The Goodwood Test: Honda NSX

Heritage

Ever heard of a bloke called Ayrton Senna? The original NSX is partly famous for being one of the first supercars to attempt the feat of being usable every day, and partly for the influence of the three-time world champion on its development. The original car was first conceived by Honda and Pininfarina back in 1984, when it was codenamed the HP-X (Honda Pininfarina eXperimental), as a supercar that would be as fast as anything that the Germans or Italians could produce. By the later ‘80s that had become the NSX (New, Sportscar eXperimental) and was being tested with the help of the aforementioned F1 legend and Japanese F1 star (and father of current racer Kazuki) Satoru Nakajima. 

By launch the first-generation NSX was powered by a 3.0-litre V6, producing 270bhp and 210lb ft of torque, and set itself on the way to legendary status with a never-before-seen combination of speed, handling prowess and (to any supercar owner’s shock) reliability. Numerous special editions followed the initial launch in 1990 until a facelift over a decade later saw the pop-up headlights sidelined in favour of fixed xenon editions. This allowed the original NSX to soldier on all the way to 2005 before production finally ended. Little did anyone know that it would take nearly another decade for the replacement to arrive. After several aborted attempts, including Honda dabbling with the idea of front-engined model, the second-generation NSX finally made it to production in 2016 – six years after Honda had confirmed it was to make another supercar.

Design

The design of the current-generation NSX was previewed in a concept back in 2012 and, unlike many concepts, little changed in the four years between that first appearance and production. The NSX is every bit the modern take on a supercar, but with the odd hint back to its legendary predecessor. The low roofline mimics in some ways the roofline of the first-gen NSX and both share strong hips, but beyond that, this is every bit Honda in the 21^st century. The stubby bonnet contains a pair of electric motors, kept cool by air fed in from the grille, while Audi R8-style blades hide the radiator and air intakes that lead to the mid-mounted V6 petrol motor.

The NSX looks sleek and low but at the same time angular and futuristic, its complex nose drawing reminiscence of the more extravagant Hot Wheels models. The wing mirrors sit on big stalks to allow vision behind those shapely hips, which wrap round into the more curvaceous rear – which includes the single, centre-mounted exhaust and large diffuser strafes. Sadly the interior does not quite carry off the exterior’s presence, presenting a pleasant place to be, but with nothing to really raise the stakes. If you took out the oddity of the square steering wheel it would feel more like a mid-range BMW than a £120,000 supercar.

Performance 

It takes a lot to stand out in the rather overcrowded supercar market today. So Honda have chosen to make the NSX the only one of its kind to head down the hybrid route, enhancing the 3.4-litre turbocharged V6 petrol engine with three electric motors – two on the front axle, one directly mounted to the crankshaft. Between them, they produce around 476lb ft of torque, which on the face of it doesn’t sound like a lot, but there are no other supercars that handle quite like the NSX. The power delivery is instantaneous, thanks to those twin 35bhp motors attached to the front axle. They are able to fill any gap in power as the petrol motor’s twin-turbochargers spool up and deliver the 500bhp that’s been waiting to be unleashed from the conventional engine. Even above that, it doesn’t end. At 500rpm the rear electric motor is adding an extra 109lb ft of torque into the equation, adding a noticeable boost to the situation as it rises to a peak of 45bhp at 3,000rpm.

Pointing the car at some interesting tarmac is easy even for those perhaps less versed in supercar driving. The NSX remains remarkably composed even over the most unexpected of surface changes. Astonishing torque vectoring between the motors means that pulling the NSX out of corners is the simple matter of rolling off the steering lock while flooring it. Add some slightly wetter conditions and the rear becomes a bit more playful, but in the dry, the NSX is designed to help you through the twisty bits, without leaving you feeling disconnected from the road. But for all its ability the most impressive thing has to be the brake-by-wire system. If you didn’t know beforehand you’d never guess that there was no physical connection between the pedal and the carbon-ceramic discs, the pedal is full of feel and easily modulated no matter how hard you’re pushing. It’s a wonder of the technical team at Honda that what is basically a laboratory for the future is so easy to drive fast.

Passion

There is no denying that the NSX is different for different’s sake. But that’s the way that Honda have always approached the supercar. The original moved the genre on with its ease of use, Senna-refined handling and remarkable refinement, now the new car is attempting the same with the addition of such technical wizardry as hybridisation and fly-by-wire controls, but manages to do so without losing any of those attributes that make the NSX so beloved. Sure point to point it’s probably not quite as fast as an R8, and won’t leave you quite as exhilarated as a Ferrari, but the NSX accelerates like nothing else on the market and is absolutely the sign of what is to come in the supercar market. The BMW i8 may have introduced the hybrid supercar to the world, but it is Honda who have made it a real challenger to the norm.

Price: From £143,020

Photography by Tom Shaxson