Honda NSX

Japanese car manufacturer Honda unquestionably knows a thing or two about how to design a really fast car. Their NSX model was ahead of its time, and even if the first prototype was released twenty years ago it could still put to shame more than a few contemporary cars.

Honda revealed the NSX during the 1989 Chicago Auto Show. The model spent a few years in the making. Honda commissioned Italian car maker Pininfarina to create a concept car that would later evolve into the NSX. Honda's initial purpose wasn’t to beat Ferrari, and even if it had been, probably no one would have believed that the Japanese would come up with a road car capable of defeating the uncrowned king of the F1 race tracks. The NSX was equipped with 24 valves, four cams and the VTEC variable valve timing system that could attain 270 brake horsepower.

NSX is the only road car that has benefited from the input of Ayrton Senna, who took the car for a test drive during the ’89 Suzuka. Following his advice, Honda beefed up the car’s hull, making it 50% more stiff and powerful. The improved model was a complete success, breaching the bridge between an intimidating supercar and a regular sports car that you can see on the road.

The glory days of the Honda NSX might be over, but its heritage is has left lasting marks on the face of the racing world. McLaren F1 is the spiritual successor of the NSX, but the newest descendant of the line is the Honda NSX Mugen RR, a concept care unveiled at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon, proof that the legacy of the NSX lives on.

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