2016 Acura NSX and more from Chicago Auto Show 2015

Brylek · 14 February 2015

This isn't anything we haven't seen before but I still though I'd share. Big thanks to Sachin (@sachin528) for getting me the media pass!

2016 Acura NSX @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

Mercedes Maybach @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

Toyota FT-1 concept @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

Toyota 2000GT @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

2016 Acura NSX @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

RTR Acura TLX @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

2016 Acura NSX @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

Ford GT concept @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

N Spec · 14 February 2015

Quality pics. Thanks for sharing. Few things I noticed this round.

-Is the interior all black this time? Hard to tell.

-I don't see the infamous keyhole on this example?

-Lastly, It really could use a 1.3-1.5 inch drop. More low!

- - - Updated - - -

The rearward view looks a bit better thanks your multi-angled shots.

Also the rear exhaust has changed from trapezoid to a more shapely organic roundness. Honda is evidently still refining the details. I like this iteration the best so far.

Brylek · 14 February 2015

This wasn't a real car, the one from Detroit is now in Toronto.

Black 94 #400 · 14 February 2015

Nice photos thanks for sharing

Glenn Quagmire · 15 February 2015

As I was looking at these pics, I was thinking that a few things looked a bit different. You nailed exactly what I was thinking. Even if this car "isn't real" I like the tweaks...

jagtiger · 15 February 2015

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BB · 15 February 2015

Glenn Quagmire said:
As I was looking at these pics, I was thinking that a few things looked a bit different. You nailed exactly what I was thinking. Even if this car "isn't real" I like the tweaks...

The first thing I noticed was the ugly SH-AWD badge that's been added to the driver's side of the car. If they insist on badging the car with that it should go on the rear only. Having it on the side reminds me of those ugly side badges found on other cars that say inane things like "Turbo", "Hybrid", or "V10".

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N Spec said:
Also the rear exhaust has changed from trapezoid to a more shapely organic roundness. Honda is evidently still refining the details. I like this iteration the best so far.

I actually thought the shape of the exhaust enclosure on the Detroit car was better. The trapezoidal exhaust mirrored the other angular shapes on the rear end, whereas the rounded exhaust enclosure is in conflict with them.

I tend to think the car shown in Detroit was the most recent iteration of the car. This Chicago car is likely an older iteration. Detroit was the big unveiling and it's unlikely they had enough time to tweak the car in less than a month. I believe you guys are liking the Chicago version better simply due to the high quality pictures.

Glenn Quagmire · 15 February 2015

BB said:
The first thing I noticed was the ugly SH-AWD badge that's been added to the driver's side of the car. If they insist on badging the car with that it should go on the rear only. Having it on the side reminds me of those ugly side badges found on other cars that say inane things like "Turbo", "Hybrid", or "V10".

- - - Updated - - -

I actually thought the shape of the exhaust enclosure on the Detroit car was better. The trapezoidal exhaust mirrored the other angular shapes on the rear end, whereas the rounded exhaust enclosure is in conflict with them.

I tend to think the car shown in Detroit was the most recent iteration of the car. This Chicago car is likely an older iteration. Detroit was the big unveiling and it's unlikely they had enough time to tweak the car in less than a month. I believe you guys are liking the Chicago version better simply due to the high quality pictures.

If the badge is on the final version, that will be the first thing that gets removed on my car...

Who knows whether this car is more current than the Detroit one? If this one isn't the most current version, does that mean the key hole on the Detroit car somehow made the final cut?

BB · 15 February 2015

Glenn Quagmire said:
If the badge is on the final version, that will be the first thing that gets removed on my car...

Who knows whether this car is more current than the Detroit one? If this one isn't the most current version, does that mean the key hole on the Detroit car somehow made the final cut?

Agree about the badge. I'd be removing it as well.

It's ludicrous to believe they made a whole new door without the keyhole between now and the Detroit show. Having a keyhole present only on the driver's door is how Honda has made most of their other recent cars. Without this keyhole there would be no easy way to mechanically unlock the door if the battery is dead. While I realize some manufacturers provide other (albeit less convenient) methods for dealing with this scenario, Honda clearly prefers the single keyhole method. So it's safe to assume they'd use what they know rather than develop an entirely new method solely for the NSX.

It would be great if they could figure out a way to cleanly integrate the keyhole into those silver door handles. But I can see no evidence of that in the Chicago pictures.

Valkyrie Pilot · 15 February 2015

BB said:
It's ludicrous to believe they made a whole new door without the keyhole between now and the Detroit show. Having a keyhole present only on the driver's door is how Honda has made most of their other recent cars. Without this keyhole there would be no easy way to mechanically unlock the door if the battery is dead. While I realize some manufacturers provide other (albeit less convenient) methods for dealing with this scenario, Honda clearly prefers the single keyhole method. So it's safe to assume they'd use what they know rather than develop an entirely new method solely for the NSX.

It would be great if they could figure out a way to cleanly integrate the keyhole into those silver door handles. But I can see no evidence of that in the Chicago pictures.

Really? How do other manufacturers address the dead battery issue without a key hole?

I was thinking that perhaps there is a second smaller battery that is used simply for these types of functions. Heck they have batteries all over the place, you would think they could reserve a little bit of charge for unlocking the car.

I agree with you that the Detroit car is the latest and greatest however, I don't expect to see a keyhole in the production car. I am guessing that they have installed the key hole as a quick way to lock and unlock the car for the show circuit since this car is clearly is pre-production.

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N Spec said:
-Lastly, It really could use a 1.3-1.5 inch drop. More low!

In comparing this car to the pictures of the Detroit car, it does seem that there is a bigger gap around the tires. It's almost like the wheels and tires are too small, not just that the car is jacked up.

Also the headlights seem like last year's car.

sachin528 · 15 February 2015

FWIW, I went to the show on Wed, for the Concept and Technology Garage, where certain reps and executives from the manufacturers were. The Acura rep said that the NSX would be quietly brought in Thursday night after the first press day. (Why, I don't know). In addition, the rep said that it would be the mock up, with tinted glass, so you could not see the interior, as it did not have one.

On Thursday, when talking to floor reps, they did not have any idea if the NSX would be there (or if they did, they played dumb)

Oh Friday, when we saw the car, the windows were not tinted, and you can see an interior. Tough to say what exactly this is. Mock up, pre production, production...

Whatever, it is stunning in person, far better than the concept, and the paint really brought out the lines of the car.

BB · 15 February 2015

Valkyrie Pilot said:
Really? How do other manufacturers address the dead battery issue without a key hole?

The C6 handles this scenario via a hidden keyhole above the license plate that opens up the rear hatch. Once inside you pull a lever mounted in the trunk that pops the drivers door open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLDqmGQU6L0

On the Tesla Model S you have to remove the front grill of the car and apply an alternative 12V source using jumper cables. With 12V power once again available you can now operate the exterior door handles. Total rubbish...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPUcUOd1r1w

The Tesla design is poor as it elevates form above function to an absurd degree. The C6's solution is good, although I doubt a pull cable will be as reliable as an actuating rod connected directly to the lock mechanism in the door. My point is that Honda has a tendency to stick with the more reliable and familiar design. Have they ever made a car with no keyhole on the drivers door? I'm not aware of one.

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sachin528 said:
Tough to say what exactly this is. Mock up, pre production, production...

It is almost certainly a mock-up and/or earlier version of the car shown in the Detroit. Notice how even the iconic "NSX" text on the B-pillars is missing!

vf2ss · 15 February 2015

I agree these pics appear to represent an earlier mock-up as they seem to be missing some rather important details Detroit featured. Some that are just practical to some that I would think are a result of end-of-development wind tunnel testing Ted Klaus mentioned the body undergoing. Some additional observations to what others have observed...

- Detroit’s rear diffuser has 6 vertical diffuser fins, 3 on each side of the exhaust, Chicago’s has only 2 on each side.

- Detroit’s rear indicators have escape vents above each L&R tail light, Chicago’s appears to be missing these vents.

- Detroit’s rear bumper has 4 qtr-sized bumper caps for assembly/repair access, Chicago’s is missing these access sockets.

- Detroit’s rear glass hatch is just glass from end to end, Chicago’s has honeycomb mesh aligning the edges near the buttresses.

- Detroit’s rear exhaust pipes have 4 more-equally sized exhaust diameters, Chicago’s has 2 medium-sized + 2 smaller diameters.

- Detroit’s front lip spoiler / splitter has a flat front edge, Chicago’s has “fangs” (pic below).

- Detroit’s front brake/rotor cooling intake has larger sized honeycomb mesh w/more pronounced front brake/rotor cooling intake, Chicago’s mesh is smaller and cooling intake is less differentiated.

- Detroit’s front headlight garnish just below the amber lens is a solid-piece design, Chicago’s is split.

Apolo · 16 February 2015

Very cool, do they have Civic type-r there?

skynet0419 · 17 February 2015

Great pics! Can't wait to see it in person

Brylek · 17 February 2015

Apolo said:
Very cool, do they have Civic type-r there?

I don't think so. I was very positively surprised to see the Toyota 2000GT there.

Valkyrie Pilot · 18 February 2015

Brylek said:
2016 Acura NSX @ Chicago Auto Show 2015 by brylek6, on Flickr

I was at the Chicago Auto Show yesterday and I feel like this version is also before they lengthened the wheelbase. It seemed stubby to me compared with the Detroit Show pix:

Don't get me wrong, the Chicago car was nice, but did not look nearly as amazing as the pictures I saw from Detroit's car.

Am I just seeing things here???

N Spec · 18 February 2015

Valkyrie Pilot said:
I was at the Chicago Auto Show yesterday and I feel like this version is also before they lengthened the wheelbase. It seemed stubby to me compared with the Detroit Show pix:

Don't get me wrong, the Chicago car was nice, but did not look nearly as amazing as the pictures I saw from Detroit's car.

Am I just seeing things here???

I'd say it's just the angle of perception. From further away, the new NSX will look long and stretched like the dimensions would suggest but up close, it'll look more robust and stubby due to the rounded off front and rear overhangs contributing to the illusion.

And it makes sense if this is a dummy car and lacked full finished feel of the production-like car.

TRXTR · 18 February 2015

Thanks for the pics. The Acura representatives at the Toronto show said there is only one, and as a result, the car left on Monday for Geneva.

vf2ss · 18 February 2015

Hmm...that's surprising.

Just comparing the rears (L-Chicago, R-Detroit) they've changed and/or swapped: the rear bumper, the design of rear diffuser, the rear hatch glass, the design of the rear exhaust housing, and rear exhaust piping...all in a few weeks? I don't doubt he told you that but, ...me thinks Acura Rep might not fully be in the know or something's in the works

what is this...Highlander?

Brylek · 18 February 2015

^ Thanks for the comparison, I think I like the Chicago car's rear end better now.

Valkyrie Pilot · 18 February 2015

vf2ss said:
Hmm...that's surprising.

Just comparing the rears (L-Chicago, R-Detroit) they've changed and/or swapped: the rear bumper, the design of rear diffuser, the rear hatch glass, the design of the rear exhaust housing, and rear exhaust piping...all in a few weeks? I don't doubt he told you that but, ...me thinks Acura Rep might not fully be in the know or something's in the works what is this...Highlander?

Those 4 circular indents on the bumper of the Detroit car are probably rear collision detection sensors. My Suburban has the same exact thing on its bumper.

Hothonda · 19 February 2015

vf2ss..well done!

N Spec · 19 February 2015

I stand behind my statements. I like the Detroit rear better. The exhaust and two splitters work better than overly done three splitters and purely trapezoid-shaped exhaust.

skynet0419 · 20 February 2015

Saw the NSX earlier today. I have to say it looks a lot better in person

Also i'll have to agree that this was obviously a mock up of some sort. No engine, No interior.

Just something they threw together so the public could see the new car. I'd take the difference between this and the detroit car with a grain of salt and assume the detriot car will closer to what the mass production NSX will look like

2016 Acura NSX and more from Chicago Auto Show 2015

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