Given that it has been touted as the future of the fast car by more than a few industry commentators, it’s fair to say the formula of the mid-engined, four-wheel-drive hybrid supercar has yet to gain the traction that might be expected, considering how long it has been around.
Leaving aside limited-edition models like the Porsche 918 Spyder, the first was the BMW i8, which limped off sale a few months ago, six years after it appeared to represent the brave new world. I drove one for a year and loved every minute, but the market didn’t concur.
Nor does it appear enamoured with the only other hybrid supercar there has been since (at least until the Ferrari SF90 Stradale arrives in the UK). That car is the Honda NSX. It went on sale here at the end of 2016 and, according to DVLA data, just 79 had been taxed a year later. Today the figure stands at 117, which equates to fewer than 30 cars per year.
The truth, or at least part of it, is that it’s not good enough just to have the right idea; it has to be introduced at the right time, too. I will go to my grave convinced that the i8 was one of the most visionary mass-produced cars. But just as De Havilland’s Comet pioneered commercial jet aviation only for Boeing to steal its thunder (and profits) with the 707, so too will it be for others to learn from BMW’s courage in attempting to blaze a genuinely new trail.
The problem is the concept is fundamentally flawed, and you only need look at the NSX to know it. Despite the fact that this car is a closed-circuit hybrid rather than a plug-in hybrid, which saves weight and space, it’s still heavy and not in the least spacious. Interior room is just adequate for my 6ft 3in frame, but the boot is sufficiently tiny to challenge any notion of touring. And it weighs 1770kg, which is plenty.
Put another way, this strictly two-seat, decidedly luggage-light supercar weighs the same as the BMW 520d Touring and 300kg more than its closest rival, the McLaren 570S. So while it provides 324bhp per tonne, the 10bhp less potent V8 car has 388bhp per tonne – a difference of night-and-day proportion.
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As a fading Honda enthusiast (I've happily owned 5 good ones, but none recently), I've suffered over the last two decades from:
- ongoing lack of access to JDM enthusiast product in my local market (US, Canada, Singapore, Australia), depending on the year
- a ridiculously overpriced and underpowered new NSX in AUD terms ($420K)
- finally a proper Oz-market CTR, but marred by teenage-racer styling (without wing-deletion options) on a >$50K car.
- no plans to import the Honda E -- which, while not an enthusiast car, seems perfectly suited to our family commuter needs -- to Australia.
Really, Honda's heart just doesn't seem to be into the whole electrification project, particularly from the enthusiast-oriented end of the spectrum, and their half-hearted efforts with the NSX and CR-Z have led to (unfortunately well-deserved) minimal market success.
I hope the Honda E can somehow break Honda out of its funk, but I suspect the limited range will kill it as a market offering, even though it would suit us well.
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Yes, this is good info, I've used it a few times, I'm no Angel, in the ten, maybe twelve years I've been posting on here I've been banned once or twice, but, I have noticed that comments were getting more personal, the bad language and innuendo just wasn't needed, this seems to be what's the norm is, the other sites have this trouble too, whenever I've had this I've tried to be polite and say things like...it's your opinion, your choice, if your happy with your choice, statements like that, or , I say...stay on topic, life is too short to engage in this trolling, maybe the moderators can go with a three strikes and your out.
I don't understand why it wasn't a success, although to be fair it is heinously expensive. If it had a V10 or V12 it probably would have been a success. As it stands, the most underrated performance car of its time and a dead certainty for future collectible status.
I whole heartedly agree with you and a take issue with some of the conclusions of the write of this article. I understand that this is his opinion, but the deride the NSX for it being a tenth of a second slower the the McLaren is out of this world. I get the point about its weight and how that impacts its performance, but I think with it carrying that weight that it's a testament that it's only 0.1 seconds behind the McLaren! Then the thought that the tech and electric, make it a bore to drive at it limits and shaming it for being an everyday driver. It's that a slap in the face to every doctor, lawyer and other captains of industry, who drivers Porches to and from work? While I'm not putting the NSX and Porches chassis engineering and driving danamics on the same scale, but there was a time when Porshes were thrill seeking weekend cars, but now many are just as enjoyable to drive then, as the are to week thanks to tech and electronics. To bastardize the makers of the NSX for making more usable to the average person, shouldn't the same heavy hand be used on JLR's Land Rover and Range Rover?! The tech and electronics from the terrain response technology, makes it easier for the average person to much of what would have required skill and years of experience. It there by takes a long of the thrill and excitement from those who are well-heeled in the art on negotiating difficult terrain, right? IMHO, the NSX is a great car, but i believe its price point as a Honda/Acura stands in its way for many as a must have. If it were 1/3 the price, perhaps it may have a better take rate and to your point "future classic" may be in the offing.