Honda v Zonda
Fabulous the NSX-R may be, but how would it compare with last year's eCOTY winner, the Pagani Zonda C12S? Let's find out
Heads swivel so fast as our two-car convoy rumbles by that I'm sure if we retraced the route we'd find a dozen or so people clutching their necks. And that young lad at the last T-junction would surely be brushing gravel from his dropped jaw.
This is the one and only Honda NSX-R in the UK, which makes it rarer than the Pagani Zonda C12S it's pursuing, but there's no question that the epicentre of the shockwave is the Zonda. A couple of weeks earlier few people apart from you, dear evo reader would have been able to positively identify the dramatic silver wedge snuffling along these Northamptonshire roads, but the rest of the world is catching on. An appearance on Top Gear TV, with Jezza clearly wowed by its ability, has put the name of last year's evo Car of the Year on the lips of a much broader audience.
'Zonda' will now be on many more lottery wish lists, though at £300,000 it'll be on considerably fewer shopping lists. At £64,000, the NSX-R is hardly a snip, but for a fifth of the price of the Pagani it offers the same thing -- one of the most incrdible mid-engined -- driving experiences in the world. Which is why we felt compelled to bring these two eCOTY champions together, drive them back-to-back, and find out which of them offers the most evoness.
The Zonda won't be five times better than the Honda, of course, in just the same way that the Honda isn't three times better than, say, an MR2. It's the law of diminishing returns. Beyond a certain price the tangible improvement in sound quality of a hi-fi is no longer proportional to the amount you pay, though the quality of the engineering that goes into it, the sound that comes out, the volume it can achieve, and its exclusiveness, do increase.
On paper, the Zonda is twice the car the Honda is -- double the number of cylinders, exactly double the horsepower and twice the power-to-weight ratio. The latter is a clue to where some of the money has been spent, for the Zonda's 1270kg kerb weight is virtually identical to that of the largely aluminium-built and physically smaller Honda's. Carbonfibre is the key and, although it isn't cheap, when it's used extensively the benefits are spectacular. And nosing around the Zonda's nooks and crannies reveals that the finish everywhere is to the same fabulous standard.
The NSX-R offers stunning performance -- 0-60 in around 4.4sec, almost 170mph flat-out -- but the Zonda is on another plane, hitting the benchmark in well under four seconds and topping 200mph. Still, on the road there's only so much performance you can use. That's why the NSX-R is looming large in my mirrors as I thread the Zonda along the bumpy, twisty B-roads close to evo HQ. It feels very broad of beam, quite heavy too, yet whatever the revs, in the lower gears the response from the 7-litre Merc V12 is instant and massive.
If you press hard, it's savage. When the shortest of straights opens up, the Zonda is gone, slammed forward with a frankly terrifying force and a guttural howl that's seething with malicious intent. Don't ever wind down the windows and fire the Zonda into a tunnel hard in second gear (like I did) -- the noise will scare you silly.
Traction control is a recent addition to the standard spec of the Zonda, and at times it's pretty busy on these roads. It would be even busier if the ride was as uncompromisingly stiff as the NSX-R's but the Zonda's suppleness is one of the first things you notice. It doesn't come at the expense of superb wheel control and sharp, feelsome steering, which must be a reflection of the solidity of the carbon platform.
Not surprisingly, the cockpit of the Honda looks pretty ordinary straight after the riot of shapes and materials under the Zonda's fighter jet-style canopy roof. The NSX-R feels great, though; the seats are among the best of any road car I've tried and the gearshift unequivocally the best of any mid-engined I've ever driven. Once you're up to speed, it's steering is outstanding, too, as are the brakes. In short, wherever car and driver interface, the NSX is inspired. Except for the ride, which around town is as resilient as the Zonda's is compliant, but town is the last place you'd go if you owned an NSX-R.
Even after the C12S the Honda feels exciting, which is quite an achievement. Of course it's not as sensationally accelerative but the whole car has a balance, a cohesion that makes it a totally absorbing and thrilling drive. Because it's smaller and feels lighter, you can use more of its ability more of the time, and as we descovered on eCOTY, it's sensational on a track. The Zonda's handy but not as joyously exploitable on a circuit. For sheer usable evoness, the Honda wins.
But if you should win the Lottery, there's no reason why you should feel the need to justify having both a C12S and an NSX-R in your garage. They are, after all, the finest mid-engined cars in production.
Caption: Zonda meets Honda; 555bhp 7.3-litre V12 plays 276bhp 3.2-litre V6. On paper it's an unequal contest, but on the road they're closer than you'd think. Both cars provide moments of total exhilleration.
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1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
1976 Honda Accord 5 spd, 3 door Blue/Blue
1977 Honda Accord - Custom - Under Construction
1986 Chevy Suburban
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