An Acura press release calls the ASCC (concept shown here) a "preview of the design direction" for an NSX replacement.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2011 Acura NSX

It's still on the drawing board, but a new performance flagship is coming to Honda's premium brand--or so gossips say. Some see a concept dream come true: an edgy-cool sports-luxury coupe with all-wheel drive and a potent front-mounted V10.

What We Know About the 2011 Acura NSX

Rumors of a "next" Acura NSX sports car were swirling well before the well-liked original bowed out with model-year 2005, and the buzz only got louder when the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC) appeared at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. Though parent Honda is known to be working on a new performance flagship, trade journal Automotive News quotes company insiders as saying the project is still at an early stage and has no firm timetable yet. Even so, many industry gossips are predicting a 2011 Acura NSX patterned on the zoomy ASCC.

They could be right, though we can think of reasons why not. First, the Advanced Sports Car Concept was built mainly to trumpet Acura's recently opened design center in Pasadena, California. Honda wants its premium brand to have a distinct visual identity, hence the separate studios and talent demos like the ASCC and the weird Advanced Sports Sedan Concept before it. While Acura says the ASCC design assumes a front-mounted V10 engine and all-wheel drive, the concept was only a "pushmobile" with no running gear, so a production model could end up being entirely different. Indeed, despite the "Sports Car" moniker, the concept's size, shape and stance suggest a high-speed luxury coupe, not a driving-focused machine like the original NSX with its lightweight aluminum spaceframe, revvy midships V6 and Ferrari-like styling.

Then too, a new NSX doesn't square well with the green image Honda so carefully cultivates for itself and Acura. Imagine the PR fallout from introducing a flashy hot rod with a rumored 500 horsepower at a time when fuel economy and global warming are front-page issues. Would Honda worry about looking two faced? We think so.

Last but not least, Honda tends to zig where others zag, and a showroom version of the Advanced Sports Car Concept could well be viewed as just a wannabe Chevrolet Corvette. On the other hand, racy newcomers from two homeland rivals--the just-released 2008 Nissan GT-R and Toyota's high-power 2009 Lexus sports coupe--are doubtless goading Honda to respond. Honda may find it easy being green, but it still wants to be seen as a performance power second to none.

There's also the question of whether Honda would take the trouble of building the Advanced Sports Car Concept and then do nothing with it. Sure, most concept designs go no further than an auto-show turntable, but Honda isn't known for indulging in dead-end ego trips.

After considering all this, we think the rumor mill is right after all, though we won't be surprised if it isn't. After all, the original NSX was quite an unexpected turn back in 1990. Then again, an Acura press release calls the ASCC a "preview of the design direction" for an NSX replacement. Coin toss, anyone?

Assuming the project does go ahead with the ASCC as the template, the 2011 Acura NSX would be about the same size as a Jaguar XK and a bit larger than today's C6 Corvette. Styling would reprise the concept's classic long-hood/short-deck proportions, wedgy profile, and a mix of curves and creases that Acura touts as "technical, machined surfaces." The concept's muscular fender bulges snug close to 19-inch wheels in front and 20s in back, and these, too, could carry over to production.

Still, planners are undecided on many issues, so the 2011 Acura NSX could conceivably arrive with rear-wheel drive rather than the ASCC's putative Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive. The rumored 500-horse 4.5-liter V10 isn't locked-in either. A similar-size V8, a twin-turbocharged V6 or even a high-power hybrid system are just as likely, and would likely raise fewer howls from environmentalists. The final choice will hinge in part on plans for a CO2 emissions cap in the European Union and the likelihood of much-higher fuel-economy standards here in the U.S.

Like the mid-engine original, the 2011 Acura NSX should be another Honda engineering showcase. Some sources forecast a new Honda-designed double-clutch automated manual transmission with steering-wheel shift paddles, and we can't rule out exotica like carbon-ceramic brakes (as on the ASCC) or a collision-avoidance system. The cockpit should be another blend of sports-car function and luxury-sedan appointments, so look for multiadjustable sports seats, lots of leather accented by aluminum and/or carbon fiber, and a navigation system with rear-view camera, the last almost essential with the high, nearly flat rear window. High-tech LED lighting, both front and rear, should be standard too.

NSX originally stood for "New Sportscar Xperimental." While the new one certainly fits that description, we think it will get a different name, if only to signal a complete break with the past. As we said, it's probably going to be a posh long-distance gran turismo, not a cornering-fool sports car. But whatever it's called and whatever the final specifications, Acura's new performance icon should be a "practical exotic" and a very special drive, just like the original.

The 2011 Acura NSX should be another Honda engineering showcase. (The Advanced Sports Car Concept - ASCC - is pictured here.)

A Notable Feature of the 2011 Acura NSX

The 2011 Acura NSX is likely to borrow one racing-inspired element of the Advanced Sports Car Concept. Acura describes it as a "carbon fiber underbody" with "integrated rear diffusers..." We're not sure if the former is structural or just a bolt-on "belly pan," but it's apparently intended to reduce air drag as an aid to high-speed stability. So are the "diffusers," a trio of fins designed to channel air more off and away from the underside. The ASCC also boasted an all-glass roof, but we can't see it on the production model, as it raises the center of gravity--not good for handling--and would doubtless be expensive to produce.

Buying Advice for the 2011 Acura NSX

This car is at least a year away and probably two, whereas the rival Nissan GT-R starts sale in summer of 2008 and the Lexus "LF-A" is due as a 2009 model. Should you wait for the NSX? That's hard to say right now, though current intelligence suggests it would be a fine alternative if you miss out on those two. One thing for sure: This new Acura will be just as rare and hard to get, so forget about paying list price, let alone getting a discount.

2011 Acura NSX Release Date: As noted, this car isn't on the schedule yet, though several reports quote company insiders as saying it would be either a 2010 or 2011 model. As this program is still in its early days, we'd guess a 2011 model-year launch, so sales could begin by spring of 2010.

First Test Drive: Assuming that the above timing proves out, media previews would be held in either late 2009 or early in 2010.

2011 Acura NSX Prices: Various estimates put the price of admission at $100,000--$130,000, which seems logical to us.

This new Acura will be rare and hard to get, so forget about paying list price, let alone getting a discount. (The ASCC concept shown here.)

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