Interview with NSX designer Michelle Christensen

[lseemann]

http://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/February-2016/Michelle-Christensen-Acura/

“Even though it’s a totally different generation of NSX, we didn’t want to go the complete retro route; we want to stay true to what our customers are excited about. But distilling the form down to just what it needed to be, and using the design to help the performance of the car, is our way of preserving the heritage of the original NSX.”

 

[docjohn]

I agree that the new car had to distinguish itself ...but seems most primers want the modern chassis with the old body-kit...or the chassis stuffed in a Italia clone.

 

[simplife]

I realize this subject has been beat to death but ideally would have liked to seen a more focused "purist" interpretation more in keeping with the original NSX, not a "tour-de-force" technological masterpiece. Kind of a Lotus philosophy but with Honda build quality and reliability. Scrap the all wheel drive and electric motors and an put in an interior more in line with a sports car and less like a glorified Accord. Look at the Alfa 4C. The NSX2 interior looks overdone and has a "heavy" layered look.

Honda could have used some exposed carbon pieces inside, including the seat frames. They could still have their nanny-aids like traction control, lane departure or whatever. The end result would have been a weight savings of several hundred pounds and solved the vague steering issue that reviewers complain about. Yes, overall less horsepower but less weight and a much better driver experience.

But that's just me. YMMV.

 

[N Spec]

Yes. It's tough to make that connection when the original and modern were designed ~25 years apart. The expected progression between those years did not happen and so to many people there is no resemblance. Everyone want's a Honda 911 or Honda Corvette, but that's not the reality of the NSX. It's a mid-engine flagship.

I'll have to disagree about the simple direction of the NSX tho. 20 years after it debuted, it's easy to say it was a simple V6 car with minimal tech, but in reality, the car was cutting edge for the time of it's release with plenty of novel tech and thus, aged appropriately throughout these long years. The 90s and early 2000s were a slow era for car development so that lent a hand also. Obviously in today's climate, cars are expected to be refreshed at much greater rate with the competition sharpening it's blade constantly, so the new NSX will have to much more flexible than the first.