The 'NSX' moniker and heritage

The thread below:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22524

depicts a picture of the purported next NSX to be dramatically different in appearance compared to our vehicles today.

It got me thinking. If Honda were to introduce an NSX replacement, would you prefer Honda retire the 'NSX' and call the new vehicle another name (what Ferrari does) or would you prefer that the updated vehicle carry the heritage forward (what Porsche does).

If the next NSX does look like what's depicted in that thread, I'd prefer Honda just retire the 'NSX' name altogether.

I like the white one in the pic on that link.

First, I think those pictures are just someone in that magazines art department having fun trying to be a designer, by morphing several other sporty car parts together to make a new one.

Having said that, I would prefer for the new car to keep the name as long as it stays mid-engined.

I disagree with changing the name. Exotic marques such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston-Martin, etc. produce nothing but exotic cars. It does not matter what Ferrari names a car; it is still a Ferrari, bound and identified with all other Ferrari's by the manufacturer's name and its racing / engineering heritage.

The name "Honda" does not have that kind of clout. A common criticism of the NSX when first introduced was that it lacked "heritage" and "soul", both of which I suspect were a result of the car being something completely new for Honda. I submit that Honda needs a common thread for its flagship supercar to build this and extend life to the value of the NSX to the Honda marque. It is unfortunate the convention of carrying a name to subsequent generations is typical of the less exclusive cars (eg. Corvette, Supra, Z, RX-7, ahem... Camaro, Mustang, etc); however it is consistent with the cars at the NSX's target price/performance range such as the 911 and Viper.

From a personal standpoint, if the new car came out with a different name, it would decimate the already almost-forgotten history of the current NSX. Consider how few people know what an NSX is today! ("Is that your Corvette?") I would rather the NSX name always be associated with class-leading engineering and performance (when initially produced, anyway) than it just be another of Honda's sports cars when bigger, better cars inevitably leave the current NSX in the history books.

The NSX has always been the NSX even the RSX is still an Integra in Japan. I say keep it as NSX just add a "Type-R" at the end!