NEWS: Supercar to be discontinued

By Michael Banovsky

Well, it looks as though my favourite supercar is being phased out of production. No, not the Lamborghini Gallardo or Pagani Zonda, but the Acura NSX.

Why the NSX? To me, it showed that a car could be both fast and easy to live with. They’re practically bulletproof little cars as far as reliability is concerned, and Honda even overs a factory “refresher” program to update the car to the latest specifications.

The good news? They’re developing a successor. From Honda/Acura Canada:

“TORONTO (July 11, 2005) – To further enhance the division’s performance image, Acura is developing a new sports car to succeed the award-winning NSX “supercar.” Acura also announced that production of the current generation NSX will be retired at the end of the year due to the extensive retooling necessary to meet stringent 2006 emissions and equipment regulations for North America, Europe and Asia.

“Acura remains committed to offering customers ultra high-performance vehicles,” said Jim Miller, Executive Vice President, Honda Canada Inc. “It’s too early to comment on any specifics, but the all-new model promises to be just as groundbreaking as the original 1991 NSX.”

As the first-ever supercar from Japan, the NSX was created as a hand-built, exotic, mid-engine sports car that established new levels of performance, refinement and drivability. The NSX went on sale in the summer of 1990 and posted record Canadian sales of 253 units the following year. Through June 2005, NSX cumulative sales for North America totaled 9,551 vehicles.

NSX was designed by Acura as a technological and performance showcase. It was the first production car to utilize titanium connecting rods and feature an all-aluminum body, chassis and suspension. It featured a transversely mounted dual overhead cam V-6 engine equipped with Acura’s breakthrough VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) system, titanium connecting rods and a variable volume induction system.

Over time, the NSX received continuous updates to ensure its competitiveness and popularity with sports car enthusiasts. The NSX has also captured multiple championships in the highest levels of sports car and prototype racing.”