So what officially killed the NSX?

[NSXAMG996TT]

Still puzzled at how an automotive achievement like the NSX was produced for a total of 14 years before its production end in 2005. Was is too exclusive?, too pricey?, too underpowered?, too out-dated?, low sales volume?, shift in the sports car market? or simply Honda's own failure to market & design its own flagship car?

The Honda/Acura brand was at the top of its game back when you could go into an Acura Dealership hoping to see one on the showroom floor. As Nissan & Lexus are rolling out their supercars, it's time for Honda to play catch up, re-establish, and reclaim the title once again.

 

[supra2nv]

Still puzzled at how an automotive achievement like the NSX was produced for a total of 14 years before its production end in 2005. Was is too exclusive?, too pricey?, too underpowered?, too out-dated?, low sales volume?, shift in the sports car market? or simply Honda's own failure to market & design its own flagship car?

The Honda/Acura brand was at the top of its game back when you could go into an Acura Dealership hoping to see one on the showroom floor. As Nissan & Lexus are rolling out their supercars, it's time for Honda to play catch up, re-establish, and reclaim the title once again.

ehh, i love having a rare piece of history

 

[MCM]

Old age.

That said, 8000 current US owners are still exited
with their all alum, mid engine'd sports car anomaly.

 

[Meeyatch1]

Honda got bored, and turned boring as a company. They lost interest in most of the performance car market and really did not do too many significant things. I mean, when you have a 2005 NSX-T that lists at almost $90,000, has only 290 hp, and still has a TAPE DECK in the dash, you know the company stopped meaningful development long ago. How freaking hard would it have been to put in a CD player in the dash? I mean, come on.

 

[snakey]

Trust me.....Be happy they stopped making them...

An 2003 SRT10 Viper was an 85K car......An 2003 NSX was a 90K car...

Now you can pick up a nice 2003 Viper with 10K miles for 50K.....A nice 2003 NSX with 10K miles can be picked up for 60K...

Because they no longer make the NSX it has held it's value better than the Viper.Their have only been 26K Vipers made in the world since 1992..So it's just as rare...As well with 500 HP and agressive styling the 2003 Viper is every bit as desirable as the 2003 NSX....But theirs still a huge gap on pricing between the two...

Weather you buy a 1991 or 2005 NSX your getting a special last of the last NSX as they no longer make them period and theirs no real proof of the HSX surfacing any time soon.

You buy a 2003 Viper and now the 2008 is out.Soon the 2009..Then the 2010...Just dosent make it seem as special as the NSX...


So be happy...As good as the NSX was desighned in 1991 with just a few engine tweaks and suspension mods you can take most modern cars on a road track anyways..With a supercharger your at C5Z065 levels for speed and with a turbo your Pass C6Z06 levels....All while still retaining the origional soul of the car that changed the exotic standards of the world and is now retired...

 

[Da Hapa]

Two things really killed the NSX and they're not necessarily mutually exclusive.

1) Slow sales.
2) Honda's unwillingness to update the NSX to comply with 2006 side impact protection requirements.

 

[TURBO2GO]

2) Honda's unwillingness to update the NSX to comply with 2006 side impact protection requirements.

Jesus what are you saying? this thing wouldn't meet modern side impact requirements?

 

[JeffShoots]

Jesus what are you saying? this thing wouldn't meet modern side impact requirements?

+ side airbags :biggrin:

 

[DrVolkl]

Jesus what are you saying? this thing wouldn't meet modern side impact requirements?

Nope...and be happy it doesn't...it'd weigh another 300lbs! lol

 

[amgnsx]

2) Honda's unwillingness to update the NSX to comply with 2006 side impact protection requirements.

i would agree.

i heard that and also something to do with 2006 stricter(is that even a word?) emissions laws

this is what i was told :smile:

 

[navyflydoc]

Porsche

 

[KSXNSX]

Two things really killed the NSX and they're not necessarily mutually exclusive.

1) Slow sales.
2) Honda's unwillingness to update the NSX to comply with 2006 side impact protection requirements.

I hadn't thought about that, but I think that makes sense. I noticed all the new cars have really high beltlines. I doubt the NSX would be able to meet this requirement without a redesign.

 

[NSXAMG996TT]

Compared to today's standards, our cars sound pretty unsafe.

Guess I should rename this thread "So How the NSX officially kills!"

 

[carmar]

This might sound odd but I personally think the two factors are its reliability and price.

The NSX is so reliable that it does not have alot of R&D (new features) to add into their "later" models and yet its price was always on par with other "up to date" sport cars.

For example, look at other sport cars such as Ferrari and Porsche, they are always on the move to improve their reliabilities, performance and safety features. Of course, the NSX was definitely, the wake up call for all of them in the early 90s.

 

[pach]

Honda seems to have a knack for making an awesome car and then just milk it for 10 years and make tiny upgrades...

Notice the S2000 pretty much is going though the EXACT changes the NSX did..
tiny displacement bump, bigger wheels, rework the car slightly, etc...

 

[MvM]

If you ask me, the MAIN reason for all of this has been the death or mr. Soichiro Honda himself. Soichiro Honda was a man who above all loved racing and everything that goes with it. After his death, the company was, in my view, taken over by people who just want to make money. In this Honda has, of course, been very succesfull, but at the expensive of their exclusive models.
I doubt the NSX has ever made Honda any money, the word is that they even lost money on every model sold.

That said, I have mentioned many times that, with the NSX, Honda had a potential Japanese Porsche 911 at hand. With timely updates, the NSX could still be a competetive car even today.
With updated looks and a more powerful engine, the NSX could easily be better than even the current 911S4 or Audi R8.
The chassis design and the suspension of the NSX is simply THAT good!!
With a 3.6 liter engine and 400 HP and only 3150 lbs, the NSX would be very much op-to-date in terms of performance.

But then again, every one with a CTSC already knows this.

 

[navyflydoc]

Honda history repeats itself really. The NSX is really an incarnation of this Honda beauty. Their modus operandi is to create something magical and technologically advance beyond anything on the road then for unknown reasons stop the project. http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/cars/HondaSM600_shell.shtml

 

[Da Hapa]

Jesus what are you saying? this thing wouldn't meet modern side impact requirements?

That's exactly what I'm saying. Without side airbags, the NSX will not pass current US govt. reg's for side impact protection.

 

[docjohn]

On the flip side of the Languish I have driven many of the most up to date cars and I always look forward to returning to the relative simplicity and elemental design of the nsx.I really have a tough time with all the extra electronics and near super computer dashboards these days.

 

[MCM]

I seem to recall emission issues going forward as well.
Bottom line, you cant make the "almost" exact same car for 15 years and expect to keep selling 'em for the same more $$$ every year............
The tape deck on a 2005 mentioned above is your proof.........
Glad I was able to pick one up. Its all I need and more.:biggrin:

 

[TURBO2GO]

That's exactly what I'm saying. Without side airbags, the NSX will not pass current US govt. reg's for side impact protection.

Safety is the one issue that makes me consider selling the NSX. But then its not my daily driver so maybe I am overreacting. So does anyone know how safe this car is at all? its all speculation. No one ever did any crash tests. All I know is that it is very low.... and that can't be good.

 

[KSXNSX]

Safety is the one issue that makes me consider selling the NSX. But then its not my daily driver so maybe I am overreacting. So does anyone know how safe this car is at all? its all speculation. No one ever did any crash tests. All I know is that it is very low.... and that can't be good.

I feel ya. One side impact by an SUV at 40 mph and you are pretty much dead...

 

[BD]

I remember reading some thing stated by the Honda officials "bureaucracy killed the NSX."

Yeah, the side impact and other stuff. Even though the engine still met the LEV standard, it did not meet the ULEV of better. They would have kept the car in production for twenty years just for the hell of it but federal crash standard and some other minor issues killed it. Don't forget, the "C" block is the first generation VTEC engine from the Honda family too. All other first gen DOHC VTEC engines has been retired years ago (B16/B18/H20/H22).

 

[Mirroredshades]

Two things really killed the NSX and they're not necessarily mutually exclusive.

1) Slow sales.
2) Honda's unwillingness to update the NSX to comply with 2006 side impact protection requirements.

Winnah !

They weren't selling many.
Weren't making any money on them.
Cost too much to continue not selling any or making any money.

 

[MvM]

Safety is the one issue that makes me consider selling the NSX. But then its not my daily driver so maybe I am overreacting. So does anyone know how safe this car is at all? its all speculation. No one ever did any crash tests. All I know is that it is very low.... and that can't be good.

Personally, I am not be worried too much about it. By now, I have seen quite a number of NSX's that have been involved in high-speed crashed in in all of them the monocoque was pretty much intact and the passengers all got out ok. And this includes some crases as 100+ mph on the German Autobahn.
The doors in the NSX each have two side impact protection beams, in you have a 1995+ model, the extruded aluminum in your side-sills is about .2" which is a lot thicker that the material used in most cars. In other parts of the NSX, there are sometimes up to 5-6 layers of sheet aluminum used for a thickness of almost .5".