15 years is truly an eternity for a production cycle, NSX is still a great drive, but have over shadowed by many newbies. The biggest issue have always been the sub 300hp engine, but the package really works on the NSX, if I had more, I probably wouldn’t know what to do with them.
Obviously, I choose and NSX over P car this time around, by purchasing an 03 - not just because of the way it drives, but also the history as well as some sentimental value. After all, my biggest hero Ayrton Senna helped developing the car, and both Gordon Murray (Designer for the McLaren F1/SLR Vision) and Ayrton Senna (Three times F1 champ) also drove one on daily basis. Gordon Murray was talking about just how good the NSX is and he drove one for six years as his daily driver. The only suggestion from him – have little more power and better steering, the car would have been perfect. Well, if it’s good enough for them, it sure is good enough for any of us. As for me, I promise my self an NSX after May 1994 after Senna’s unfortunate event on the Imola track. It’s purely for sentimental reason. Fast forward 11 years, I’m still proud to own one of the most unique automotive history.
I have followed the NSX development ever since 1989 when I read the prototype articles in the Japanese magazine, I was in HS and I was really into Honda’s F1 involvement. The NSX have never let me down, from dreaming of owning one and actually have it my garage. It's truly amazing to see how much effort Honda have put into the car, even when the annual production dropped below 300 per year. The improvements continued. The 2002 update probably cost Honda more money than the total dollar figure generated from selling the car (around 1200 car made from 2002 to 2005). To raise the car’s top speed from 167 to 175mph was no easy task without HP increase. I remembered how much Ferrari had to do on the Testarossa on both HP and aero redesgn just to raise the top speed by 10 mph, and the price bloomed went from MSRP of around $80 grand (1986 Testarossa) to $225 grand (512TR) in matter of ten years. The NSX have evolved so much from 91, 97, to 02, for a very small price gained - in exotic car standard. For have driven an 91, owning a 95 and now a 03, the improvement is so great that if I was blind folded while driving these cars, I would certainly think I was driving three different cars, and each evolution really confirmed how perfect the chassis is, which can stand each upgrades with ease - it just gets better and better each time.
The price point is really not that bad, for what you’re getting, 90 grand is still a chunk of change, but for an all aluminum body, high tech engine and awesome suspension set up, the balance of the car truly deserve the demanded price. Forget about the indash CD player/Navi system, or remote trunk release, etc. It is a shame to see how many Honda Bashers that will argue how much better a Corvette is, and I have experienced the animosity on the S2k forum. It is sad to see how people would attack the NSX and have never driven one. Well, next one is on its way and I’m looking forward to own one when it comes out.
