{"id":11888,"date":"2021-10-05T07:11:35","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T07:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=11888"},"modified":"2021-10-05T07:11:35","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T07:11:35","slug":"1996-acura-nsx-classified-of-the-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1996-acura-nsx-classified-of-the-week\/","title":{"rendered":"1996 Acura NSX \u2013 Classified of the Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don’t let the name confuse you. This is a Honda. Acura is merely the name of the luxury division of the Japanese giant that they utilise to sell the more \u201cupmarket\u201d cars from their line up in the U.S. in order to fool the Americans into thinking they’re getting something a little more exclusive than a Honda, when in reality they’re getting a Honda. But boy, what a Honda the NSX is!<\/p>\n

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Very much a car of the PlayStation generation the NSX featured heavily in the Gran Turismo video games of the era which no doubt helped to bolster its reputation and this<\/a> 1996 model puts it slap bang in the middle of that craze. The Japanese had done it again. Along with the likes of the Toyota MR2 and Mazda MX-5 the NSX showed that there was no class of car that the land of the rising sun could not infiltrate and subsequently dominate. A thoroughbred supercar for a fraction of the price of its European rivals the NSX is a true driver’s machine that combines blistering performance and go-kart like handling with a level of practicality and reliability hitherto unheard of in the world of the exclusive, big brake horse power sports car.<\/p>\n

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Debuting in 1990 the NSX (or New Sportscar Experimental) was Honda’s first mid-engined supercar and was unashamedly developed to be a Ferrari beater. Taking inspiration from an F-16 fighter jet of all things, the NSX has an innovative (at the time) all aluminium chassis and body which makes it incredibly light, and when paired with Honda’s brilliant 3.0-litre, V6, DOHC engine with variable valve timing the perfect match was created. With 60mph arriving in 5 seconds and a top speed of nearly 160mph VTEC was certainly kicking in, yo.<\/p>\n

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Gordon Murray (yes, the McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray) was so impressed with his NSX that he used it as inspiration for a little British sports car he was developing in the early ’90s that was about to break the mould. Not only that but none other than Formula 1 maestro Ayrton Senna leant his not inconsiderable knowledge and expertise to the development of the car, convincing Honda to further stiffen the chassis as well as completely re-engineer the rear suspension set up. Unsurprisingly they listened.<\/p>\n