twin turbo engine giving it instant power from as low as 1000 RPM all the way to the redline. Unfortunately seeing the roads were quite busy and we wanted to keep it safe we didn’t reach the top speed of over 300 Kp/h, but we firmly believe it will easily reach that speed during less busy times.
Around 11:00 we arrived at the Nurburgring, we can hear you think, “so whats the BTG time?” Unfortunately the signed contract restricted Michael from taking it on the ring. However as most of you know the Ring is surrounded by amazing and winding B Roads in example along the river Mozel. After a nice Lunch at the Ring we decided to drive some B-roads. When we got back to the car it was surrounded with people taking pictures and admiring the car.
Along the twisty b roads the car transformed to a nimble sharp knife, easy to position into the corner and giving you loads of confidence. Even though it was very wet from time to time. Again the Hybrid system ensured instant power, you would almost call it “power on demand”. The Hybrid system fills the gap where the turbo’s have to spool up and then let off when the 3.5 V6 twin turbo comes in it’s (broad) power band.
Unfortunately it was time to head back to Frankfurt and hand back in the keys. So how was it to co-drive the new Nsx? Are there no downsides we hear you think. Seeing we drove a pre-production model there were some bit and bobs we felt were not up to par (in example the seat upholstery and interior stitching). A car with such a price tag should be immaculate, but the guys at Honda already confirmed there are quite a few changes made to the cars now rolling off the line in the USA.
Michael Clark, ex racing driver and owner of R-motion had an amazing time. His view on the car, “Despite (or because of), the technology, the car feels very analogue. You feel very connected to the road and the brakes give you a surprising amount of feel. The power curve is very linear even from low down, and the only indication you have that it is turbocharged is the occasional hiss of the dump valves I the rear – it really does drive and feel like a naturally aspirated car. The transition between EV motor and boost is seamless.. The torque vectoring enables you to direct it with ease with no indication that it is, on paper, quite a heavy car.”
Looking back it was an Epic weekend, we would like to thank Michael for inviting us to be part of the trip. Furthermore big thanks to Honda for supporting NSX-CE. All proceed of the auction where donated to The Royal Marsden Cancer charity and the Against Cancer Charity.
We think It’s safe to say Honda has stayed true to the NSX (New Sportscar eXperimental) heritage. They have made a true everyday supercar. Using the latest innovations, like they did in the 90’s but with 21st century technology.