Aside from a very insightful opinion into what makes a sports car great, by comparing an old Honda NSX to a Ferrari F430, the so-called “Drift King“, Keiichi Tsuchiya, can also drive both of these cars closer to the limit than most of us could ever dream of. This is probably going to be some of the best onboard driving footage you’ve seen recently, all thanks to the all-important footwell camera, which captures each heel-and-toe downshift and really shows the skill that goes into it.
Mr. Tsuchiya first takes to the track in the NSX, and appreciates its direct feedback through all of the controls, but finds the steering somewhat heavy, due to the lack of assistance. Still, with 280hp, a manual gearbox and a well-balanced chassis, the “Japanese supercar” looks to be very entertaining to drive.
Once aboard the Italian car, he is no longer required to heel-and-toe, because there are paddles. There is considerably more power from the engine and it is much more difficult to keep on the narrow track. Nevertheless, he really seems to understand where both cars come from and why they ended up being built this way.
Keep in mind that this discussion predates the launch of the Lexus LFA, so at that time, Japan was still waiting for a new supercar to fill the shoes of the NSX, which went out of production in December of ’05. This information will come in handy around the end of the video…
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO