From Mercedes-AMG to Lexus and Aston Martin, automakers are seeing marketing value in placing their design language and brand names on marine creations.
Honda, which has a separate marine division dating back to 1964, couldn’t resist either, but instead of crafting a yacht, it has revealed a conceptual engine design that draws inspiration from its NSX hybrid sports car, which is sold under the Acura brand in North America and as a Honda in most other international markets.
Aptly called the ‘Honda Marine Design Concept Engine’, the outboard is making its world premiere alongside the revised, production Honda Marine BF40 and BF50 engines at the 2017 Miami International Boat Show.
The study that lacks an actual powerplant was created by the designers at Honda’s Advanced Design Group who were given a ‘clean sheet of paper’ to come up with a concept motor that could be applied to a variety of engines.
“For design inspiration, the group looked across the portfolio of Honda’s varied product lineup, from current marine outboard motors to automotive products like the Acura NSX Supercar, to the Honda Jet,” said Honda in a statement. “The group started with some sketches and then moved to digital modeling to create the dimensions and look of the concept engine.”
NSX references on the taller than usual outboard include the heat ducts with an interwoven design with black honeycomb mesh, a floating winged blade and the Nouvelle Blue Pearl color – though Honda pointed out that it could be painted in any shade.
For now, Honda says it has no plans to apply the design to its production engines, but that may change if there’s positive reaction to the concept from consumers.
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