This isn't your ordinary neighborhood Honda.
This is the 2017 Acura NSX and it's been a long wait for supercar aficionados. Teased during a commercial break of Superbowl XLVI in 2012, its TV spot ended with an "It's coming" line and Honda sure did take its time.
Set to hit the production line next spring, the 2017 Acura NSX is a one-of-a-kind supercar. The second generation of this breed of supercar, it isn't much at all like the first-generation NSX released from 1990 to 2005. Of course, automobile technology and design have changed greatly over the span of 25 years.
Tomorrow's NSX of 2017 will have a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine and a trio of electric motors that give the vehicle a total of 573 horsepower. (500 horsepower will come from the 3.5-liter gas engine and the remaining 73 horsepower comes from the batteries.) For the first time, a supercar like this is being equipped with what Acura is calling "Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive" or SH-AWD.
The SH-AWD system allows the car to have instant torque when stepping on the accelerator. Dubbed "zero delay technology", the NSX's three electric motors — one attached to each front wheel and one attached to the engine crank — is, in real-world driving, an exhilarating experience of the being literally one with the road. Drivers will really feel what it's like to go from a standstill stop straight to 60 miles per hour in just three seconds and at a top speed of 191 miles per hour.
All of the NSX's speed and power is wrapped up in a rigid all-aluminum chassis with carbon fiber on the roof and underbody. The inclusion of high-strength steel and other manufacturing techniques like ablation casting make for a very powerfully built supercar. And it definitely looks like a supercar, too. Despite being revealed in 2012, the 2017 NSX still looks as fast as it really is while still sporting a design that makes it actually useable as an everyday supercar drive.
For its high price, the 2017 Acura NSX should be driven every day. Though yet unofficial, the pricing for the vehicle is expected to come in at around $170,000.
Photo: Craig Howell | Flickr
