- Joined
- 4 September 2000
- Messages
- 329
The Motivation
First the bragging. Bear with me as I get through this -- I promise it gives important context to this build thread. I've been lucky to own a number of cool cars. Some have been extraordinary, including a Porsche Carrera GT, three Ford GTs, seven Ferraris (including a Speciale and Pista), four McLarens, (including both a 675LT spider and couple). I've owned more Porsches than I can count (I presently have five of them, including both a 991.2 GT3 and a 992 GT3, (both with manuals, of course). I am presently enjoying my fantastic 2022 NSX Type S. I’m fortunate to live very near one of the best mountain roads in the country, and I actually drive all the cars I've owned, sometimes at the track but mostly in the canyon. I don't pretend to be an expert driver or an engineer, but I can at least argue that I've had lots of exposure to a wide range of sports cars and their various experiences. Unlike journalists, I own the cars I drive and have skin in the game when it comes to the ownership experience. I hope that this gives a degree of credibility to the observations I make in this thread. The last point I need to make is that I’ve been obsessed ever since I was a little boy. I’m not one of those guys who made some money and then decided that the best way to display my success was to go out and buy a Rolex and a Ferrari…The opposite is true for me. I’ve always owned what I considered to be a cool car, and it seems it was always a little more than I could afford. I started with a GTI, which was my dream car at the time and still one of my favorite cars. As my income grew, so did my stupidity when it came to car buying decisions.
About two years ago, I decided it was time to slow down with the serial car buying and really try to focus on what I liked most about my car obsession. I decided that there were really three things that motivated me.
First, the joy of driving -- of simply being behind the wheel of a highly responsive car and honing my skill, whether it was at a racetrack or over a challenging mountain road.
Second, a deep enthusiasm for the mechanics, styling and design language of various diverse sports cars.
Third, tinkering with and improving my cars with careful modifications. I like to do all my own wrenching if I can.
As I contemplated these three areas, I decided that it was finally time for me to build (as opposed to buy) the ultimate driving machine. The next question became which car I should base this quest upon, my blank canvas, if you will. It then became clear to me that I needed to buy another NSX. The search was on.
I’ve now owned eight NSXs, including a super rare 2001 Coupe and a Zanardi. As I reflected on these experiences, I decided I wanted to go with an NA1 Coupe, since I had developed a belief that these were the purest rendition of the original NSX ethos. Light, five speed, no power steering, black roof, etc. Having spent extraordinary amounts of money on other cars, it was refreshing to see that I would be able to find a really special example for about a fourth of what I paid for my last Ferrari.
The Car
I found a 1993 with about 3500 miles on it in Massachusetts, but when I called on it, the dealer told me it was headed shortly to Bring a Trailer. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-acura-nsx-83/ I dutifully waited for it to appear, and I was the last high bidder. However, that bid did not meet reserve. I negotiated with the seller after the fact and bought the car. My daughter and I flew out to New England and drove the car through a spectacular fall leaf season—all the way to northern Vermont. The car had the typical NSX problems. The radio didn’t work. The tires were old. It needed a timing belt service. (Thankfully, it already had the upgraded ABS installed). The car had been in a private collection, so it spent most of its life sleeping. The paint had lots of swirl marks from being dusted for three decades. It had been carefully maintained during that time, but I knew it would require a thorough going-over once I got it shipped back to the West. Regardless, the car ran flawlessly. We put nearly 700 miles on it in just a few days. After 30 dormant years, the car probably wondered what was happening to it.
And so the build began and continues. My intention in this thread is to document my efforts to build my definition of the perfect car: Not the perfect NSX. Not the perfect Japanese car. Not the perfect build on a budget. I mean the be-all, end-all, finest driving road car ever in the history of road cars, and it will all be done and judged by a committee of one. Me! This isn’t intended as a nostalgic build or a vintage build. I take a degree of inspiration from the Singer concept…build it to the distill the best qualities of car and to heck with the rest.
The project is already well under way, and I have managed at least one important modification that may be a first for the NSX. It will be a long-haul thread, but having enjoyed so many other build threads here on Prime, I felt like it was probably fitting for me to return the favor. I hope you enjoy it. Stay tuned…
First the bragging. Bear with me as I get through this -- I promise it gives important context to this build thread. I've been lucky to own a number of cool cars. Some have been extraordinary, including a Porsche Carrera GT, three Ford GTs, seven Ferraris (including a Speciale and Pista), four McLarens, (including both a 675LT spider and couple). I've owned more Porsches than I can count (I presently have five of them, including both a 991.2 GT3 and a 992 GT3, (both with manuals, of course). I am presently enjoying my fantastic 2022 NSX Type S. I’m fortunate to live very near one of the best mountain roads in the country, and I actually drive all the cars I've owned, sometimes at the track but mostly in the canyon. I don't pretend to be an expert driver or an engineer, but I can at least argue that I've had lots of exposure to a wide range of sports cars and their various experiences. Unlike journalists, I own the cars I drive and have skin in the game when it comes to the ownership experience. I hope that this gives a degree of credibility to the observations I make in this thread. The last point I need to make is that I’ve been obsessed ever since I was a little boy. I’m not one of those guys who made some money and then decided that the best way to display my success was to go out and buy a Rolex and a Ferrari…The opposite is true for me. I’ve always owned what I considered to be a cool car, and it seems it was always a little more than I could afford. I started with a GTI, which was my dream car at the time and still one of my favorite cars. As my income grew, so did my stupidity when it came to car buying decisions.
About two years ago, I decided it was time to slow down with the serial car buying and really try to focus on what I liked most about my car obsession. I decided that there were really three things that motivated me.
First, the joy of driving -- of simply being behind the wheel of a highly responsive car and honing my skill, whether it was at a racetrack or over a challenging mountain road.
Second, a deep enthusiasm for the mechanics, styling and design language of various diverse sports cars.
Third, tinkering with and improving my cars with careful modifications. I like to do all my own wrenching if I can.
As I contemplated these three areas, I decided that it was finally time for me to build (as opposed to buy) the ultimate driving machine. The next question became which car I should base this quest upon, my blank canvas, if you will. It then became clear to me that I needed to buy another NSX. The search was on.
I’ve now owned eight NSXs, including a super rare 2001 Coupe and a Zanardi. As I reflected on these experiences, I decided I wanted to go with an NA1 Coupe, since I had developed a belief that these were the purest rendition of the original NSX ethos. Light, five speed, no power steering, black roof, etc. Having spent extraordinary amounts of money on other cars, it was refreshing to see that I would be able to find a really special example for about a fourth of what I paid for my last Ferrari.
The Car
I found a 1993 with about 3500 miles on it in Massachusetts, but when I called on it, the dealer told me it was headed shortly to Bring a Trailer. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-acura-nsx-83/ I dutifully waited for it to appear, and I was the last high bidder. However, that bid did not meet reserve. I negotiated with the seller after the fact and bought the car. My daughter and I flew out to New England and drove the car through a spectacular fall leaf season—all the way to northern Vermont. The car had the typical NSX problems. The radio didn’t work. The tires were old. It needed a timing belt service. (Thankfully, it already had the upgraded ABS installed). The car had been in a private collection, so it spent most of its life sleeping. The paint had lots of swirl marks from being dusted for three decades. It had been carefully maintained during that time, but I knew it would require a thorough going-over once I got it shipped back to the West. Regardless, the car ran flawlessly. We put nearly 700 miles on it in just a few days. After 30 dormant years, the car probably wondered what was happening to it.
And so the build began and continues. My intention in this thread is to document my efforts to build my definition of the perfect car: Not the perfect NSX. Not the perfect Japanese car. Not the perfect build on a budget. I mean the be-all, end-all, finest driving road car ever in the history of road cars, and it will all be done and judged by a committee of one. Me! This isn’t intended as a nostalgic build or a vintage build. I take a degree of inspiration from the Singer concept…build it to the distill the best qualities of car and to heck with the rest.
The project is already well under way, and I have managed at least one important modification that may be a first for the NSX. It will be a long-haul thread, but having enjoyed so many other build threads here on Prime, I felt like it was probably fitting for me to return the favor. I hope you enjoy it. Stay tuned…
. Everything you mentioned enhances the NSX experience rather than detracts...
