Special order coupe with body color roof

[CChung]

In the year to year model changes section of FAQ it states that starting in '97 that coupes can be special ordered with the roof painted black, as usual, or the same color as the rest of the body, as in the targas. I called Acura customer service and they said coupes come only in black roofs. He didn't seem to be certain, though. Does anyone know for sure whether coupes can be ordered with the roof painted the same color as the body. If so, I'll probably order a coupe. If not, I'll get the targa. For those of you who have targas, do you get a lot of wind buffeting with the windows up or down with the roof off and do you notice a big difference in body rigidity when you have the roof off versus when its on? Thanks for any replies.

 

[DeHaldaswerth]

Hi CCHUNG. I have been pursuing the exact same question and I have been given two answers by two different dealers. One dealer, which handles quite a few NSXs, tells me that he can do it -- the other, a local dealer in the Phoenix area, tells me that it cannot be done. My feeling is that is will boil down to communicating with the right person a few rungs up at Acura, perhaps at the regional or national level.

I've been searching for a 1994, but just a few days ago was persuaded by my dealer to at least consider taking advantage of an Acura lease plan for a 2000 Targa. I havn't signed anything yet, but it does look attractive ... What kind of discount are you seeing on NSXts in your area?

BTW, How are you? I visited you several weeks ago when you had your superb 1994 for sale (Mike from Arizona

 

[G-man]

I know for a fact that more recent coupes are indeed available with body colored roofs to match instead of black roofs. It is the same as you would find on the Zanardi Edition NSX. I am not sure what year they started that, but certainly somewhere from 1997-2000.

I have a 2000 NSX-T that I got back in February of this year. I also got a great deal with $10,000 off the car and a least package that put the car at $997.50 per month ($200 per month less than my 1998 BMW 740i that is only worth $68K). It was a deal that I could not pass up.

So far this year, I have logged 12 track days, including 10 days at VIR and 2 days at Road Atlanta. My total track mileage this year is almost 2,000 miles.

I have run with the top in and I have run with the top out. Even at 140mph, I really find that there is very little difference in chassis stiffness or perceptable difference. I think the wind is actually LESS with the top out! especially if you also have your windows down. Not every track will let you run without the top, so you want to check that.

If you are going to use it for the track, if you are going to modify it to the hilt, or if you are over 6'-0" tall you will want to consider a coupe first.

I am 6'-4" and with the top out and my helmet on, I barely make the 2" clearance required to run with the top out. With the seat mod, I am fine. With the top in, it can get painful at time.

------------------
Gordon G. Miller, III
2000 NSX-T #51 Yellow/Black

 

[nsxtasy]

You might want to try calling Acura Customer Service at Acura HQ in Torrance (the number is in the back of the owner's manual of any Acura). They should be able to assist you with getting what you want, in case your dealer is not very experienced in these things.

 

[rquintero]

G-Man,

About your seat mod, how much foam did you remove? Now that you've had it done for a while, any side effects?

I'm trying to decide whether to do the seat mod or buy a different seat to install for track events only. Modifying the seat would be my first choice but I'm a wimp when it comes to messing with the interior.

BTW, there was another NSX at last Saturday's event in Moroso (a coupe), I sat in it and there was significantly more headroom in there than my T. Not sure if due to the cavities in the hard top or just the older seats being slimmer / more settled.

And if you are 6'4, are you able to achieve a "proper" driving position? I'm only 6'1 but have to recline too much, which is not conducive to responsive driving. Frustrating.

 

[nsxtasy]

About your seat mod, how much foam did you remove

More info about one way to do this mod is at http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/DIY/seatmods.htm

 

[CChung]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I called Acura customer service again and they said the coupe can be ordered with the roof painted the same color as the rest of the body. GREAT!!!! I guess I'll be ordering a coupe. Do you guys think since the coupe is so rare, especially after the targas came out, that the car will hold its value better than say the targas or even the new generation NSX coming out? I really think the lighter car and extra stiffness in the chassis makes for a more enjoyable sports car. Not to mention the extra $4K I'll be saving over the targa. I've read just about every magazine article on the NSX and when they test the coupes the 0-60 and quarter-mile times seems to be always 2-3 tenths of a second quicker than the targas, especially the Car and Driver test of 0-150-0 test back in '98, when their '97 coupe ran a 0-60 in 4.5 secs and quarter in 12.9. That's Ferrari 360 numbers! Do you think the coupes are really that quick? I think the one C/D tested was broken in thoroughly so that's why the quicker numbers than the other publications. Thanks for any replies.

 

[dswartz]

I have a 98 Coupe with Comptech Intake, Headers, exhaust, and Street/Track Clutch. All else is stock including wheels and tires. In my last drag outing I ran 12.8 @ 109MPH three times in a row. So, yes the car does run as stated.

Also, there are two important facts you should know. First, with only the spare tire removed and slightly less then ½ tank of gas the car weighs only 2900 pounds on the scale at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. Second, it is a little known fact that the stock springs in a coupe are slightly stiffer then those in a Targa (somewhere in between a Targa and Zanardi).

Also, are you sure you don’t want the black top. When I bought my 98 it was a year old. The previous owner was American Honda. They used it as a photo car. It appears on the inside cover of the NSX Brochure. It was also featured in the article located at:
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Media/magazines/sci9812.htm

When I first saw it, I thought I wanted to paint the top yellow. My wife thought it looked better with the black top, so I left it alone. Since then, the first remark from everybody that sees this car is how much they like the color. In addition they comment about how the top looks like a jet fighter cockpit. I’m glad I didn’t paint it.

 

[Nsxotic]

dswartz, I said this to you once before, but I have to say it again. I LOVE your car. Next to mine, of course, it's the one I want. On a serious side, would you consider selling your car? You see, I have this thing about painting exotic cars........NEVER DO IT!!!! So, given the fact that I would never touch an exotic with a drop of paint....and outside of ordering a new one, yours is the only shot I have of a yellow coupe with the black roof.....so I ask again....is it for sale?

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

Todd Arnold
http://www.geocities.com/nsxcessive/index.html

 

[dswartz]

Nsxotic, thanks for the compliment, but I'm having too much fun to sell it!

 

[nsxtasy]

with only the spare tire removed and slightly less then ½ tank of gas the car weighs only 2900 pounds

Sounds a bit low. The stock 2000 coupe weighs 3164 pounds according to the Acura website. The car holds 18.5 gallons of gasoline, and each gallon weighs around 6 pounds. So if you remove the spare tire (29.4 pounds) and say 10 gallons of gas, it should be around 3074 pounds.

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 01 November 2000).]

 

[dswartz]

nsxtasy, the scale was ocillating between 2899 and 2903. I've been to this track many times and the weight is always the same. Maybe the scales are wrong, but I have a feeling that since NHRA and other racing organizations depend on these scales, that they are pretty accurate. However, I would like to see if anyone else has weighed their car and what the results are.

 

[nsxtasy]

I would like to see if anyone else has weighed their car and what the results are.

Me too. I'm not doubting that that's what the scale read, or even whether or not the scale is accurate... just wondering what might account for the apparent discrepancy.

Funny, with other makes (notably Italian marques starting with F) the published weights are usually optimistic, while this one appears to be the other way around.

Speaking of which, I noticed in the AutoWeek article about the E46 M3, that BMW is quoting its weight as 3402 pound "unladen", which (I think) means without fluids, one of the tracks they learned from their friends in Italy. I believe our more traditionally-published "curb weight" includes all fluids, which should quote the E46 M3 somewhere above 3500 pounds. Kinda heavy.

Anybody weigh their NSX lately?

 

[CChung]

Actually the NSX brochure says the 6-spd coupe weighs 3069lbs and the targa 6-spd weighs 3164. Dswartz, if you're doing 12.8 quarter-mile times with your I/H/E mods, the stock coupe probably does the quarter in the low 13s and the targas in the mid 13s. Can less than a hundred pounds difference between the coupe and targa make such a big difference of two or three tenths of a second? The magazines concur with my quarter mile predictions for the coupe and targa with their own test results.

 

[nsxtasy]

Actually the NSX brochure says the 6-spd coupe weighs 3069lbs and the targa 6-spd weighs 3164.

You're right. That's very weird. Here are the weights for the four different versions, according to the brochure:

3113 pounds SportShift (automatic) coupe
3069 pounds six-speed coupe
3208 pounds SportShift (automatic) NSX-T
3164 pounds six-speed NSX-T

And here are the weights for the four different versions, according to the website:

3069 pounds SportShift (automatic) coupe
3164 pounds six-speed coupe
3113 pounds SportShift (automatic) NSX-T
3208 pounds six-speed NSX-T

I just assumed that the SportShift cars would be lighter because their engine is smaller, but perhaps the difference in the weight of the tranny more than offsets that.

 

[rquintero]

I was headed to the scale on my way out of Moroso, FL last Saturday but got distracted, but I'll make it a point to weigh my stock NST-T this coming Sunday at Sebring.

Would like to hear what other actual cars are hitting out there, please post any results.

 

[Lud]

The 3.0 and 3.2 engines overall are the same size (dimensions), the 3.2s are just bored out a bit more. From that standpoint they are actually lighter because they use FRM instead of heavy iron cylinder liners.

 

[G-man]

Originally posted by CChung:
Actually the NSX brochure says the 6-spd coupe weighs 3069lbs

Well, let's do the math... if the coupe weighs in at 3069 lbs. and the spare tire is about 30 lbs, and if you have a half takn of gas. I was under the impression that gas had a weight similar to water that weighs 10 lbs per gallon. If you are saving 10+ gallons, it is easy to save 100 lbs there. If you take out the floor mats, cup holder and other junk, then I could understand getting down to about 2,900 lbs. We are only about 30-40 lbs. off as it is. I would believe it.

I have also learned from Honda that indeed they are VERY conservative with their numbers always! It is a "LEGAL IN THE US" thing. There is so much liability, it is likely that the numbers that are giving include the floor mats, cd-changer, locking wheel lugs and nose bra.

I would still like to get it down to 2380 lbs like my Porsche 911S.

------------------
Gordon G. Miller, III
2000 NSX-T #51 Yellow/Black

 

[nsxtasy]

I was under the impression that gas had a weight similar to water that weighs 10 lbs per gallon

Gasoline weighs 6 pounds per gallon (as noted in my post above). Water weighs 8 pounds per gallon.

 

[M5150]

Originally posted by G-man:
I would still like to get it down to 2380 lbs like my Porsche 911S.

take out the engine and you're there!

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me want NSX, me 15, me no have NSX =( but me do 3d art http://members.home.com/mcudich