Acura NSX Concept

For a car that went out of production in 2005, the NSX sure has made a lot of news.

A failed revival began in the late Aughts when Acura showed its Advanced Sports Car concept in Detroit the same venue for this new concept’s debut. It had morphed from a supercar with its engine mounted amidships to a front-engine V-10 GT and in that iteration underwent extensive testing at the Nürburgring, eventually evolving into a Honda-badged race car. Imminent production was rumored, but it was not to be; mid-engine purists can thank the recession and environmental concerns for the V-10 car’s demise.

But barring any further changes of heart or circumstance, the NSX will soon return. The car, previewed by this concept, has the blessing of Honda’s top man, CEO Takanobu Ito, the very person in charge of the original NSX’s development. While the mid-engine concept remains intact, there will be some changes: a hybrid system has been added and it will facilitate all-wheel drive.

Acura calls the system Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive—we got a preview of the basic setup on a recent trip to Japan by way of a front-engine Honda Accord demonstration vehicle. The same principles should apply to the NSX, albeit flipped front-to-back to match the supercar’s powertrain layout.

The concept’s mid-mounted V-6 is connected to a dual-clutch automatic transmission with a built-in electric motor, which sends power to the rear wheels. An additional pair of electric motors sits at the front axle to provide all-wheel drive via what Acura calls a Bilateral Torque Adjustable Control System. Perhaps better understood using the more common “torque vectoring” descriptor, this new setup can shuttle torque from left to right just like in Acuras equipped with current SH-AWD, although here it’s done completely electrically and at the opposite end of the car. The system also would allow electric-only operation using solely the front wheels. When the engine is running, we expect the electrified wheels would be called into action only when extra power or traction is needed.

Given that this is still technically a concept, Acura hasn’t said anything about total system output, or even the size of the engine. It does say, however, that the V-6 will be equipped with direct injection and a next-gen VTEC system. Honda recently told us its upcoming direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 would be good for at least 308 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque; figure on at least that much for the reborn NSX, which could perhaps boast slightly higher displacement.

In addition to adding power, the by-wire all-wheel-drive/hybrid layout should save weight compared to a conventional driveshaft-based system. As it did with the original NSX, Acura is aiming for a light car with a high power-to-weight ratio and impressive fuel economy, all of which portend well for the production car. More encouragement: An Acura engineer recently asked for our thoughts on both the Audi R8’s driving experience and Porsche’s hybrid system. It seems they’ve considered the right benchmarks. The car’s dimensions, inside those of an R8, seem to back that up.

America’s Japanese Supercar

The designers may also have been looking at the R8, which is no bad thing. Standard mid-engine proportions are accompanied by a very R8-esque front fender and a rear haunch reminiscent of the Ferrari 458 Italia’s. Not surprisingly, the car also looks a lot like the Acura that Tony Stark will drive in the upcoming movie The Avengers, the main difference being the on-screen car’s open top. (Recall that Stark, played by Robert Downey, Jr., drove R8s—a coupe and then a Spyder—in the first two Iron Man films.)

We’re told the car will have a price tag roughly one-third that of Lexus’s magnum-opus LFA, likely putting the Acura somewhere above the $100K mark. The NSX is being developed by Acura in America; going forward, Honda’s U.S. team will be responsible for the bulk of the luxury unit’s cars. What’s more, when the car goes into production within three years it will be built in Ohio. As in Ohio, America.