Is the NSX a supercar?

[Honcho]

It's not just super, it's t3h d34dly ninja!

Seriously though, I do not consider the NSX to be a supercar. It is an exotic sports car like the Ferrari 348tb. Here is my list for supercar status:

1. Speed greater than 200 mph
2. Use of exotic and expensive materials
3. Mid or Rear Engine
4. Very limited production
5. Price greater than $200,000

In 1990 (the time of the NSX) there were only three production cars meeting all of these criteria: the Ferrari F40, Porsche 959 and Lamborghini Diablo. That's it. Today, there is a much better selection of supercars available.

 

[BATMANs]

Is Batman a superhero? I mean technically he really doesn't have real "super" powers. He's rich, strong and smart and has a lot of cool gadgets, but does that really make you a superhero?

No batman, IMHO is not a superhero, just a super resourceful man with super sized wallet.

Same with Iron Man.

Both rely on their wits and wallet to get them to move mountains.

They should put those guys in " not-quite heros, but rich enough to do it..." group

 

[BATMANs]

Re: wrong car for some.

......Cizeta (junk) .......

I like it (first 16 cylinder supercar).

Reminds me of the other supercars.

 

[oscar_driver]

Re: wrong car for some.

I like it (first 16 cylinder supercar).

Yeah, it's a beauty, I remember when kid loving it the style -as well as the Diablo look- 2 bad was a nightmare to own, also, not as incredible fast on the track as one might imagine.

 

[Xetronic]

Jeremy Clarkson is quoted calling it a "Proper Supercar" so I will take it that is good enough.

 

[BATMANs]

Jeremy Clarkson is quoted calling it a "Proper Supercar" so I will take it that is good enough.

True dat.

Pretty much what he says is consider gold.

 

[mlambert890]

Its an unanswerable question, IMO, to the point of rendering it irrelevant. The term has no meaning and there won't be an "NSX community" consensus because the "NSX community" is just individual people posting on web forums. There are as many opinions on it as there are posters.

For many, any car that has 11,000HP is a super car period. Doesn't matter WHAT else it does. You can strap a rocket engine to a wooden cart and they'd take it over a Lotus Evora. Making things worse is the fact that generally, for these people, once a car is "slow" its out. And "slow" is their own definition. So a Ferrari Daytona is not a super car. Because now "its slow". That, IMO, is a borderline juvenile view of things. Sort of like a little kid who just knows "AW MAN! THATS HELLA FAST!!!!" So of course you have "GTR vs Ferrari Daytona????" type threads with the conclusion being "GTR SMOKES IT MAN!" This is clearly farthest from my personal comfort zone

For others, it is all about brand cachet. To them, the GTR could *teleport* to 60 in 0 seconds and the LFA could be made out of solid platinum and they wouldn't count. This is an untenable and ridiculously elitist view that is in some ways as bad as the pure HP view. For these folks, if it isn't made in EU, you can stuff it. Sorry to say, and again not a slam, but Top Gear and nearly all of the EU motoring press fits *solidly* here. They excuse they use is "no soul". Total bullshit. This is also pretty far from my comfort zone

Still for others the definition is just infinitely subjective. Kind of a "I know it when I see it" thing. This SOUNDS good, but then it leaves things open to just infinitely subjective bias about things like "quality" and "feel"

So yeah, pointless term, pointless question IMO.

 

[OyATL]

no but the veilside nsx is :biggrin:

lmfao

 

[payam972]

i always saw it as an exotic. not a supercar

i always saw supercars as f40, xj220, diablo, porsche 959

 

[BD]

Ayrton Senna said it is, so I'll take his word for it.

 

[Track Addict]

Ayrton Senna said it is, so I'll take his word for it.

This^


Senna is the best, he loved the NSX.

 

[Midnight_Raven]

I would say the NSX is a 90's supercar. Brisith journalists were calling it a supercar even in 2005.

 

[LDominicano]

:biggrin: Its in this book, i got the smaller copy for the cubicle at work lol

http://www.amazon.com/Supercars-Driving-Dream-Adam-Phillips/dp/0760779651

*Raven, I was just in Lawrence 2 weeks ago. Didnt know we had nsx'ers in that area *

 

[HBui39]

Ayrton Senna said it is, so I'll take his word for it.

he also got paid a fortune by Honda and his NSX's were free. :wink:

stop caring what others think and just enjoy the car. :smile:

 

[BLKVEGASNSXT]

By definition:

A supercar is a term used for a sports car, typically an exotic or rare one, whose performance is highly superior to its contemporary sports cars. The proper application of this term is subjective and disputed, especially among enthusiasts. In addition, the use of the term is dependent on the era; a vehicle that is considered to be a supercar at one time may not retain its superiority in the future. Nonetheless, the automotive press frequently calls new exotic cars "supercars".

http://wikicars.org/en/List_of_supercars#1990s_Supercars

--------------------

So i hope that answers your question :smile:

 

[donutbob]

Funny thread, I was just reading the same question on the gtr forums. http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=59793

 

[Midnight_Raven]

*Raven, I was just in Lawrence 2 weeks ago. Didnt know we had nsx'ers in that area *

I just bought mine about a month ago, so I'm a relatively new owner. I think there are a couple of them here beside mine. Seems like the owners rarely drive them though so I never see them out in the road.

 

[V.Lats97nsx]

Laughing out loud, I did the same post last year and I got bashed. On the other hand descusions like these are very interesting, new theorys new thoughts. Alot better than hearing about someones christmas list.

 

[Ultraman]

Maybe our beloved NSX "was" a supercar back in the day when it first came out and through the 90s, it was a fierce competitor against all the best the world has to offer, such as Ferrari 348, Porsche 993, etc.

Fast forward 20 years, now all those competitors have moved on way beyond NSX and advanced so much the NSX can no longer be considered a supercar.

In today's standard, the NSX is definitely a great sports car (and will always be), but cars like 911 (997) turbo, GT3, GT3 RS, GT2 RS, F430, 458 Italia, LFA, GT-R, R8, Murcielago, etc. are the super cars of today ...

Off topic ... I wonder cars like Aston Martin (ex. Virage), Maserati (ex. GranTurismo) and Lotus (ex. Evora) can be considered supercars, what's your thoughts on those???

 

[Caustic]

The Nagtroc thread is interesting. It leads me to ask the same question.

Is the 2012 GTR a supercar?

If not, would it be if it looked like this?

 

[socold57]

i think the gtr is a super car lol but thats just me

 

[NSX Collector]

The Nagtroc thread is interesting. It leads me to ask the same question.

Is the 2012 GTR a supercar?

If not, would it be if it looked like this?

Based on the spec the GT-R is definitely a supercar, period.

 

[HBui39]

FYI, i found an elaborate definition of "exotic" and it clearly states that a car made to look exotic with an aftermarket kit does not make for an exotic.

So the Veilside kit is not exotic. NSX seems to qualify as an exotic though. Of course, its all up to interpretation.

as far as the GT-R, it may perform great, but to me it is not. if the car was a Geo Metro, would you still call it a supercar? to me, styling is an important factor... fast does not make for a supercar.

corvette has speed and the proper stance and shape, but it lacks exclusivity... and the long hood really takes away from the driving experience to me. it is ok not to be able to see behind you in a supercar, but you must be able to see the road in front of you.

 

[Ultraman]

FYI, i found an elaborate definition of "exotic" and it clearly states that a car made to look exotic with an aftermarket kit does not make for an exotic.

So the Veilside kit is not exotic. NSX seems to qualify as an exotic though. Of course, its all up to interpretation.

as far as the GT-R, it may perform great, but to me it is not. if the car was a Geo Metro, would you still call it a supercar? to me, styling is an important factor... fast does not make for a supercar.

corvette has speed and the proper stance and shape, but it lacks exclusivity... and the long hood really takes away from the driving experience to me. it is ok not to be able to see behind you in a supercar, but you must be able to see the road in front of you.

Maybe the Z06 and ZR1 can be considered as supercars, but that's up for debate.

 

[mlambert890]

Maybe our beloved NSX "was" a supercar back in the day when it first came out and through the 90s, it was a fierce competitor against all the best the world has to offer, such as Ferrari 348, Porsche 993, etc.

Fast forward 20 years, now all those competitors have moved on way beyond NSX and advanced so much the NSX can no longer be considered a supercar.

In today's standard, the NSX is definitely a great sports car (and will always be), but cars like 911 (997) turbo, GT3, GT3 RS, GT2 RS, F430, 458 Italia, LFA, GT-R, R8, Murcielago, etc. are the super cars of today ...

Off topic ... I wonder cars like Aston Martin (ex. Virage), Maserati (ex. GranTurismo) and Lotus (ex. Evora) can be considered supercars, what's your thoughts on those???

Sorry... this point of view makes no sense (no offense). How could any one car be competitive for *20 years*. The F348 isn't competitive either. You're comparing one MODEL of car, the NSX, with an entire manufacturer.

The fact that people can't buy a 1991 NSX today and hang with a 2012 911 Turbo, IMO means really less than 0. It would be insane to benchmark a 20 year old car that way. Even the F40 and McClaren F1 really *dont* "hang" with the modern hyper super mega exotic ultra cars (or whatever BS you want) unless you have a sub 1 dimensional view of "performance" (basically, 0-60 or 1/4 mile... nitro burning funny car measurement of cars designed to mimic an F1 car... LOL)

The NSX is an OLD car. Its a classic car. EVERY "super car" that isn't pretty much CURRENT can only be measured in the context in which it was released.

Who would argue that the Porsche 959 is or isn't a super car? And yet it would be *demolished* by a GTR.

The status of a given car needs to be measured SOLELY within the context of when it was released. Otherwise the ONLY vehicles that "count" are current model year. That makes no sense.

BTW.. this thread will now go on for 1000 posts where the "HP guys" post, "GTR is OBVIOUSLY a Super Car as is the ZR1!!!!!" and then the "cachet guys" post "HELL no it aint! those are GHETTO RIDES" and on and on

Hence the point.. "exotic", "super car", etc... have NO definition. It is in the eye of each beholder. There is no international counsel ruling globally on the application of loosely defined marketing and press terms :roll eyes:

As for my opinion? If someone asks "is XYZ a SUPERCAR?!" I say... "tell me how, in your version of the universe, these terms are defined" If the answer is "SUPERCARS HAVE HELLA 0-60 and TOP SPEED YO!!!!" I say "nope" or "yep" based on whether or not I think said car fits their view of "hella 0-60 and top speed". If the answer is "made be 80 year old craftsmen who sleep in a sylvan garden somewhere in the Italian alps!" then I say "nope" or "yep" based on whether or not the car is made in the EU

NSX, 2011 - "hella top speed?" Nope
"hella 0-60?" Nope
"80 year old craftsmen in Italian Alps?" Nope

Not looking good for the X!

Ill vote that its basically a Honda Prelude with a body kit at worst, or MAYBE somewhere in the area of the 300Z, Supra, 3000GT, RX7 and R32, just a LOT more money