Miss the S2000? Miss the Prelude? Is the CR-Z just not doing it for you? It seems that, save for the new Civic SI, Honda has given up on its performance roots. It’s okay Honda fans, don’t lose hope just yet, your favourite automaker hasn’t abanonded performance vehicles altogether. The grand daddy of them all is still slated to make an encore appearance.
Rumours of an NSX successor have been swirling in both “it will return” and “it won’t return” form and this time it seems the former is back in automotive gossip columns. Back in 2008 Honda confirmed that it was working on a NSX successor that was to be V10 powered. Honda quickly shelved the project when the appetite for thirsty supercars went promptly down the drain thanks to stricter CAFE standards.
Well with the Nissan GTR and the Lexus LFA taking away some impressive accolades, Honda couldn’t just sit around and watch, could they? As such, Honda President and CEO Takanobu has confirmed that they are taking the 2008 prototype off the shelf and are dusting it off to see what they can come up with. Apparently the model back in 2008 was very close to production ready, so there will only likely be some minor tweaks here and there. One of the main focuses will be on balance and handling, something Honda can do very well when they set their minds to it.
Takanobu also added that “(Honda doesn’t) want to copy Ferrari for power, but to chase efficiency as well”. This would seem to suggest that the V10 will likely be scrapped and that it may be less powerful than the 500 horses the V10 was rumoured to produce.
No matter, if it’s half as endearing as the original was, Honda is well on their way to producing a credible competitor. No word on when the new NSX will bow, but hopefully the wait won’t be too long.
[Autoblog Canada]
