The Hottest NSX

Here's the link:  Worlds Hottest NSX on Prime

There's been a very popular thread that was started last November where Primers can nominate their favourite NSXs on the website.  Pretty neat concept, and a great way to pass the winter doldrums.  I was pleasantly surprised my humble ride was listed in the OP's nominations.

The thread really took off with Lud (admin of the website) even offering to throw in a prize for the winner.  Sometime in the near future there should be a vote, so we'll see what happens.  One thing I was kind of surprised to see was how the 2002+ bugeye look netted a lot of appreciation. I was in the same camp as I've wanted to do the conversion for a while but I can honestly say that since the NSX Concept was released, I've come to really appreciate the classic needlenose of the NA1 design.  It was what the car was designed as, and it still looks great after 20+ years.

I think a common pitfall a lot of NSX owners are victim to is trying to make our cars "modern" as in relevant when compared to a R35 GTR.  It was a groundbreaking design and execution in 1991, and it is the inherent goodness of the design which still makes it relevant today.  However, let's face it, cars have improved by leaps and bounds since then and it would be unfair to try and keep up with the GT-Rs, Porsches and even the STis of today with their electronic launch control, rev-matching and paddle shifters.  If you really want to see how great the NSX is, you need to watch a bit of the video linked below and see what it was up against in its day.  Ferrari 348s, Lotus Esprit, air cooled 911's and the R32 GTR.  They look so dated next to the NA1.

Timeless beauty...check out these "hottest NSXs" and soak in the glory of Aryton's car.

Great NSX Video compilation

This is a compilation of most if not ALL of the available NSX videos available as of today.   

Thanks Oscar!

YeeHaw! Back on the road!

It's spring time again. Time for renewed passions and enthusiasm and time to take the toys out of storage.

The NSX spent the long winter napping in my home garage whereas the GTR had to be stored offsite in a heated garage in Stittsville (about 15 kms away).  I actually think the GTR had the better deal here.  The heated unit was secure and hooked up to a battery tender with overinflated tires on top of carpet pieces was all she required before the long nap. Went to the unit in March, one turn of the key and Godzilla barked to life.  Due to a mishap with a huge dead porcupine on Huntley Rd in the fall I had to replace the GReddy front lip with an ugly oem thing I got free from a fellow MNP GTR owner in southern ontario (thanks Paul!).  Over the winter I sourced a replacement authentic lip off Ebay and sent it to Fiore at S&G Auto Body who matched it to the midnight purple.  Went to Autovation last Fri for the spring cleaning oil change and installed the replacement lip. My baby is back to true form :)

Over the winter we had a few really warm days where the weather was above freezing and roads clear so since the car was at home I decided to try and start her up. Big mistake.  The fuel pump did not make any sounds and the starter just cranked and cranked and cranked with no ignition.  Nothing like a slumbering JDM supercar to piss you off even in the off-season.  I removed all the interior rear bulkhead panels and diagnosed it as a dead main relay, which is a common NA1 ailment of this vintage (she's 20 years old now).  Ordered a replacement from Mark Johnson at Dali Racing and 2 weeks later it arrived and was installed. Still nothing.  Now I'm getting worried.  Called my buddy John Arthur of Mortimer Racing who showed up with a multimeter and all fuel systems fuses were checked and OK'd. Must be a dead fuel pump.  Ben Wong loaned me a Walbro he had lying around and I started making arrangements to have her towed to Autovation for the inevitable fuel pump install.  This was in early Feb.  By late Feb we had a good week of unseasonable 25+ C weather and on a whim I got back into the NSX again and cranked it.  VROOM! First crank and she starts. WTF?  No idea what it was but for some reason this car does not like being disturbed during winter and will hit you in the wallet and brain if you try.

Since then its been smooth sailing.  I had her out with other NSX owners last Fri for the first meet of the year.  Great to see Kevin, Steve, Brad and newbie potential owner Dan.  Afterwards I gave the NSX a good washing to get the garage grime off, re-aimed the drivers side headlight (it was blinding oncoming traffic) and snapped a few pics with my new HDR iPhone ap:

looking lean and mean

Gruppe M, cleaned up and shiney

Best view of the car IMHO

Giving props to the guys at Speedmerchants

Plans for this year:

1. Get oem console and door switchgear panels done in real CF wrap with Lars (350zr of Midnightruns).
2. Remove harness bar and Takata harnesses so I can start driving with the wife and kids.
3. Maybe lose the rear wing, mirrors and rear valence to make the car more streetable and hopefully get more regular use out of it.  This is a big maybe...
4. Get out to cruises more. Maybe a track day or two, but I'm going to shift my attention to the GTR for track outings this year.

I've been on the fence about selling the car but I have to admit, every time I take it out for a nice drive and look at her I just can't see myself living without it.  This car is so well sorted and there are so many many subtle things done that no one can ever appreciate what went into this car.  I posted a sale thread on NSXPrime to test waters and all offers have been for either lame trades (LanEvo X, S2K) which I think is not on the level of the NSX or market prices for a car that's far superior to an all-stock NSX.  Best thing is to part it or keep it. The latter appeals more to me.  With this summer's project being the modification of the garage door and a storage lift (or two) I should have no more storage space issues.

Happy Spring and Happy Motoring!

J

PS. I have officially registered the domain name www.thensxblog.com (not sure why I didn't think of this sooner), so happy birthday to the URL today ;)

New NSX Concept revealed!

Today is a big for NSX afficionados like me as Honda North America unvealed the next generation NSX concept.

This car completely caught me off guard.  Honda had teased us before with two previous concepts:

...a disguised prototype was filmed lapping the Nurburgring (and sounding very V10 like):

...only to pull the carpet out from under us.

The stillborn front engined HSV concept did make it as a SuperGT racer in Japan but it wasn't a true NSX.

Seems like Honda is finally serious.

The buzz was electric on NSXPrime today in this thread and this thread.

I sat by the computer at 2:35 this afternoon, sitting on my hands and holding my breath hoping they didn't muck this one up.  Honda did not disappoint.

Details as revealed by Honda President Mr. Ito were sketchy at best but it appears to be powered by a mid-engined (hooray!) V6 utilizating hybrid technology to power the front wheels via electric motors.  It will emply their SH-AWD system with paddle shift transmission.  I was hoping they'd go MR, RWD and NA power with a traditional manual tranny but with the way car companies are going these days it would look like they would not be "ADVANCING" enough for their motto.  I hated the official heavily photoshopped pics but the ones that came out of the North American International Auto Show were much nicer.  These pics came from Mitch on NSXPrime, who was at the live unveiling:

I have to say I LOVE IT!

Honda's official photos:

Honda, please build this bugger and let us show Europe (once again) what you can do.

EDIT: Here are the numbers from the Car Connection report on the DAS.

"Acura says the new system can dynamically change torque to the front 19-inch wheels; the rear wheels on the concept are 20-inchers.
Honda promises a new direct-injected V-6 will be paired with a dual-clutch transmission with its own built-in electric motor, for even more drivetrain efficiency, but declined to make any horsepower or gas-mileage estimates.
The new NSX will measure 170.5 inches long, 74.6 inches wide, 45.7 inches tall, on a 101.4-inch wheelbase. That compares with the original car's 174.2-inch overall length, 99.6-inch wheelbase, 46.1-inch height, and 71.3-inch width."
 Reference

She's for sale people!

Had insomnia tonight, got out of bed at 3:30 am and decided to post this on Prime:
NSX for sale.

Those who have been following this blog knows I've been on the fence for a while. I have tried to do it in a hush hush way hoping the right person will come along, fall in love with what I have done and give my baby a new home.  I got the word out through contacts in the business as well as through the communtiy via word of mouth.  There has been a few interested parties but talks seem to go no where.  Finally I have decided to do the logical thing and just post BLCBIRD up on Prime and let the world know.

*sigh*

Thoughts of selling, thoughts of keeping...

I haven't posted on the blog in a while, mainly because this has been a very busy summer for me.  So far, since the NSX has been taken out of storage, I have logged less than 500 kms and used up only 1.5 tanks of fuel.  This doesn't mean it's been ignored as there have been little projects to keep me busy.

Since April I've had to replace the clutch master and slave cylinders as well as the high pressure line (thanks Mark at Dali for the prompt service), my 2 year old battery from Canadian Tire crapped out on me which was promptly replaced (thank God it wasn't the alternator as originally feared), and my replacement LED bumper lights from John Bazay (mugen_kid) started losing bulbs again.  He's been great to deal with and I'll be re-sending them to him for modification for reliability as soon as I get a chance this month.  I also sourced an oem console and a pair of door switchgear trim pieces which are being covered in CF to replace the Tamoske ones that are slowly warping on me.  No more custom CF pieces for me from Europe.  CF wrapping is being handled by Marc Nelson (NelsonMX) in Montreal, a long time GTRCanada member.

In all this I cannot help thinking that I want to sell the car.  I feel I am at a crossroads with it. Either sell it and cut my loses (keeping it will only require more and more maintenance time and money) while getting into a new car or commit to this NSX and do the '02 conversion which still sits in my head as the final mod needed to make me fully satisfied.

If  I do go ahead with the conversion, the question then is whether I go for the oem look or go full widebody and never look back.  The oem look will likely make the NSX more streetable and I might be able to start enjoying it on the road more compared to how it sits now ---a track car and not at all practical.  Of course the widebody will elevate the car into the stratosphere of NSX ownership where the heavens will open and fellow NSX owners from near and afar will sing praise upon me. :]

Out of curiosity I posted my thoughts of selling the NSX on Prime and the comments have been both funny and thought provoking: Thread on NSXPrime

I also posted on kijiji to see what happens.  I am not really pushing the sale, more like I'm getting the word out there and seeing if someone falls madlyin love with it and want to buy it.  So far I've gotten a couple of interested people on Prime, one seems serious but need to sell his NSX first, and a local Porsche guy wants to trade his 2002 C2 Cup car.  Not sure if I'm really a P-car guy (unless its an old school 930 turbo).

Meanwhile I cannot stop staring at the Route KS Madonna 999 widebody. So sexy...