Acura chose last year’s NAIAS (North American International Auto Show) to unveil the reborn NSX concept car, heir to an epic throne of motorsports lineage. But, it was lacking a few things minor bits, most notably an interior. This year, Honda’s up market brand is showing off a new generation of concept for the car that is still, sadly, at least two years away from production. Even though the Acura NSX is still a couple years away from production, the concept car has taken the dark window tint off last year’s concept and opened the doors to show us what the interior of the car looks like. From what we can tell on the show-floor display model.
2015 Acura NSX Concept II – Front 3/4
The new concept car begins with a new front fascia featuring a much less pronounced version of Acura’s beak-like grille with a new carbon fiber structure that also appears on the side vents of the front and rear bumpers. Acura also inserted clear turning signals up front, and an LED strip in the center of both taillights. At the back, we also find a new diffuser made from visible carbon fiber as well as a new see-through plastic surround for the license plate section.
2015 Acura NSX Concept II – Rear 3/4
As mentioned previously, this is the first time we see the interior of the concept and s shown today, the interior is loaded. As soon as you open one of the doors you are greeted by a rich red leather and Alcantara seats and dashboard. Carbon fiber cases the center console, while an infotainment display sits almost alone in the middle of the dashboard that is sporting a minimalistic design without a lot of knobs and controls designed to mesh with the elevated center console and door panels.
2015 Acura NSX Concept II – Interior
As before it’s powered by the company’s Sport Hybrid SH-AWD, a system that’s spun most forcefully by a mid-mounted V6, helped by three electric motors. One is mounted to the V6 to provide a hybrid setup, the other two slung between the front wheels to give those tires up front little spin when needed. The new interior is a typically focused experience, full of leather and carbon fiber.
2015 Acura NSX Concept II – Side Profile
It looks perfectly ready for production, but we’re told it’s just one potential design from a few they’re toying with. No word on how much Acura’s return to the supercar world might cost when it goes into production, but we’re just glad to see this on a definite path to availability. The production version of the NSX, which will be sold as an Acura in North America and under Honda’s nameplate in the rest of the world. It will be manufactured at a new production facility in central Ohio, with sales to begin in late 2014 or early 2015.
One of the things all gear heads love about exotic super cars is the sounds produced by their high-horsepower engines.
Of course, as with design, when it comes to engine sounds, everybody has different preferences, which makes this competition between a Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and a Lexus LFA that met up under a tent at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 2012 event this month all the more interesting.
The scissor-door Lamborghini model features a mid-mounted 6.5-liter V12 engine pushing out 691bhp (700PS) at 8,250 rpm and 690Nm (507 lb-ft) of peak torque at 5,500 rpm.
The limited-run Lexus model, on the other hand, gets a front-mid-mounted 4.8-liter V10 that generates 552-horses at 8,700 rpm and 479Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque at 7,000 rpm.
Have you heard the joke about what happens when a Bugatti Veyron, a Lamborghini Aventador, a Lexus LFA and a McLaren MP4-12C all pull into a gas station. Ya me neither but I do know what happens when they all show up at an empty runway. Fortunately this time around Motor Trend with their Head to Head Camera crew were on the scene to document what the results where.
Nothing fancy in this video just a straight drag race pining the V8 car against the V10 one. With the winner taking on the V12 Lambo and onto the a 1/4 mile run against the king of the shoot-out, the quad turbo W16 Veyron.
We won’t ruin the ending but there weren’t any Game of Thornes’ type twists and turns in as the three wannabe kings battled for the title.
Lexus thinks that its newly redesigned GS lineup is the cats pajamas! In fact it thinks so highly of the Lexus GS 350 that in its latest TV commercial it is latterly pitting it head to head against the Lexus LFA. In this friendly game of chicken the GS is supposed to be showing off its German rival beating Lexus Dynamic Handling (LDH) feature however the only thing I saw in this commercial was the LFA doing what it does best. The LFA with its high revving F1 inspired V10 engine is just such a rare car which is rarely seen out in the light of the day. So when a moment like this commercial arises it does truly steal the show.
We think it would have been better if the LFA flinched first in the 1 minute spot, proving that the GS 350 won’t back down from anything. But we can sympathize with the GS 350 driver too, we would hardly want to smash into a 400,000 dollar plus supercar as our insurance rates are high enough as it is!
Today we have part two of Motor Trends three part adventure to find 2011 Best Drivers Car for both on and off of the track. The competition is an 11 cars shootout to determine which car is the ultimate driving machine.
Sorry for the slow posting this morning as I had some unexpected flaming jet fuel on my drive way and it delayed my commute into work. This in combination with and having to stay up way later then I should have to watch some guys turn left all night long has lead to a slow start to this morning.
Thankfully Motor Trend is not taking any days off when it comes to their new YouTube channels. To help prove this point we have attached their first of a three part adventure to find 2011 Best Drivers Car Competition. The competition is an 11 cars shootout to determine which car is the ultimate driving machine. As we watched this show we continue to ask ourselves the question, “Why is this show not on US TV some were? This has incredibly high production value and flows better than most of the cars shows that are currently out there on the American airwaves.
You’re going to have to click the link below to find out how Motor Trend’s Downshift show will determine which car is best as they attempt to do the impossible and find the ultimate drivers car.
By now the Lexus LFA may seem like old hat to you as it has been around for almost 2 years now, however the cars exclusivity seem to make every new review or test drive seem fresh and new. Also keep in mind that it took Toyota 9 year to research design and build the car so they have to milk all of the free press that they can get for years to come.
In its newest video, Lexus has handed the keys over to former F1 driver and double Le Mans winner, Alex Wurz. The video is very is well executed and brings to the table some creative camera angles and we particularly like the one where the camera inches off the ground as it chases after the LFA. The V10 sound track is one that keeps us coming back for more especially with the throttle blips on down shifts.
In the end we think that the 2 minute video is well other the watch and we do love the sound of the V10 engine, it just makes us want to come back for a second helping of LFA.
The new Lexus LF-LC hybrid officially debuted at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The LF-LC hybrid concept looks to have adopted the brands strangle geometric grill that was first introduced on the 2013 GS. Its design looks to also have taken many styling cues from the Lexus LFA with the addition of two back seats. We have titled this design cue a “2 + who” because for the life us we as not sure which of your friends would be tiny enough to be able to sit back there.
The car was designed entirely at Lexus’ Newport Beach CA, design studio with the North American market in mind. Like most concept cars it has incorporated high levels of technology and flowing organic lines. The clean lines of the car are to make it look like it is in motion when stationary.
The president of Toyota’s Calty design center wanted to highlight the high-tech features of the car. Included in that long list was the camera-lens technology in the headlamps, the raindrop LED front and rear running lights, the jet-fighter afterburner-inspired tail lamps. Lexus also highlighted their creation of a manufacturing process that allows for a glass-to-glass roof pillar and on the inside we find a new age spiraling center console shape.
Sadly, there is little to no possibility of Lexus producing the LF-LC, but look for the car’s design elements to proliferate across the brand’s lineup in the near future.
It has been a decade since Acura stopped producing the cult classic NSX and the rumors of it coming back as a production car have been rampant on the internet. If you don’t believe us then take a look at the tribute video that has been created using the Gran Turismo 5 video game as the canvas. Sure you may say videos like this are made by people living in their parents basements all the time what is so different about this one? For us it is the timing of the videos release which happened a few hours after the NSX concept car was introduced to the world.
Honda is not saying to much about the car which is fine by us as it will take a few days/weeks for us to appreciate the NSX’s true beauty to sink in. What they will say is that it could be powered by a V6 mid mounted engine that could be assisted by 3 hybrid electric motors. They have also indicated that Acura’s SH-AWD and a 7-speed dual clutch transmission will be standard equipment on this aggressively styled supercar.
We only hope that if Honda decides to build this NSX concept car they manage to bring it to market faster than the nine years it took Toyota to create the Lexus LFA. Acura has stated that if they are going to build the car it will be manufactured right here in North America and could be ready to hit the streets in a few as 3 years. I’m going to start saving my pennies so that in 2015 I have enough saved up for my down payment.
The new Lexus LF-LC hybrid will officially debut next week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The LF-LC hybrid concept looks to have adopted the brands strangle geometric grill that was first introduced on the 2013 GS. Its design looks to also have taken many styling cues from the Lexus LFA with the addition of two back seats. We have titled this design cue a “2 + who” because for the life us we as not sure which of your friends would be tiny enough to be able to sit back there.
Lexus LF-LC Hybrid Concept - The deer in the headlights shot
When looking at the car straight on you can see the top of one of the rear seats popping up however from the side the two rear seats have all but disappeared. Granted that with the front seats push as far back as they are in the photo you would need to be 7 feet tall with arms as long as your legs to reach the steering wheel . However the head room in the back seats looks to be next to none and we’re not sure about you, but the people we drive around usually have their heads attached to their shoulders somehow.
Lexus LF-LC Hybrid Concept - I spy the back seats, oh wait no I don't
The car was designed entirely at Lexus’ Newport Beach CA, design studio with the North American market in mind. Like most concept cars it has incorporated high levels of technology and flowing organic lines. The clean lines of the car are to make it look like it is in motion when stationary. Insider talk has been reported as stating that this concept car has been built in the spirit of the old SC 430.
We hope not as the Lexus SC model was a stylistic nightmare that had limited sex appeal, dreadful performance numbers, and a trunk so small that only an anorexic’s lunch would fit. Not to mention the back seats that would force you to have an eating disorder to fit in them.
We are still waiting on the power train and engine info as all we know now is that the car will be equipped with hybrid technology. We should get those specs during the Detroit auto show press week so tune back to Car Rolodex next week for an update.
It is one day later and Lexus has released a slew of new HD images of the LF-LC Hybrid concepts car. So we have bundled up all of the good ones and put together a slideshow for you. Could this be the concept car that steals the show this year? Possible however our money is on the rumored GM concept car as they are teasing us with bringing back the Chevrolet Chevelle name plate.
Let us know what you ting in the comments section below.
