The people who approach us about our NSX...

[Driver's Therapy]

From the guy who thinks it's a Corvette to the high school kid who thinks it's a Ferrari, there is definitely some interesting interactions.

 

[BrakeExpert]

Pininfarina = Ferrari . Close enough

 

[Driver's Therapy]

Pininfarina = Ferrari . Close enough

I never could get a good answer to that, did Pininfarina help design the NSX?

 

[BrakeExpert]

Yeah. If you look into it, the original NSX concept sketch was made i THINK in 1984 and by Pininfarina. Thats why when people say the NSX looks like an Italian supercar, I tell them it is, but with Honda build quality so it doesn't break down

 

[Honcho]

I never could get a good answer to that, did Pininfarina help design the NSX?

They worked on the HP-X, which was the concept car that gave rise to the NSX.

 

[dansplan]

Love the crickets

 

[Driver's Therapy]

Yeah. If you look into it, the original NSX concept sketch was made i THINK in 1984 and by Pininfarina. Thats why when people say the NSX looks like an Italian supercar, I tell them it is, but with Honda build quality so it doesn't break down

I am going to have to do some research on that and make a video on it if possible.

 

[Driver's Therapy]

They worked on the HP-X, which was the concept car that gave rise to the NSX.

So, it was not the final car they designed?

 

[Driver's Therapy]

Love the crickets

Me too, before I had a video of me in a wig saying, "no way!" lol.

So, it was not the final car they designed?

 

[Honcho]

So, it was not the final car they designed?

No- it was a long road to the production NSX. The 1984 HP-X was a car show concept car. It was never produced. After that, there were over 20 different test mules.



Then in February 1989, there was the NS-X, which was debuted in the Chicago Auto Show in the famous story of Kume-san revving the engine to disturb the Ford booth next door.



The NS-X was missing VTEC (it was a 3.0L DOHC V6 with a 7,300 rpm redline) and the chassis reinforcement. Senna drove it at Suzuka and said it was too soft, so Honda took it to the Nürburgring for a few weeks and re-engineered it until it was 50% stiffer. Here he is doing his thing in that prototype.



Meanwhile, Honda's president Kume-san got mad (so did Mr. Honda) that the flagship car didn't have VTEC, so he made the team re-design the engine to DOHC VTEC and increase the rev limit to 8,000 rpm very late in the design process- the car was nearly ready for mass production. That's why the engine is tilted backward 5 degrees in the car- it's too big. Honda didn't have enough time to re-design the engine compartment.

The NS-X re-appeared at the Tokyo Auto Show in October 1989 and was much closer to the final version. This prototype had Senna's chassis reinforcements, but not clear if it had the VTEC engine yet.

 

[centerpunch]

I see zero influences from the wacky HP-X concept car in the actual NSX.

 

[ajmr2]

I came across this video a few days ago. The commentator, if you can forgive his style, mentions the Pininfarina connection early in the video and again around 8:00.
Warning: Annoying ads!

 

[Driver's Therapy]

No- it was a long road to the production NSX. The 1984 HP-X was a car show concept car. It was never produced. After that, there were over 20 different test mules.

View attachment 185175

Then in February 1989, there was the NS-X, which was debuted in the Chicago Auto Show in the famous story of Kume-san revving the engine to disturb the Ford booth next door.

View attachment 185176

The NS-X was missing VTEC (it was a 3.0L DOHC V6 with a 7,300 rpm redline) and the chassis reinforcement. Senna drove it at Suzuka and said it was too soft, so Honda took it to the Nürburgring for a few weeks and re-engineered it until it was 50% stiffer. Here he is doing his thing in that prototype.

View attachment 185178

Meanwhile, Honda's president Kume-san got mad (so did Mr. Honda) that the flagship car didn't have VTEC, so he made the team re-design the engine to DOHC VTEC and increase the rev limit to 8,000 rpm very late in the design process- the car was nearly ready for mass production. That's why the engine is tilted backward 5 degrees in the car- it's too big. Honda didn't have enough time to re-design the engine compartment.

The NS-X re-appeared at the Tokyo Auto Show in October 1989 and was much closer to the final version. This prototype had Senna's chassis reinforcements, but not clear if it had the VTEC engine yet.

View attachment 185177

That is wild! You rock, man! That is so cool info!!!

 

[Driver's Therapy]

I came across this video a few days ago. The commentator, if you can forgive his style, mentions the Pininfarina connection early in the video and again around 8:00.
Warning: Annoying ads!

Nice!

 

[drew]

>Thats why when people say the NSX looks like an Italian supercar,

Then compare to the 1987 Ferrari 408 Integrale (not designed by Pininfarina)

Even the rear spoiler looks familiar

 

[BrakeExpert]

View attachment 185176

If you didn't think this was 1989, look at the spokeswoman's hair.

Visual correlation to the HP-X is mostly the low nose, position of where the turn signals would be, and the bubble shape of the glass to mock a fighter jet for no blind spot visibility (one of the things the NSX gets mentioned for to this day)