1991 Acura NSX

The legendary design firm Pininfarina was commissioned by Honda in 1984 to design the 2-liter mid-engine HP-X (Honda Pininfarina Experimental). This design later evolved into the production NSX, with 'NSX' being an acronym for 'New Sportscar eXperimental'. The Honda NSX was sold under the Acura brand name in North America and Hong Kong markets. The exotic supercar was produced between 1990 and 2005. It continued the mid-engine placement but was powered by an all-aluminum V6 which featured Honda's variable valve timing and electronic lift control called VTEC. They had an independent four-channel anti-lock brake system, titanium connecting rods to permit high engine RPM operation, and electric power steering.

The NSX was the first production car to use an all-aluminum monocoque body incorporating a revolutionary extruded aluminum alloy frame and suspension. During the sixteen years of production, just 18,685 were sold worldwide. The first NSX available to the retail public was 000063. All low-numbered cars are reported to be pre-prototype cars.

The 1991 Acura NSX coupe had a base price of $62,000. The double-overhead-cam V6 engine offered 270 horsepower with the 5-speed manual transmission and 252 horsepower with the four-speed automatic. Gear changes for the console-shifted four-speed automatic transmission were handled by an electronically controlled lockup torque converter.

The NSX was initially offered as a coupe, then, from 1995 forward, as a Targa top. Upgrades in 1997 include a larger 3.2-liter V6 engine, boosting output to nearly 300 bhp and torque to 224 lb-ft. Updates to the styling for 2002 included the removal of the pop-up headlights.

The NSX was a supercar that married exceptional beauty with drivability. It really hit its stride as the engine enters the VTEC zone, and peak performance is achieved at 7,100 rpm, endowing the lightweight supercar to reach 60 mph from a standstill in under six seconds. The transverse-mounted V-6 engine continued to deliver power as the car quickly surpassed posted speed limits, reaching speeds achieved by only by the most sophisticated supercars of the era.

Production was exclusive, with 1,119 examples sold in the United States in 1990 and 1,940 the following year. Total U.S. production for the 1990 to 2005 (first generation) NSX was 8,999 units (including 58 examples sold in 2006 and 2 in 2007).

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2016