Acura (and its parent company Honda) have made two iterations of the NSX over the years… right? Well, yes, on a macro level. But look a little closer and you’ll see that there have been more than just those two over the years. And this video does a pretty good job of breaking it all down.
The latest in the flawed but still informative Cars Evolution series focuses on the mid-engined Japanese supercar – from the original released in 1990 through to the latest updates being rolled out for the 2019 model year.
The NSX was a sensation when it first debuted nearly two decades ago, applying Honda’s fan-favorite and well-established penchant for high revs and sporting dynamics into a form we’d come to expect from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini.
It had an aluminum frame (at a time when few in the industry were using the lightweight metal), titanium con-rods (instead of steel), and a suspension tuned by the inimitable Ayrton Senna (who was driving a Honda-powered McLaren in Formula One at the time).
Over the course of fifteen years of production, the NSX saw numerous improvements and special editions, from coupe to targa and from Type R to Alex Zanardi edition.
A gap of more than a decade proved worth the wait when Honda finally rolled out the second generation, leaving the first’s relatively straightforward specs behind in embracing all the technological development the company could throw at it: a hybrid powertrain, all-wheel drive, a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission… the works.
A very different machine, the current model is from its progenitor. But one that’s worthy of the name. And you can see how it all evolved in this five-minute clip, jam-packed with factoids for us fanboys.