After reading through all of the posts and looking at all the photos and video's of the ASCC that I could find, I have to say I am disappointed in Honda's California design team. They obviously do not understand what makes a sports car sexy. The ASCC has about as much sex appeal as a TL (I wonder why).
If you look at sports cars that make the adrenalin start to flow, they don't have razor sharp lines, they have lines that suggest smooth airflow over and around the body. (Yes, some high power race cars that are more focused on down force than drag have square shapes, but this car will not have 1000+ horsepower and I wouldn't want to pay for the gas).
A sexy car will also have detail work (i.e. scoops and diverters) that imply functionality and power under the skin. If they really do have a functional purpose, then the blood rushes a bit faster. The AASC as it is presented today, lacks that sex appeal because it looks like a streamlined TL. (Of course the Porsche 356 looked like a streamed lined Beetle until they started to add scoops and fender flares).
A car that handles well, has the performance to match or exceed others in its price range/market, and is appealing to look at are what performance minded people will buy. If it misses on any of these, then only a few will buy. That is what happened to the NSX, it did not make the performance and styling upgrades with the rest of the market.
I personally think the AASC has a basic profile that is a good starting point to work from. It needs lots of refinements. It needs details to make it not look like a TL that has been stepped on. But those are things that can be added with time. I do hope they loose the razor styling though. That was a 2002 fad, time to move on.
As for the FR layout vs. the MR layout, I have no issues with either as long as the car handles well. US drivers and roads are such that on the street, there is no effective difference. If I want snappy performance on the track, I am more inclined to by a $40K spec racer of some type than to risk damaging a $100+ car.
My only concern with the LA design center leading the development of this car is that most US designers and drivers (especially in LA) do not understand there is more to driving and performance than how fast I can get to the next stop light, or what is the top end speed on an infinitely long and straight smooth piece of road. But then what do you expect from people that don't understand why a race car would ever want to turn to the right. Will this car receive the same level of performance testing that Senna gave the original in Germany? Will Honda be willing to fund the engineering work required to implement what is learned there? Time will tell.
So until I see what is displayed in Tokyo, I guess I will continue to tune and tweak my aging supercar to try and keep up with the current crowd and be thankful for the fact that I bought a car that even 20 years after it was designed can still keep up with just a little bit of engine work. That I have a car with a chassis that is designed well enough it will still be stiff and tight when most of the current batch of performance cars have shaken themselves into the junk yard. I just hope Honda will continue to supply spare parts for as long as the car can last.
tk
96-T Red/Black
