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People flock to what is new that they havent seen before. At the KC auto show the C8 was packed the whole time. I spent a good bit of time there. It’s also where i decided I can’t get around the looks enough to buy one. The open door makes the small piece of that scoop attached to the door look so bad I can’t even believe it.
I had a 2017 NSX for about a year. Great car. The reviews are skewed much like they are on the Maserati GT.
I had sold my Gallardo Spyder and couldn’t pass up the deal on the NSX 199K msrp brand new I got 72K off sticker 127. Drove it almost free for the year. Sold it private party 123K. I enjoyed every minute and lots of positives from onlookers. I had nothing but positives with my ownership experience.
I do agree if base started at 100K and was 125k fully optioned it would have been a much better seller
beauty in the eye of the beholder i guess....at a recent auto show they had both-red nsx and white c8 and folks were just walking past the nsx but gathering around the C8--the C8 looked spectacular
Imagine that, more people looked at the new car than the 4 year old car. Some of the logic on CF is baffling.
The first generation was blah? I disagree totally. You can’t believe how much fun that car was to drive. Too bad Honda didn’t keep up with the hp wars. The engine had plenty left to give.
They made the car a baby Porsche 918. But they benchmarked the outdated Ferrari 458. When the car launched the 488 was already out. And a guy who can spend 200k on a car can probably spend 250-300 and get the better, faster, more “brand name”, car.
I would still love to see a “base” NSX with no electrics and sub 100k. Maybe bump power a bit to 550ish. I’d buy that in an instant.
I will say I love the NSX, especially for the price I paid. It’s so easy to go insanely fast. It’s a great GT car if you don’t need mass luggage space.
At the end of the day, they missed. They made a car that is hard to justify the price for. I would own a 458 in an instant, if that is outdated I would own outdated for the next 20 years. I've driven them and I can't imagine a better car. Typical Japanese, too much electronic wizardry.
At the end of the day, they missed. They made a car that is hard to justify the price for. I would own a 458 in an instant, if that is outdated I would own outdated for the next 20 years. I've driven them and I can't imagine a better car. Typical Japanese, too much electronic wizardry.
When I said outdated I meant specifically for a power to price point/competitor stand point.
The 458 is at the top of my list of Ferrari’s to own. The last NA V8 with that amazing sound is greater than any current Ferrari. Don’t care how much faster a 488/F8 is.
The NSX is great for what I paid, which was significantly less than you can get a good 458 for right now.
For me the NSX looks great from the side and is okay from the rear. But it is the front view with all the different grill mesh designs that I just can't stand. That and the V6 noise. The updated R8 which looks worse than the previous R8 looks better even the front. Ferrari from all angles look better plus the last several models still look better. Lamborghinis & McLarens look great as well in their own way and better from every angle. The C8 looks better from the front, I think they hit it out of the park on the front end look. Other angles look good and the Z06 will improve those even more. Hopefully the rear improves a little bit on the Z06 as well. A wider stance with different ducts or lights could do wonders.
It seems like Honda/Acura just went too far down the rabbit hole showing what they can do engineering wise. They ended up with a heavy, complicated, somewhat sterile car that was priced on the moon. It's not Italian, it's Japanese, sorry, about $90k is the choke point, not $150k. They priced themselves out of the market. If they had done a 500HP twin turbo non hybrid and kicked it off at $80k they would have been sold out for two years.
The only part I agree with is the last part. "If they had done a 500HP twin turbo non hybrid and kicked it off at $80k they would have been sold out for two years".
The only part I agree with is the last part. "If they had done a 500HP twin turbo non hybrid and kicked it off at $80k they would have been sold out for two years".
I believe the NSX target was the Lambo, McLaren, and Ferrari market. Not the Corvette. They were price competitive but fell short in the styling. Just not “sexy” enough. The styling is kind of sterile in my opinion.
I believe the NSX target was the Lambo, McLaren, and Ferrari market. Not the Corvette. They were price competitive but fell short in the styling. Just not “sexy” enough. The styling is kind of sterile in my opinion.
Quite honestly, Japanese cars simply don't have the desirability of an Italian sports car. They never will, there is an intangible about Italian cars (and motorcycles) that can't be replicated. Just like the Nissan GTR, it is/was a very capable car, but just doesn't have the lust for factor. I suspect they thought at $150k it was a deal compared to the Italian competition, but the problem is when you start flying around in the thin air of $150k+ cars, lust factor is HUGE. The C8 will kill any remaining sales for the NSX.
I believe the NSX target was the Lambo, McLaren, and Ferrari market. Not the Corvette. They were price competitive but fell short in the styling. Just not “sexy” enough. The styling is kind of sterile in my opinion.
The target was fine, but what this NSX failed to do in comparison to the 1st gen is the car wasn’t better than its competitors for the cheaper price. If McLaren bases are right under 200k, the NSX optioned put needed to be max 150k and perform at least as good as 488. That’s what the first NSX did. It came out near half the price of the 348 and was the better car.
But no informed buyer is paying anywhere close to MSRP for the NSX, so they’re still a “good deal” for what you get considering it’s everyday drive ability is much higher than its competitors and it’s warranty is far better. You can drive it without worry of some huge bill popping up.
I love the look of the car. Subtle yet still wild. If they ever actually release the Type R version I’ll be in line for it. Especially if it’s numbered very low production car. Last gen type Rs fetch about 400k right now so obviously somebody wants them.
Edit: My “perfect” type R would be to have Acura remove the front two electric motors, pump the power up to 750ish (which seeing what Porsche did with a turbo six I’m sure it’s possible), keep the electric rear motor to help with instant torque and removing turbo lag. The car would be RWD only and weigh 3200ish lbs. Make it all for a limited run, say 500 cars, and for 250k, I’m all over that.
Last edited by Mr Triple Black; Apr 19, 2020 at 04:48 PM.
My “perfect” type R would be to have Acura remove the front two electric motors, pump the power up to 750ish (which seeing what Porsche did with a turbo six I’m sure it’s possible), keep the electric rear motor to help with instant torque and removing turbo lag. The car would be RWD only and weigh 3200ish lbs. Make it all for a limited run, say 500 cars, and for 250k, I’m all over that.
The business model for what you describe would be challenged to break-even. 500 cars just won't be enough to generate a payback and support production of parts for replacement inventory spares and warranty. There are manufactures will build a low production number of units, but management has to feel a loss would be OK to generate a buzz in the media and market. That would be a tough sell today.
The business model for what you describe would be challenged to break-even. 500 cars just won't be enough to generate a payback and support production of parts for replacement inventory spares and warranty. There are manufactures will build a low production number of units, but management has to feel a loss would be OK to generate a buzz in the media and market. That would be a tough sell today.
Eh, I disagree. It’s not like the car would be a new platform and take tons of R&D. If anything it might actually be cheaper to build than the base NSX because you’re removing luxury items and the two electric motors upfront. The only potential challenging part I see is boosting the power significantly and keeping up reliability. That could be serious R&D dollars.
Also, Honda/Acura already said they’re cool with the NSX losing money because it has greatly helped with their marketing efforts. Ads with the NSX perform significantly better than the ones without.
Edit: even if the car had say 765 cars like the new McLaren 765 and cost 300k I’d still be all about it. If McLaren can charge “only” 365k for the 765LT and they don’t have near the funds that Honda has, I’m sure Honda can do it.
Last edited by Mr Triple Black; Apr 19, 2020 at 06:16 PM.
Eh, I disagree. It’s not like the car would be a new platform and take tons of R&D. If anything it might actually be cheaper to build than the base NSX because you’re removing luxury items and the two electric motors upfront. The only potential challenging part I see is boosting the power significantly and keeping up reliability. That could be serious R&D dollars.
Also, Honda/Acura already said they’re cool with the NSX losing money because it has greatly helped with their marketing efforts. Ads with the NSX perform significantly better than the ones without.
Edit: even if the car had say 765 cars like the new McLaren 765 and cost 300k I’d still be all about it. If McLaren can charge “only” 365k for the 765LT and they don’t have near the funds that Honda has, I’m sure Honda can do it.
Whenever production is that low, as you said
500 cars, and double the power, they probably would re-engineer the whole drive train, suspension, and software. it would need to look different, so more designer expense. The development cost would skyrocket. Look at what the new Ford GT retails for.
The NSX GT3 version uses a Longitudinallly mid-mounted 3.5 lt twin turbo engine engine, rear wheel drive only and no electric hybrid of any sort. My point is that the car is much more in the spirit of the original NSX and would have been a lot lighter in a street version.
Last edited by Kodiak Bear; Apr 19, 2020 at 08:11 PM.
In a vacuum, the Gen 2 NSX is an amazing feat of technology.
However, at a base price of $160K it's too expensive compared to its competitors in this price bracket; which is a bitter pill to swallow considering that the Gen 1 NSX was basically better in every way than the Ferrari 328/348 while costing less.
If Gen 2 NSX had been $100K I think it would have been one of the great ones of history
Yep i totally agree. In the NSX price range are cars like the McLaren 570S, Audi R8 V10 Plus, 911 Turbo S, AMG GTR. Id take all of those over the NSX. If NSX was in the 80-100 K range it'd be a steal.
Whenever production is that low, as you said
500 cars, and double the power, they probably would re-engineer the whole drive train, suspension, and software. it would need to look different, so more designer expense. The development cost would skyrocket. Look at what the new Ford GT retails for.
Yeah but the Ford GT doesn’t have a base car to go off of. This is more applicable to the C7 base and the C7 ZR1 (about 2k were built?). And as I said they’d be removing very costly parts including the batteries and SH-AWD components. And it’s not double the power. The car is already twin turbo, you’d just be increasing the power. Obviously easier said than done but still doable. Also, the design changes wouldn’t be huge. Likely a little more aggressive with a larger wing. Once again think C7 ZR1 compared to the C7 Z06.
Edit: Acura also has the NSX GT3 which is about 2800lbs without all the electronics. So they can reduce a ton of weight alone by just getting rid of the batteries. It’s not like they have to go full rebuild of the chassis to lighten weight.
How much do you think it’d really cost to to take a current NSX, remove the batteries/AWD, improve aero slightly, and tune the ecu and turn up the boost? The reduction in weight will be hundreds of pounds just based off that. Throw in some carbon fiber bits/exotic materials for additional weight savings. The car would be a much better track performer and more fun to drive.
You can get a base NSX now for ~160k MSRP. Adding an additional 100k seems reasonable. And I bet way more people want them and the sell much more quickly. This helps the brand as a whole as well when mags are doing tests raving about the car that smokes a Pista/F8 for less money.
Last edited by Mr Triple Black; Apr 19, 2020 at 09:10 PM.
The reason the NSX doesn't sell is because it has a mid-engine supercar price tag but it doesn't look like a mid engine supercar. The C8 is just the opposite on both counts...
Last edited by EasyLivin; Apr 19, 2020 at 09:35 PM.
The reason the NSX doesn't sell is because it has a mid-engine supercar price tag but it doesn't look like a mid engine supercar. The C8 is just the opposite on both counts...
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
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