NSX Sales Have Slowed to a Trickle in Recent Years If you haven't already heard, Honda is ceasing production of its mid-engine NSX sports car before bringing an all-new model out in the near future.
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| Word from the Automotive Coroner's Office is that the death of the NSX was due to an inability to pass increasingly strict global emissions regulations. (Photo: Acura Canada) |
Word from the Automotive Coroner's Office is that its death was due to an inability to pass increasingly strict global emissions regulations, which are said to take effect in 2006. According to Acura spokesman Mike Spencer, "The bureaucrats have harpooned one of the best sports cars on the road." It's true. Acura's NSX is considered to be one of the easiest supercars ever made for driving quickly. Its aluminum body and exotic mid-engine layout placed it head and shoulders above the offerings from Dodge, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and Nissan, which retained conventional layouts for their Stealth, RX7, 3000 GT, Supra and 300SX respectively. None managed to offer the same balance, style or excitement, and due to this the NSX enthralled owners and enthusiasts alike. Now those enthusiasts mourn the passing of the 175 mph Japanese sports
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| The Acura NSX, shown here undergoing testing at Germany's Nurbergring by the late Ayrton Senna in 1990, may be replaced by a V10-powered supercar in 2008. (Photo: Acura Canada) |
car, a car endowed with a Formula 1 pedigree and classically proportioned design bold and brave enough to tackle Ferraris headlong. But still, not many have been at their local Acura dealers purchasing them either. Now priced at $142,000, there are few takers for the 290-horsepower two-seater that, due to not seeing more than a facelift since its 1990 introduction finds itself less powerful than the four-door RL sedan in the Honda-built luxury division's lineup. It's also less powerful than many sports cars and sport sedans that are much less expensive. After all, it can only muster a 0 to 100 km/h time of 5.8 seconds. Chop $40,000 and a full second off of such a sprint from Porsche's base 911.