Acura NSX Concept is Tony Stark's New Ride in the Avengers

This morning I looked into the Temple of VTEC as I often do and found and found a simple one line post talking about an Acura concept on the set of the new Avengers movie currently filming in New York.  The link was to www.superherohype.com and photos from WENN.com that included a set of pictures that showed Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and a low-slung, burgundy, Acura convertible. 

Click to read more ...

The Acura HSC Concept Car

Acura is pretty tight-lipped when it comes to prototype and concept cars, and this holds true for the Honda Sports Concept (HSC). However, some details have been released. First off, Honda officials have admitted that this is a design study for the next generation NSX. Those that have seen the car at the Tokyo and Detroit auto shows confirm that this is a working car.

The frame is lightweight aluminum and the body is of carbon fiber and other composite parts. The car continues as a mid-engine design for balanced handling and minimal weight transfer under braking and acceleration.

The prototype is fitted with large, 245 front and 295 rear tires on 19 and 20 inch wheels. These are much larger than the current NSX and possibly too large for the actual production car, though they sure look great! The biggest mystery is in the drive train. Honda’s president is promising us over 300 hp for the new car and Formula 1 style paddle shifters.

Now for some speculation on my part. Could this car have Hybrid power to boost performance and efficiency? Could Honda engineers have solved the emissions problems with turbocharging? If so, would they dare to bring out a turbo engine after years of non-turbo vehicles? Watch this space for more details as we learn them.


The 2002 Acura NSX

The Acura NSX is returning for it’s 10th model year, this all-aluminum car is little changed from it’s introduction back in 1991. In 1995, Acura introduced an aluminum targa top which promptly became the best selling model. In 1997, the manual models were upgraded to a 6-speed and the engine was enlarged to improve horsepower from 270 Hp to 290. The result is one of the best sports cars available, regardless of price.

During a recent comparison test, Mario Andretti said, “...I’m not surprised that the NSX lap times were the second-fastest because it was the car I was most comfortable in.” High praise indeed. For 2002, this aluminum exotic gets new fixed headlights in place of the previous pop-up lights.