I went to the Chicago Auto Show today and saw my first 2002 NSX. It was an Imola Orange Pearl NSX-T. I won't go over the differences from the earlier model (we're all familiar with them by now) but I'll state my impressions of them.
The biggest impression I had is that the new NSX doesn't look all that different from the old NSX. I know some people have said that they think it's really ugly but it's so VERY close to the older version - and it looks even MORE like it in person - that I can't see getting all that worked up over a few changes that really don't affect the look all that much.
Take the rear design as an example. The lower valence is different, yes - it's more intricate and complex - but it's all the way at the bottom. It's hardly noticeable. We're talking about the piece that is tucked away behind and underneath the license plate. If you don't point it out to people, no one will EVER notice it. That little lip on the trailing edge of the trunk lid is TINY - again, unless someone pointed it out, no one would ever notice it. (BTW, it's a thin, separate piece, so it ought to be easy to attach to a '91-01 trunk lid.) The difference in the taillights, again, is hardly noticeable - they're the same taillights except for the orange circular light on each side, and that's not much of a change. And, of course, the chrome emblem in place of the word Acura on the center section. If you described all these changes to anyone but the most rabid NSX enthusiast, they'll just shake their head at anyone who thinks they are significant. Stand fifty feet away and you'll never notice the difference.
Obviously, the differences in the front are more noticeable, due to the different headlight treatment. But again, they're not as dramatic in person as they are in the photos. For example, on the '91-01 NSX, there's a horizontal crosspiece in the main grille/radiator opening in the front air dam, and it's painted body color. In the photos, you can't see one, but in person, it turns out there's still a horizontal crosspiece in the opening - it's just painted black instead of body color, so it's not as noticeable.
One thing I did not like is the new front nose emblem. Instead of the solid emblem (the chrome Acura logo with the silver background), they now have an open emblem, the chrome Acura logo with NO background. This is similar to the logo you find on lesser Acura and Honda cars, and I find it a real step down.
I suspect that the new Bridgestone RE040 tires are similar to the current RE010 tires. They have a similar, conventional tread pattern, not a wild one like some of the generic high-performance tires on the market.
Finally, I noticed from the color chart that the white interior available for the white NSX is actually the same or very similar to the ivory interior available on the '91-93 NSX. I wonder (a) if matching floor mats will be available for each of the new body-matching interior colors, and (b) if this means that ivory floor mats will once again become available from Acura.
The biggest impression I had is that the new NSX doesn't look all that different from the old NSX. I know some people have said that they think it's really ugly but it's so VERY close to the older version - and it looks even MORE like it in person - that I can't see getting all that worked up over a few changes that really don't affect the look all that much.
Take the rear design as an example. The lower valence is different, yes - it's more intricate and complex - but it's all the way at the bottom. It's hardly noticeable. We're talking about the piece that is tucked away behind and underneath the license plate. If you don't point it out to people, no one will EVER notice it. That little lip on the trailing edge of the trunk lid is TINY - again, unless someone pointed it out, no one would ever notice it. (BTW, it's a thin, separate piece, so it ought to be easy to attach to a '91-01 trunk lid.) The difference in the taillights, again, is hardly noticeable - they're the same taillights except for the orange circular light on each side, and that's not much of a change. And, of course, the chrome emblem in place of the word Acura on the center section. If you described all these changes to anyone but the most rabid NSX enthusiast, they'll just shake their head at anyone who thinks they are significant. Stand fifty feet away and you'll never notice the difference.
Obviously, the differences in the front are more noticeable, due to the different headlight treatment. But again, they're not as dramatic in person as they are in the photos. For example, on the '91-01 NSX, there's a horizontal crosspiece in the main grille/radiator opening in the front air dam, and it's painted body color. In the photos, you can't see one, but in person, it turns out there's still a horizontal crosspiece in the opening - it's just painted black instead of body color, so it's not as noticeable.
One thing I did not like is the new front nose emblem. Instead of the solid emblem (the chrome Acura logo with the silver background), they now have an open emblem, the chrome Acura logo with NO background. This is similar to the logo you find on lesser Acura and Honda cars, and I find it a real step down.
I suspect that the new Bridgestone RE040 tires are similar to the current RE010 tires. They have a similar, conventional tread pattern, not a wild one like some of the generic high-performance tires on the market.
Finally, I noticed from the color chart that the white interior available for the white NSX is actually the same or very similar to the ivory interior available on the '91-93 NSX. I wonder (a) if matching floor mats will be available for each of the new body-matching interior colors, and (b) if this means that ivory floor mats will once again become available from Acura.
