If there's been a car we've all wanted
at least once in our lives, it's this car.
It's the car that gets confused with a Ferrari
by pretty much everyone.
It's the car that, for some reason,
has appreciated an astronomical amount
in the past five years because
that's just what cars are doing this season.
It's almost the only car you'll see
with a 100,000 miles or more because
you could actually drive these things religiously
and they wouldn't break.
They are the car.
That was, like, the flippy floppy headlights.
It had a reliable motor.
A proper exhaust zone.
And it's still considered one of
the best cars you can buy, even though they're 30 years old.
That's sad.
I'm Alex, AlexFI on Instagram,
and today, ladies and gentlemen,
we're gonna be talking about my
high school sweetheart of a car,
the Honda NSX.
(hip hop music)
(revving engine)
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That's all I got, actually.
Thank you very much.
And if you're looking for aftermarket
wheels, tires, or suspension,
be sure to hit up fitmentindustries.com.
Where we've got it all.
For your newly acquired NSX.
Or, if you just got an MR2
because those are the closest thing
that you can get to at the time.
Which is okay.
We don't judge.
The Honda NSX or as it's name here in the U.S.A,
the Acura NSX is a two seater, mid engine sports car
that was manufactured by Honda.
It's origins takes us back to the year of 1984,
where Honda was being a little bit curious
like most kids in college
and wanted to try a way to compete with
the VN V8 Ferrari engine brilliance,
exotic thing that was happening at the time.
There was all sorts of battles going on
between Ferrari and Lamborghini and Porsche
and pretty much everybody overseas.
The small thing is, though,
is that Honda really didn't wanna
have their car just randomly start on fire.
They wanted it to be weird.
Like, they want it reliable,
and they didn't wanna charge an arm and a leg.
They just wanted to charge an arm.
They started by introducing something called
the HPX, which was the Honda Pininfarina Experimental.
But that acronym didn't really make the cut.
The NSX would hit the showroom floor
and featured some beautiful design work
done by chief designer Masahito Nakano and Shigeru Uehara.
It had all the good good, with interior styling
from like an F-16 fighter jet.
Like pew, pew, pew, pew, pew.
It had influence and changes from
the one and only Ayrton Senna.
- You don't feel the speed, in a way.
You just don't feel the speed.
The car is so stable and so comfortable.
- When it was going through it's final development stages,
which ultimately resulted in the car
actually being shipped it's happy ass back.
It's reproduction sent more rigid
because he said the initial test run
felt a little bit, and I quote, "fragile".
- Ah, Fra-gile, that must be Italian.
- Soichiro Honda was personally involved
in the execution of this car as
the supreme advisor for Honda.
Pushing the company to become
the technological champion like it was in decades past.
He would get as detailed to stop a shipment
of NSX's on the U.S. port because he didn't like
the variation of the Acura logo
that was on the car at the time.
He would then have them replaced, the old emblem's destroyed
so that the car can meet his expectations
on how he wanted the car to be perceived.
Which is, in fact, pretty gnarly.
In terms of going all out,
Honda wasn't really pulling any punches.
They'd invest in over 25 billion dollars into this car.
Actually they didn't.
They only invested about 140 million.
Not so impressive now, is it?
Kind of a let down.
Doesn't seem like as much money anymore.
Let that sink in.
The car would be introduced with
an all aluminum body, a three liter V-sick engine, V-tech.
What?!
It was awesome.
And an optional manual or automatic transmission.
It had pretty much everything
an everyday driver car could possibly want.
I mean, have you ever actually been
in a legitimate super car before?
Let me explain to you how actually painful
it is to do just about anything in one of those cars.
This is really neat.
However, it's not easy to get in
if you're anything bigger than me
which is pretty much like a 14 year old boy.
So, like, you get in and you got, let me just,
you gotta, okay, hold on, let me just.
Oh God, my hair.
Okay, and...
Now, you're in.
Awesome.
I have about five inches of clearance
through the front windshield, which is fantastic.
I can see absolutely nothing through the
six inches of side window that I have.
But I look really cool.
Now, if I wanna look behind me,
the great news is I can't see a thing
because there's glass in the way and a wing.
Which means if I wanted to look behind me, I can't.
The good news is, though, is that if I'm looking to pass,
I can just look here, great.
I see a control module for the hood.
And over here, I have what looks like
the free version of a window,
and if I wanna get an actual window that works,
I have to pay an additional DLC.
So, in terms of driving this, you can't see a thing.
Now let's get out.
So I can just, let me just, don't wanna scratch the head.
Oh, God.
Okay, let me just get out, watch the head.
We're good.
And then after all of that, you have to do it all
like it wasn't painstakingly difficult to get in and out.
Because if it looks like you're having a tough time,
you're gonna look like that one guy that was
trying to get out of a Lamborghini in a gas station;
it was really hilarious and it went viral.
The NSX on the other hand had practicality in mind.
With the vehicle's ergonomics being built around
the driver being actually able to see where it was going.
How awesome.
Even the long tail and the short nose,
the NSX would maintain a beautiful weight distribution
with an all aluminum frame that would have
never seen before in the world of cars, at the time.
Yokohama would even make over 6,000 tires
specifically for the application of the NSX.
And a whole bunch of different models
to make sure it was what we wanted.
The double wishbone suspension would grace
the NSX for the fact that it was perfectly paired
for the specifications Honda needed
to make a banger of a car.
This car was pretty much perfectly crafted from the get go.
From the shifter to the iconic motor
that outpaced the Ferrari 328 at the time
in terms of displacement, horse power ratios.
It had it's own quality control
on having a plant specifically built
for the production of the NSX at the Tochigi Plant.
The 200 plant workers could take as much time
as necessary to assemble these state of the art cars.
Which, unlike most factory jobs out there,
if you've worked at one, that just doesn't exist.
And NSX was the only car that was really getting built.
Even through, like, the welding and everything
and the rivets and all that stuff.
Everything was done exactly how they wanted it to be done.
When the first gen got release,
it received a massive amount of publicity.
And although it never really took off
like a proper production car,
it really was never Honda's intention.
The car would receive a face lift
to ditch the pop up headlights.
Boo.
And also sent some improvements
to the engine, aerodynamics,
put in a three point two liter and a few other items.
It would be discontinued in 2005
and would die away until it's revival
just about two-ish or so years ago.
The second generation,
while not much of a history behind it,
is way completely different.
It featured a twin turbo three and a half liter
with some electric motor goodness, a nine speed automatic
and some new materials to make it a blast of a car.
However, just like some of the other new cars
taking on the older legacy cars, and what we know of them,
it didn't really just hit the mark
like the first generation NSX.
It's kinda like when you go Taco Bell.
Like, you're not mad.
You still got your tacos, you still got your burrito box.
You just wish you would've spent
the extra five bucks and went
to the taco joint on the side of the road
that smells like exhaust fumes
because everything is just better there.
And you've gone there since you were five
and you know the dudes that's gonna get you
the steak tacos with the cilantro
and the onions and the red sauce is so good.
But we're not here to teach you about the history.
Oh no, son.
We're here to help you decide on
if you actually want a Honda-slash-Acura NSX
and if it's the appropriate car for you there, bud.
So, you want an Acura-slash-Honda NSX.
Well set down your Honda hat and grab your Mountain Dew,
because we're about to dive head first
on if these cars are actually
what you would want to pick up 30 years later.
The first thing to remember is that
if you've managed to snag a Honda NSX, just...
(clapping)
Good on you.
I am proud of you.
NSX's are inherently a bit difficult
to get your hands on.
Especially if you're on a budget.
The ones that are available have a few quirks.
Most that you'll find will be affordable
are gonna be automatics.
There's nothing wrong with that.
But the car more appropriately behaves with
the short shift feeling manual.
The rest were likely totaled
and all the other ones that are manual and non-totaled
are gonna take you at right around
that 50,000 dollars mark, especially right now.
That's usually the mark if you want an NSX
with about 100,000 miles.
Pricing, it's not going down.
So if you're on the fence,
I would recommend snagging one now versus later.
You might be wondering,
"Hey Alex, how come a mediocre owned by"
"six previous people, 130,000 NSX is"
"going for 90,000 dollars?"
"Or 50,000 dollars?"
"Or 70,000 dollars?"
That is a great question, me.
And here's why.
The cars were almost always properly driven.
Because of the fact that they were built
to be daily drivable, that's what a lot of enthusiasts did
with these things when they first came out.
They drove them.
They had no negatives, like a Ferrari
that had like the tin can metal exhausts that fell apart.
Or the Lamborghinis that required 15,000 dollar
tune up every other season you drove it 300 miles.
It was a Honda that you could
see through while you were driving.
You could own it, and it could get
maintained relatively easy.
Like, it was just a car that you could drive
and it looked like an exotic super car.
It was driven like a normal car.
The NSX is one of those cars that,
if it doesn't have any miles on it, it'd be a shame.
The car itself can handle almost anything.
They're reliable.
They drive well.
They can be taken across the state
or country with minimal issues.
And everyone is still going to be
taking pictures of it.
Even if they're not a car person.
'Cause it looks like a Ferrari.
It looks like an exotic car,
and people think that it is.
Take the badge off and nobody would be the wiser.
If you're looking to modify an NSX,
it all comes down to the pockets my good friends.
Because you could do anything.
You want a super charge it?
You can do that.
You want a turbo charge it?
Sure, why not.
Wide body it?
Absolutely.
Wheels?
Yeah.
You're usually looking at some
Japanese high end wheels for something like this.
Like TE 37s are in tons of these cars.
Or Weds Sports for the one pieces.
Or even NKS.
You may even find some German wheels
like BBS is hitting these cars as well
because the body style can make
pretty much anything look perfect.
Tires end up staying around like
the Toyo and Falken lineup versus anything else.
So most people are running moderate staggered setups.
But mostly Meaty's kind of boys
because they want it to keep looking aggressive and mean.
Although Air Lift and Acura started
to get popular in these cars,
you'll still see quite a few people running
BC coilovers or the Fortunato's coilovers as well.
Which by the way, if you're looking
to pick up a free set of coilovers,
we have a t-shirt giveaway going on right now.
You can pick a t-shirt,
gets you automatically entered in to win
and you get a really cool shirt that has Godzilla on it.
Some of the negatives of this car are the fact
that it's pretty hefty financial investment
to get into one of these cars,
and you almost immediately have to throw
a bit more to update the look of the car.
It is still 30 years old.
They can carry quite a bit of tax with them
and parts aren't getting any easier to find.
The V6 isn't inherently speedy,
and it doesn't carry the same howl
as it's super car equivalent.
But it doesn't really need to
as long you're not expecting that.
The NSX is a car for an enthusiast that wants a forever car.
A car that they've wanted to own forever,
and enjoy for more than the occasional drive.
Because the Honda NSX is a car you have to drive.
It's a car that demands your attention.
And the history that follows this car
is likely one of the most influential
stories in automotive history.
It was Honda's answer to telling the world,
"Yep, bud, we still got it there."
"And if there's ever a time you need us to come back,"
"we can give her a shot again."
So what would you do for an NSX?
Let us know in the comment section below
and let's try to keep it PG.
Actually, no.
The more I think about that, the more I know
that would be a terrible thing for you to do.
Instead, just let us know what you'd
like us to talk about next.
Also, we'll be heading to SEMA this year.
Again, for the third year.
It is so much fun.
So, let us know what you want us to talk about.
You can drop us a DM or a comment
so we can start planning that out.
If you're looking for aftermarket wheels,
tires, or suspension,
be sure to check out fitmentindustries.com
I'm Alex, from Fitment Industries
and we will see you guys and gals later.
I almost lost my coffee.
Peace.