10 Reasons That Made The Honda NSX Way Too Futuristic For Its Time

10. The first production car with an all-aluminum monocoque

Honda went all in while developing the NSX, thus inspired by the Shinkansen bullet train they used aluminum to build the monocoque of the car. It was the first production car to use an all-aluminum construction that made this car 440 lbs lighter if it were made from steel while being 50% stronger than the Porsche 911 of that period.

Honda NSX - Source: Charles01, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This gave the NSX a drastic advantage because the light yet rigid construction fostered the driving dynamics as it had less weight to spring around. Honda faced several issues because aluminum is not as flexible as steel and can break if bent to a certain point. To solve this issue, Honda heated the metal to 600 degrees and bent it, molded it with the help of dies, creating a super strong honeycomb structure.

9. It inspired the legendary Mclaren F1

Mclaren F1 - Source: Lee, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

McLaren F1 is considered the best driver's car ever made, and also it was the fastest naturally aspirated production car in the world for 24 years. Gordon Murray the designer behind the mighty F1 stated that “the moment I drove the “little” NSX, all the benchmark cars–Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini–I had been using as references in the development of my car vanished from my mind. Of course, the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSX’s ride quality and handling would become our new design target.”

Murray also said that the Drive wire and suspension in the NSX were certainly great and it later got adopted in the production of the McLaren F1. There were many similarities between the NSX and the F1 as both were intended to be daily drivers, the only difference being the F1 did everything similarly with way more performance.

8. Aryton Senna tested the NSX

Honda NSX NA1 - Source: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ayrton Senna, the legendary Brazilian three-time Formula 1 champion, played a significant role in the development of the Honda NSX in the early 1990s. While he was in Japan to drive the latest McLaren Honda F1 car in 1989, Honda brought him on board to help with the development of the car.

The Senna’s initial feedback on the car was “ it feels a little fragile” after working on the car for eight months and making everything right. The NSX now had a 50% stiffer chassis, for further improvement Senna test-drove the NSX prototype in Nurburgring and Suzuka and helped the Honda team to develop a better suspension system, making the car well-balanced and precise. Afterward, the Honda NSX was Finally Senna-approved.

7. The engine used ‘Fiber reinforced Metal’ to accommodate bigger pistons

Honda NSX Engine - Source: Honda Press

The first generation of NSX used the 3.0 Liter C30A engine in the NSX, However, In 1967, the C30A engine was replaced by the upgraded C32B engine. As the name suggests, it was a 3.2-liter engine, where the capacity was increased through the use of bigger pistons. To fit the pistons in the block, the traditional iron bore was replaced with a composite body of reinforcing fiber made from carbon fiber and aluminum oxide. This offered better strength and durability compared to the traditional metal alloys contributing to the overall performance of the NSX.

6. It was designed by the Pininfarina

Honda NSX Rear - Source Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

One of the striking things about the NSX was its design, and it looked quite exotic. The reason behind that is Honda got the prototype designed by the legendary Italian car designer Pininfarina who designed some of the most beautiful cars in the industry such as Ferrrai F430, Ferrari Testarossa, etc.

In 1984, Honda enlisted Pininfarina to create a mid-engined sports car concept. The result was the HP-X (Honda Pininfarina Xperimental) concept, featuring a cockpit design inspired by a jet fighter and made from a single piece of Perspex. The car's sleek profile was aided by a low drag coefficient of 0.25. Under the hood, the concept car was powered by a V8 engine sourced from a Honda Formula 2 race car.

5. Honda NSX Was The First high-performance car to have VTEC

The NSX was not the first car to use VTEC technology, however, it was the first high-performance engine that featured Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control or VTEC. It is a technology that allows an engine to shift between two or more camshaft profiles to optimize the performance and fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

The NSX’s VTEC system was designed to improve the car’s high-end power and delivery while maintaining smooth drivability at lower RPMs. The 3.0 Liter V6 engine produced 270 horsepower and could easily rev up to 8,000 RPM, thanks to the VTEC. It also helped in establishing Honda’s reputation as a maker of high-performance engines.

4. Cockpit inspired by the F16 fighter jet

Honda NSX Cabin - Source: Honda Press

The Honda designers Ken Okuyama and Shigeru Uehara studied the Americana F-16 fighter jet, to design the Glass cockpit of the NSX, to be marketed in the USA as the 90s Acura NSX. You can see the cockpit is built like a dome, and it improved the visibility of the car, resulting in better maneuvering which was not a common thing among sportscars.

The sleek design of the cockpit also helped in improving the drag coefficient of the car which helped in better aerodynamics and stability during high speeds.

3. There was also a 6-speed manual NSX

Honda NSX-T Targa Top (Side) - Source: Chrismjr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

With the engine update in 1997, one more thing was introduced in the NSX lineup which was its gearbox. Honda opted for a Hewland 6-speed manual gearbox to handle the increased power and torque outputs of the car. The transmission came with closer gear ratios and the addition of 3rd and 4th gear dual cone synchronization.

The clutch was also upgraded from the old twin-disc clutch system and replaced by a dual-mass low-inertia single-disc clutch system to lower the weight and increase by a new gearbox and larger brake rotors.

2. One of the first cars to use drive-by-wire technology

Honda NSX Interior - Source: PROJECT1 Youtube

Later used in the McLaren F1, the Honda NSX was one of the first production cars to feature drive-by-wire technology. This was a technologically advanced system, where the traditional linkage between the accelerator pedal and the engine’s throttle valve was replaced with an electronic signal.

Also called the Electronic Throttle Control System (ETCS), provided smoother and more precise throttle response, which improved the car’s overall driving performance. Additionally, the ETCS also enabled advanced features such as traction control and stability control which was not available with the mechanical throttle systems.

1. There was also a performance-oriented Honda NSX-R

Honda NSX-R (NA1) - Source: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The NSX was already a sick car, however, Honda wanted to give a no-compromise racing experience to the people. Thus, in 1992 they decided to create something specifically modified NSX for superior track performance. The modified Honda NSX, aka the Honda NSX Type R or NSX-R, faced an aggressive weight reduction and ditched the sound deadening, audio system, spare tire, air conditioning system traction control system, and other electrical systems.

This led to a weight reduction of 265 lb as compared to the standard NSX, resulting in a final weight of 2,712 lbs which is pretty impressive considering it was the 90’s car. NSX-R also got several performance updates to solve the oversteer problem and improve the performance of the car.