Do you know what day it is? Just in time for Throwback Thursday, we went deep into the archives. July of 1993 was headlined by President Clinton’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for the armed services. We needed the help of everyone willing to serve because the Cola Wars were decimating the once-civilized notion of advertising.
Ayrton Senna was dominating Formula1, and his other tasks were helping Honda perfect its supercar. The Acura NSX was built as a halo car for Honda’s luxury division. An aluminum mid-engined 2 seater was revolutionary then, and it still is today. Senna was essential to the success of the car, as Honda Motorsports allowed him to test the car at the world’s most famous tracks.
The story goes, he called the car “fragile” in front of Honda engineers, who went back to the drawing board and increased the chassis stiffness by 50%. The first mass production car to have titanium connecting rods, it also used their famous VTEC variable valve control on a 3.0 liter V6. It made 290 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque. Those might seem dismal today, but the nimble machine only weighed 2,712 lbs.
For its first production year, the NSX had a sticker price of $60,000. When it was discontinued in 2005, you could buy a new one for just under $90,000. The car gained many conveniences and small styling upgrades, but Acura chose to keep the price exactly matched to the rate of inflation. We always have a few dozen of these rare cars for sale, so lets take a look at asking prices of classic Acuras.
Our friends at Tomini Classics have the nicest collection in the Middle East. With only 68 miles, this new 1991 can be yours for $175,000
If you need something newer, this 2004 example has 19,700 miles, and it is still rocking the original tape deck. Excell Auto Group in Miami has it listed for $99,000.
We know the new NSX shares only a name with its predecessor, but it has some amazing attributes. Tell us if the new NSX will be as collectible as the first generation, and check out great incentives from our dealers. Stay tuned next week for another blast from the past.
