A treasure trove of images shows the NSX’s history from its inception, including sketches and the reveal of the original concept.
The Acura NSX commemorates a significant part of the legendary sports car’s past at this year’s Chicago Auto Show. This is 30 years since the original NS-X Concept was introduced there in 1989. Acura released a nostalgic video as well as a treasure trove photos to mark the occasion. These photos reveal the original designs, the unveiling of the show car, and the first Laguna Seca media drive.
“Before NSX it was assumed that supercar performance would come at the cost of a comfortable interior, and everyday drivability,” Jon Ikeda (Vice President and General Manager of Acura), said during Acura’s trip down the memory lane. “NSX shattered these notions and set a new standard for supercar makers.”
On February 9, 1989, the NS-X Concept was unveiled at Chicago’s Drake Hotel. The company began work on a front-engined, front-wheel-drive sports car in January 1984. This work coincided with the beginning stages of Acura’s American brand. It was eventually launched in America in 1986. As a halo vehicle for Honda and its premium brand, the development of this performance machine eventually led to the creation of a rear-wheel-drive, mid-engined model. For the first time, test mules were able to use a cut up piece of the City as a model to demonstrate this drivetrain layout. Sports car development started in earnest around 1985.
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Although the NS-X Concept is very similar to the production car, it actually has a shorter wheelbase and overall length. The show car was originally equipped with a single overhead-cam layout. However, the final version featured a dual-overhead cam setup with VTEC. This required more space.
Ayrton Senna, the iconic Formula One driver, also drove an NS-X prototype from February 1989. He said it felt “a little fragile”. This statement by such an important person prompted engineers to place emphasis on rigidity in the sports car. After much effort and testing at the Nurburgring it was determined that the chassis was 50% stiffer.
The Honda American team chose the NSX name. It stood for “New Sports eXperimental”. It was named NSX by engineers to signify “New Sportscar”, while “X” stood for the common mathematic symbol of an unknown value. The company retained the three-letter moniker because of the positive reaction to the idea.
Acura will host a panel discussion at the Chicago Auto Show on February 7, featuring Ikeda and Csaba Csere (ex-editor-in-chief of car and Drivermagazine). They will discuss the history of the NSX, its origins and the impact it had on the supercar scene.