Acura is marking 30 years since the shot heard ‘round the automotive world — the 1989 global debut of the first-generation Acura NSX. The first mid-engine exotic without a European pedigree, NSX was a low slung, super light, high-revving machine sporting the world’s first all-aluminum monocoque, titanium connecting rods, a VTEC valvetrain and levels of quality and daily driving comfort unheard of in sports cars of the time
With a spacious, comfortable interior and an easy-to-drive disposition, the NSX was the first mid-engine, exotic car that could be driven every day. The original model’s interior is so well laid out, that when I got to take one for a spin in 2015 from the Honda museum, after the first 30 seconds of my drive, I felt as though I’d owned the car for 20 years.
“Before NSX, it was always assumed that supercar performance came at the price of a comfortable interior and everyday drivability,” said Jon Ikeda, Vice President and General Manager of Acura. “NSX shattered those notions, and raised the bar on every other exotic and supercar maker, with the effects still felt today,” Ikeda said.
The NSX also was the first production car to be built on an all-aluminum monocoque chassis. In other words, even the aluminum body panels were part of the supercar’s structure. The NSX also introduced the US to VTEC, Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control, a pioneering bit of engine tech that has become a fixture in Honda and Acura’s lineup — as well as a popular online catchphrase/meme.
Ultimately, the NSX made the mid-engine supercar more accessible. At $60,000, Acura’s halo car was priced more than $40,000 below the comparable Ferrari 348. It also offered much more comfort and something called “reliability” — a concept foreign to Ferrari at the time.
