Honda’s V6 hyper-hybrid that’s been a decade in the making. Developed in the USA and built as a showcase for Honda’s engineering might, it’s a thorn in the side of the Audi R8, Ferrari 488 and McLaren 570S.
It’s fair to say the NSX has had a troubled gestation. In 2007, two years after the Ayrton Senna-developed first-gen model ceased production, Honda announced it would be developing a replacement powered by a naturally-aspirated V10. A year later the project was cancelled with Honda citing challenging economic conditions. In 2011, following signs of the beginning of a recovery, Honda announced the NSX was back on the cards and backed it up with a concept car at the 2012 Detroit show.
Having decided to ditch the V10 in favour of a V6 hybrid the team initially developed the car with a transverse-mounted normally aspirated motor. After extensive development the decision was made to add twin turbos and rotate the powerplant though 90 degrees for better packaging, weight distribution and heat management. That’s a colossal change to make mid-way through development. But it’s this deep-rooted obsession to get it right that defines the NSX.
The NSX now has a 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo generating 500bhp. Wedged between it and the nine-speed twin-clutch ‘box lies a brushless electric motor, which fills in power as the turbos spool up. It also serves as the starter motor, which in turn saves weight.
At the front two further motors, sharing a single clutch, are mounted inboard, driving a front wheel each and allowing the NSX to indulge in the black art of torque vectoring, while at the rear a limited slip differential divvies up the torque. All three motors are powered by a lithium-ion battery pack running down the centre of the car and across behind the seats, forming a ‘T’.
The battery is charged by the V6 and regen braking. All told we have an AWD supercar with a combined output of 573bhp and enough computer processing power to make NASA blush.
Supercars used to be one trick ponies, but the NSX represents a new generation. For some, Quiet mode will be anathema, but for others that, and the breadth of the NSX’s capabilities, represent a new and attractive proposition. Honda describe the NSX as an articulation of the brand as a whole and more importantly “not the finish line, just the start point”. Having been so long in the making it would have been painfully easy for the NSX to disappoint, but for my money, it was well worth the wait.