Sad sight - NSX at the Atlanta Auto Show

[Dave Hardy]

I went to the Atlanta Auto Show yesterday. Lots of cool stuff, and the best part is that since I work in the automotive aftermarket it was a company field trip. Anyway, as I stumbled into the Acura booth, they had all of the RSX's, TL's, TSX's, etc spread around, and then on one of the pedestals was a new red NSX. I love the NSX, so I of course went to oogle a bit. As I looked at the big picture though, it was a little bit of a sad site. The NSX is pretty, but when surrounded by several hundred '05 model cars, its age shows. The styling is from a completely different generation than every other car there. It was the first time that the NSX's age really stuck out to me. It was a bit like seeing a still very attractive woman in her 40's, surrounded by her daughters very attractive college friends. She's still got what it takes, but you can't help but feel a little bad for her, as her prime is past.

 

[bangbang001]

I went to the Atlanta Auto Show yesterday. Lots of cool stuff, and the best part is that since I work in the automotive aftermarket it was a company field trip. Anyway, as I stumbled into the Acura booth, they had all of the RSX's, TL's, TSX's, etc spread around, and then on one of the pedestals was a new red NSX. I love the NSX, so I of course went to oogle a bit. As I looked at the big picture though, it was a little bit of a sad site. The NSX is pretty, but when surrounded by several hundred '05 model cars, its age shows. The styling is from a completely different generation than every other car there. It was the first time that the NSX's age really stuck out to me. It was a bit like seeing a still very attractive woman in her 40's, surrounded by her daughters very attractive college friends. She's still got what it takes, but you can't help but feel a little bad for her, as her prime is past.

I also went yesterday evening, but I totally disagree with you. The red 05 could hold its own up against any vehicle there in its price range and more. People were still amazed by it. Back in 91 it was a car well before her time. Just think about this: What other cars do you know that came out in 91 that can hold its own up against new exotic cars? This is a great car. :smile:

 

[NsXMas]

Yea, I'm not sure there's any new car whose styling I really like. Look at BMW, Bangle has killed the styling. The new Toyota products, especially the new super car, is bleeeeh. The Aston Martin's are ok, but they look like the older designs with some modern curves. The Murcielago looks good, but the Gallardo is not really great looking by any means. The Ferrari 360/430 looks awesome, but you pay for it.

The NSX looks a lot better than the C6, if you look at side by side shots. I definitely think the NSX looks timeless.

However, if Honda were to make the HSC...

 

[whiteNSXs]

I also went yesterday evening, but I totally disagree with you. The red 05 could hold its own up against any vehicle there in its price range and more. People were still amazed by it. Back in 91 it was a car well before her time. Just think about this: What other cars do you know that came out in 91 that can hold its own up against new exotic cars? This is a great car. :smile:

I disagree with you. As much as I love the NSX and have had a few, you cannot deny the fact that it is 15 years old and has aged. It is still a wonderful car but you can't say it "can hold its own up against new exotic cars". Hold its own in what? In sales? In performance? The big boys that the NSX was competing against have all moved on to different performance levels. The mid-engined super low look of the NSX will always excite people just like other old time exotics such as the 512BB, Testarossa, Countach, and many many others. I love my NSX and will probably keep the current one forever but I do know its limitations. To run with the big dogs, one needs to pay the dues and I don't think Honda wants to run with the big dogs. I think the current price of the NSX is artificially LOWERED by Honda just to keep the car somewhat appealing among other cars at that range. Knowing how the car is manufactured and assembled, I would not be surprised that the car should have been priced at $130k at today's dollars. Then of course, the car will instantly die at that price. Honda is losing huge money keeping Tochigi running and at the same time selling the NSX with a big discount. You are right about the NSX being a great car and I won't dispute it. It will always have a spot in my heart just like the 74-89 Porsche 911s will.
Steve

 

[Dave Hardy]

The only thing appealing in the BMW booth was the E46 convertible leftover. The rest of the bangle designs made me throw up a little. The ones that really made the NSX look old were the Infinity, Volvo, and especially Mercedes booths. Both the Infinity and Volve have a modern, curvy look, without falling into the jellybean trap. The modern Mercedes are simply stunning. By far the most beautiful cars at the show. As for the NSX vs. the C6, a standard one I will agree, the NSX takes it. Make the decision NSX vs. C6 Z06 and I'm driving away in the GM.

 

[91 X]

I went to the Atlanta Auto Show yesterday. Lots of cool stuff, and the best part is that since I work in the automotive aftermarket it was a company field trip. Anyway, as I stumbled into the Acura booth, they had all of the RSX's, TL's, TSX's, etc spread around, and then on one of the pedestals was a new red NSX. I love the NSX, so I of course went to oogle a bit. As I looked at the big picture though, it was a little bit of a sad site. The NSX is pretty, but when surrounded by several hundred '05 model cars, its age shows. The styling is from a completely different generation than every other car there. It was the first time that the NSX's age really stuck out to me. It was a bit like seeing a still very attractive woman in her 40's, surrounded by her daughters very attractive college friends. She's still got what it takes, but you can't help but feel a little bad for her, as her prime is past.

the NSX IS TIMELESS!!! GM is still trying to emulate it.......

 

[Pirana]

Totally disagree, the only piece of aging in a NSX is the radio and gauges...everything else is still ahead of its time...including the Titanium Rods (a new addition on the new Z06) :tongue:

 

[mmmikemo]

It was a bit like seeing a still very attractive woman in her 40's, surrounded by her daughters very attractive college friends. She's still got what it takes, but you can't help but feel a little bad for her, as her prime is past.

I am thinking when your wife hits her 40's, she's not going to feel past her prime...I still have a big grin on my face when I drive my NSX...and my over 40 wife has never been hotter and that gives me another big grin!!!

 

[LJSB]

The mother daughter analogy is a kick.
Like the new cars the daughters are good for speed but only a few special ones age and still keep you interested.
I'm not trading my wife or my NSX for any of the new models. Newer and faster is not often better.
Young girls and the new young cars look great in magazines but real life is another thing.


What I heard and read about the NSX is what kept me away.
Actually owning and driving one is what keeps me in love with the car.

 

[Dave Hardy]

I guess I just know that Honda could do so much better. They are no longer the company that released daring hits like the NSX, the CRX Si, and too a lesser extent the ITR. They wanted to be Toyota, and unfortunately they are being successful at attaining that goal. It isn't the emotionally driven company that Sochiro created.

 

[NSXGMS]

As much as I love the NSX and have had a few, you cannot deny the fact that it is 15 years old and has aged.

Facts are facts. It IS 15 years old. It HAS aged.

But when I drive my 1991 around town and folks ask me if my car is a 2005, who's kidding who. The NSX looks and always has looked phenomenal.

you can't say it "can hold its own up against new exotic cars". Hold its own in what? In sales? In performance?

Subjective looks are what's being discussed here. No one's defending Honda's choices/business practices or 1/4 mile times.

The big boys that the NSX was competing against have all moved on to different performance levels.

You are 100% correct, but that's not the issue at hand. See above comment.

The mid-engined super low look of the NSX will always excite people just like other old time exotics such as the 512BB, Testarossa, Countach, and many many others

Other than perhaps a Lamborghini Diablo, I don't believe there's any other mainstream car that could ever be mistaken, 15 years later, for a brand new one WITHOUT the design altered significantly.


The 911 until 1996 doesn't count either, because no one even thought the new ones were new b/c the design was so outdated for so long. And to say that the 911 is "timeless" is to say the VW bug is "timeless". Yes, in that sense, it is. They're both "classics".

Think about it: doesn't the Ferrari 348 look utterly outdated today, period? I think that car more accurately fits the 40-year-old woman analogy. It's still a Ferrari, you know.

Aging is one thing, being outdated is another. If there truly was any car that was literally ahead of it's time, it was the NSX. It just now looks like a modern-day sports car. It took the rest of the world 15 years to catch up.

Do you really believe the NSX is outdated when you look at a C6 Vette? GM didn't think so.

I went to the San Diego auto show, and I stood around the NSX display for an hour, and all I heard people saying was that they didn't know they still made them anymore, and how good it still looked.

The NSX's looks are NOT the reason for poor sales.

And have you seen the HSC? If they put 400+ HP in that car, what else could you get that looked like THAT for ~$100K?

Yes, an HSC would certainly re-invigorate the interest, but no one said you can't improve on an already good thing.

 

[ChrisK]

I think it is the rims. When I saw the 05 NSX at the local new car show it still looked great, but the over all package looked a little old because of the 17" rims. Sitting next to the RL and TL with 18" rims just made it seem like the car was from the 90s. People may not agree with this trend, but all the new cars at the show were sporting at least 17" rims (At least the mid sized cars and above). Everywhere I looked OEM cars were sitting on 18-20" stock rims. That is the new trend. When I go to aftermarket car shows and see the NSX on 18/19" rims it looks just as hot and updated as the rest of the fixed up cars on 19/20" rims, so that too me shows the rims really do update the car into the new era trend. Also looking into the interior especially at the gauges makes the car look a bit old when everyone is going to lighted gauges with optitron type lighting and such.

 

[MvM]

I thank you for your comments and your thoughts.
But I do not agree with you when it comes to the outside look of the NSX.
To be honest, if the NSX still would have the pop-up headlights, I would agree more (although I like them a lot). I think the 2002 fixed lights look OK, even though it took me a while to get used to it. To me, it does make the car look modern again.
I still think the NSX is a very good looking car, and one which can certainly hold up itself compared with a lot of other newer cars.
However, I DO think it's the interior, as mentioned, that lets the car show it's age. Material and of course that old casette-player radio system, is what really makes the car looks dated.

But I think that maybe, subconsciously, almost ALL of us also judge a car by its designer age. After a life-time of progressing car-models, we have gotten used to think of the newer models as better, more modern, better looking etc. etc. Perhaps/probably decennia of smart marketing is responsible for this.

In my personal experience, when I meet people who have never ever heard before of a NSX or have never ever seen one (and there are plenty of those people around), many of them think the NSX is a new model and practically everyone immediately puts the car in the exotic-range of cars.

Now, OTOH, when I see a old Ferrari 328 with original 15" 70-series tires, THEN I think, whow, that's an old car. Same goes for a Countach, a Porsche 944. And, to be honest, I think, again, it man time the dated interior that makes a car look old.
I still firmly believe that with some modifications in the power-deparment PLUS a nice upgrade of the interior (everybody seems to like gadgets in their car nowadays), the NSX CAN still hold it's own.

 

[RP-Motorsports]

It was a bit like seeing a still very attractive woman in her 40's, surrounded by her daughters very attractive college friends.

I guess the NSX is an official "MILF" then! :biggrin:

 

[Dave Hardy]

I agree with Chris that the rims are part of the problem. Larger rims seem to make the car more muscular, which compared to the contemporaries, it needs.

And yes RP - I think MILF is an accurate description. Still hot, maybe even a better ride than the hot new models, but undeniably up there in years.

 

[slashmatt]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the NSX does not look "dated" at all. I can't count how many times in the last two months alone that somebody has seen my car for the first time and been absolutely amazed that it's a '95. They all thought it was new. Not only did they think it was new, they had never even seen an NSX before (or at least that they recall), and I live in south Florida(where exotic cars are a dime a dozen).

Go ahead and get your Z06. My Dad's getting one. But he's getting it for what they're good for, taking it out on a country road then sticking it back in storage where no one can see it.

 

[slashmatt]

I think it is the rims. When I saw the 05 NSX at the local new car show it still looked great, but the over all package looked a little old because of the 17" rims. Sitting next to the RL and TL with 18" rims just made it seem like the car was from the 90s. People may not agree with this trend, but all the new cars at the show were sporting at least 17" rims (At least the mid sized cars and above). Everywhere I looked OEM cars were sitting on 18-20" stock rims. That is the new trend. When I go to aftermarket car shows and see the NSX on 18/19" rims it looks just as hot and updated as the rest of the fixed up cars on 19/20" rims, so that too me shows the rims really do update the car into the new era trend. Also looking into the interior especially at the gauges makes the car look a bit old when everyone is going to lighted gauges with optitron type lighting and such.

In Formula 1, they use 13" rims, but I guess those cars are crap too, huh?

 

[ChrisK]

In Formula 1, they use 13" rims, but I guess those cars are crap too, huh?

The FIA mandates the size of the rim they can use. It is not specifically by choice, but to limit the mechanical grip. Anyway, I did say people will disagree and you are probably one of them. I'm also pretty sure I never said the NSX with smaller rims or any other car with smaller rims are crap, but I did say with all the car manufacturers bringing out 18" + rims that 17" rims make the car look ordinary in comparison especially at new car shows like what we are talking about. I agree with your above staement that people tell me my car looks great even today and mine is a 92. Standing alone it looks like a modern era car. Sitting next to a BMW with 19" stock rims it can look a little 90s looking. Nothing wrong with that. I'm running on stock 16/17" rims myself. No need to get too defensive especially when you are putting words into my mouth which I never said in the first place.

Now, I'm not saying larger rims equal better or even better performance. I will say that I thought the upgrade from 15/16 to 16/17 in 94 was an attractive upgrade, and even to the 17/17 that is used today. Do we need 17/18 next? I can't say, but I think it would look nicer over all, but I not think it would perform any better. Now please don't say I think the car is crap as I will never say that.

 

[whiteNSXs]

In Formula 1, they use 13" rims, but I guess those cars are crap too, huh?

What kind of logic is that?
Steve

 

[NSXTech]

It was a bit like seeing a still very attractive woman in her 40's, surrounded by her daughters very attractive college friends. She's still got what it takes, but you can't help but feel a little bad for her, as her prime is past.

Beauty, and AGE, are in the eye of the beholder. :wink:
Both can be timeless, and IMO, the NSX is.

MB

 

[slashmatt]

What kind of logic is that?
Steve

The same kind of logic that says 20" wheels are obviously better, and should thusly be installed on high performance sports cars, because they "look" better.

 

[ChrisK]

The same kind of logic that says 20" wheels are obviously better, and should thusly be installed on high performance sports cars, because they "look" better.

Who here said that? I know it wasn't me. I think you are just reading too much into casual conversation on a forum.

 

[Dave Hardy]

Standing alone it looks like a modern era car. Sitting next to a BMW with 19" stock rims it can look a little 90s looking.

Thank you - you said what I was thinking better than I was able to. I never said the NSX is ugly. I never said it is crap. I still want one. I will have one. I simply said the same thing that hundreds of others have said here on Prime - that Honda should have either updated it or discontinued it long ago.

 

[H-carWizKid]

Love the NSX- But folks are getting a little defensive here.
Being somewhat practical-
If I were NSX shopping today, I would not consider an 05'- not when pristine earlier examples can be had for less than half the cost, and the changes are as insignificant as they are.
Generally speaking: A used NSX is an incredible value- probably for the resons stated above- it just hasn't changed much.
This community is prideful of the maintainence on their cars (see Zaino vs Zymol- endless arguments) so you have a great chance at getting the best used car you would ever buy.
I love these cars, it always feels like I am putting on a powerful backpack when I get behind the wheel, and the car just feels good to drive. I really don't care about how old the design is. I guess if I really cared about keeping up with the Jones's I would want my car to look perpetually updated, and always have the biggest HP numbers's- but I really don't care about the Jones's.
Something from 1991 that was great is still pretty damn great to me. Ultimately I am the only one I want to impress, and the NSX does that for me.

Philip

Mid-year Corvette owners probably harbour little or no envy of C6 owners. A classic is a classic, and I think the NSX is headed in that direction.

 

[Da Hapa]

...
If I were NSX shopping today, I would not consider an 05'- not when pristine earlier examples can be had for less than half the cost, and the changes are as insignificant as they are.
Generally speaking: A used NSX is an incredible value- probably for the resons stated above- it just hasn't changed much.
This community is prideful of the maintainence on their cars (see Zaino vs Zymol- endless arguments) so you have a great chance at getting the best used car you would ever buy.
I love these cars, it always feels like I am putting on a powerful backpack when I get behind the wheel, and the car just feels good to drive. I really don't care about how old the design is. I guess if I really cared about keeping up with the Jones's I would want my car to look perpetually updated, and always have the biggest HP numbers's- but I really don't care about the Jones's.
... Ultimately I am the only one I want to impress, and the NSX does that for me.

Philip.

Amen, brother preach on.