Here it is in all its glory, Episode #100 of the Autoblog Podcast. We've finally made it. There's a new graphic, a big group of five people all talking on top of each other, and new music. Stay tuned, as we've got an excellent giveaway coming up soon (i.e. when fearless leader Neff gets back from his nuptials). We'd thought that #100 might go 100 minutes, but for your sake, that's not the case and we occupy only 50 minutes of your time this week. Thanks for listening and keep the feedback, commentary, and questions rolling in to podcast at autoblog daught com. See you next week!
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At this rate, by the time Honda actually releases the production version of the successor to the NSX, we may well have seen more video and photos of the prototypes running at the 'Ring than we ever saw of the original. Thankfully, for those of us into really fast cars, the Nürburgring is a public place with a variety of roadside vantage points where people can view the latest and greatest supercars in action. The crew at Germany's Auto Motor und Sport seem to have staged videographers at all the available viewing locations to capture three minutes of footage that they have posted on YouTube for the rest of us to enjoy. There's some good stuff here, including the last few seconds where the driver is clearly pushing the new Honda as the back end slips a little wide before coming back. We're all waiting anxiously to see how this one matches up against the GT-R, ZR1, and LF-A. Check out the video after the jump.
AutoExpress is just as interested in the styling of the next NSX as the rest of us are, so they pressed a digital artist into action to 'chop the shots of the car running on the Nurburgring. What they've come away with isn't nearly as bad as we thought it might be on our last podcast. It still looks like a hotted-up Accord Coupe in some ways, though the lines and proportions are rather classic, and the anti-flamboyance creates a car that wouldn't look ridiculous next to an F430, except for the quad stacked exhaust tips. Of course, all the renderings really do is muddy the waters until we see the actual car, but at least if these images ring true, the NSX won't suck. It won't stand out, either, but who ever bought an Acura to stand out?
Click image above for additional pics of the 2009 Acura TL
We just showed you some spy pics of the 2009 Acura TL yesterday, but when one automotive photog saw the lo-res cellphone pics we ran, he knew he could do better. Our buddy Rich Truesdell of Automotive Traveler sent over a small patch of pics that he shot of the new mid-level Acura in action out in the Mojave. Just as with the new TSX and RL, the '09 TL seems to be adopting the corporate blocky metal triangle look. To paraphrase Fletch, "It's all about blocky metal triangles these days." Besides that signature fascia treatment, however, the rest of the car could easily be mistaken for a G37 sedan. Not bad, mind you, but not very distinctive either and surprising given the aggressively styled nose and tail. We'd say the best view is the rear-3/4 shot showing how the C-pillars continue out past the rear glass at their trailing edge and become the top edge of the rear deck. Pretty nifty. Check out our gallery below and Automotive Traveler to read about their encounter with the new TL.
Acura is in the midst of a major restyling of its entire range of sedans. While we've already seen the new TSX and RL (though an even newer RL has been spied), it's the TL that is the bread-and-butter model of the line. From what has been seen already, we're expecting a version of the blocky metal triangle at the front of the model, though the latest spy photos reveal that the angular theme will be carried over to the rear of the vehicle as well. It's always risky to make major changes to the high-volume model, but it appears as if Acura is not content to just play it safe with its line of uber-Hondas. While the stylists attempt to set new trends, we're pretty sure that the TL will continue to use a front wheel drive architecture and V6 engines, though a form of the automaker's SH AWD seems a distinct possibility.
Click on the image above for pics of our uncrashed 2009 Acura TSX
The all-new 2009 Acura TSX was recently crashed into a barrier at 40 mph, and smacked with a side sled at 31 mph, by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). While the last model (2005-2008 with side airbags) scored "good" in frontal, and "acceptable" in side impact testing, the 2009 model received the highest scores ("good") in both tests. When combined with the improved rear crash test results (seat and head restraint design), the new TSX earned the Institutes's "Top Safety Pick" rating.
While our caps are off to Acura, we think it is time to revise all crash test standards (IIHS and NHTSA). Each time the results are released, we can't help but think that the automakers have learned how to ace the tests over the years. Let's bump up the speed in the barrier and sled tests (maybe throw a random angle in there to make things challenging?), and focus more on dynamic safety. As always, this team prefers to avoid the accidents in the first place.
Who needs Blade Runner technology to get the details in a photo when you've got Photoshop? The folks over at Temple of VTEC have gleaned the dimensions of the Acura NSX mule by starting with the widths of a German license plate and the Honda S2000 door. The mule appears to be shorter, but taller and wider than the previous NSX, with a longer wheelbase. VTEC also has a chart comparing the estimated dimensions with those of the Nissan GT-R, Porsche GT2, and Corvette Z06. While the exact measurements could be slightly off, they should fit together in relation to each other. We expect that in design and dimension the mule's bodywork has little to do with the final NSX -- but we probably have a year and change before we find out... Thanks for the tip, Eugene!
By now we've all seen the myriad number of spy shots showing Acura's prototype for the 2010 NSX running around the Nurburgring in Germany. We've also heard the news that Honda CEO Fukui-san wants his NSX to beat any lap times at the 'Ring set by the Nissan GT-R and Lexus LF-A. Thanks to our friends at BridgetoGantry.com, we now have video of the NSX prototype on a short stretch of the 'Ring, and fortunately the audio quality is good enough that you can hear the wail of whatever's underneath the car's hood. As we've mentioned before, what will power the NSX is at this point speculation, but most reports say it will be a 5.5L V10 with iVTEC producing prodigious amounts of horsepower, somewhere in the neighborhood of 500+. Check out the video after the jump and view our collection of NSX spy shots in the gallery below.
Click above for gallery of high-res Acura NSX prototype spy shots
The next generation Acura NSX is still two years away. But the cars with which it will compete are currently moving the goal posts further and further toward the horizon. By the time the NSX arrives, it could need rocket boosters and a hyperdrive. Or maybe it already has them?
The NSX prototype that we recently showed you lapping the 'Ring has recently been clocked unofficially by KGP spy photographers doing a 7:37 lap around the 'Ring in traffic. It's no secret what kind of cars live in that 7:30 bracket. Seeing as how Honda CEO Takeo Fukui wants the NSX to lap the 'Ring faster than the GT-R, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Nissan's supercar has done it officially in 7 minutes, 29 seconds.
Remember, though, when the Nissan GT-R was casually timed by trackside reporters, they clocked it doing a 7:38, and well know now what GT-R can really do when pressed by a professional. If the NSX mule and it's rumored 550-hp 5.5L V10 are really that good already, then the car looks in good shape to deliver on Honda CEO Fukui-san's command to beat the GT-R and LF-A.
As a bonus, KGP also managed to snap the interior of the NSX prototype. While not revealing much, we can see its gauges and the paddle shifters for its rumored 8-speed transmission. Also note that these new pics of the NSX prototype were taken while it ran that 7:37 lap.
By now we've all seen the spy shots showing Acura's NSX revival bombing around the Nürburgring in Germany. There's a reason those drivers are pushing their prototype hard enough to get air through the turns. Inside Line is reporting the Honda CEO Takeo Fukui wants his NSX to toast both the Nissan GT-R and the Lexus LF-A around the Green Hell. Considering that the GT-R has posted lap times on the 'Ring that utterly defy what it should be able to do on paper, and that the LF-A is still a moving target that's trying to best the GT-R too, Honda engineers have some serious work to do developing the NSX over the next two years. IL suspects the next NSX will get a 5.5L V10 producing 550 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque that's derived from a V8 that's slated for the next-gen, rear-wheel-drive Acura RL. They also surmise that it will use an 8-speed auto with paddle shifters, feature an advanced version of Honda's Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive system and use lots of aluminum in its construction to keep weight down. Unfortunately, by the time the NSX arrives, the GT-R V-Spec will have moved the bar again.
