Acura's new Torrance-based design facility isn't yet ready to house the LA-based Acura design team, but that doesn't mean they've been resting on their haunches prior to the big move. Responsible for the V10-powered Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept, Acura's principal designer, Jon Ikeda, said that this sleek new concept was a chance for his team to "let their imaginations run wild." Ikeda says this edgy wide, low concept was designed to be as "powerful and precise as a sling slot."
The front-engine, rear-wheel drive Advanced Sports Car Concept is just a shell with no interior, and there's limited technical information as well. Details include a 108.8-inch wheelbase, 19-inch wheels in the front with 20-inchers in the rear, and custom billet-machined, polished aluminum wheels that shield ventilated carbon ceramic brake discs and eight-piston calipers.
Takeo Fukui, Honda's president and CEO says the Advanced Sports Car Concept showcases the direction of Acura's design future and enthusiasts should look forward to the next phase which Acura will debut at the Tokyo Motor Show this fall...
billt9 says:
01:25 PM, 01/ 7/07
OMG Acura = boring.
alexriedel says:
05:30 PM, 01/ 7/07
Sorry, but to me this looks like a cheesy Corvette rip-off.
I expected something a lot more classy.
hondacura4 says:
08:26 PM, 01/ 7/07
Its not bad looking but it doesnt have any detail. Come on Acura you can do better. The orginal NSX was and still is a beautiful car and it looks like nothing else on the road. Us Honda fanatics expect MORE!
estreka says:
10:03 PM, 01/ 7/07
I really hope the NSX replacement handles as well as the NSX. I'm having a hard time believing a V10-powered car, albeit MR, can compare to the flawlessly road-hugging NSX.
trjnflip says:
10:34 AM, 01/ 8/07
love the new rear lights. Reminds me of something you'd find on the Batwing or the Batmobile.
frank908 says:
05:23 PM, 01/ 9/07
My first thought was exactly what alexriedel thought; a shameless Corvette rip-off.
xgc75 says:
10:02 PM, 01/ 9/07
The shape and the profile are jaw-dropping, nice integration of cockpit, taillights and exhaust, but more bland than anything I've seen this side of an xB. Acura should build off this platform maybe, but in the end it's a bore.
P.S... Anyone else see this as an answer to the LFA? (that was rhetorical)
readerreader says:
09:44 AM, 01/10/07
estreka,
Have you ever driven an NSX?
brauch15 says:
04:24 PM, 01/10/07
This car's competition is the new wave of super sports cars. If Audi's R8, Lexus' LF-A, and NIssan's Skyline are these cars, atleast looks wise, this new NSX is toast. Only Porsche's 911 and BMW's M6 look worse in my opinion, but those arent even direct competion.
drjames says:
09:09 PM, 01/10/07
brauch15, did you know that the Lexus LF-A has been seen tested against directly the 911 turbo? Just the two of them on a closed track? So hit or miss, Lexus would argue it's in "direct competition".
oldmanshirt says:
10:25 PM, 01/10/07
I know it's your opinion, hondacura4, but the NSX was always a Ferrari rip-off in terms of styling. I'm not saying it was ugly, even 15 years after its introduction, but you can hardly say it "looks like nothing else on the road."
Still, the NSX looks like a Bugatti Veyron next to this thing. Anybody else think "Stingray combined with Caddy XLR"? The term "half-baked" might also apply.
vbk says:
08:32 AM, 01/11/07
AUTHOR: vbk
DATE: 01/11/2007 08:32:45 AM
EMAIL: vbkoptchev@yahoo.com
estreka says:
01:13 PM, 01/11/07
reader - Yes. It's a very agile car with superb cornering abilities. It's a fine touring and track automobile.
hondacura4 says:
03:36 PM, 01/11/07
Oldmanshirt, the NSX has a few Ferarri cues namely the side vents, but other than that Ferrari hasnt made a car that looks like the NSX.
If anything looks like a Ferrari ripoff it would be the front of the C6 Corvette, its waaay to simular to the older 360 Modena.
As for this Acura concept, the only "Corvette" is see is in the front fender character lines other than that I dont see it. Its not even proportioned like the Vette.
LP
oldmanshirt says:
04:27 PM, 01/11/07
I'm totally with you on the C6 looking like the Modena from the front. But you honestly can't see the resemblance to the Vette in this ASCC?? I will admit that the back end looks unique, and I even like the taillights, but come on, you know you thought one word when you saw this thing, and it wasn't "Acura".
estreka says:
07:42 PM, 01/11/07
The NSX defined Honda more than it defined Acura. The lines were simple, elegant, and the design was revolutionary when it was introduced (being able to see out the back, reliable, streetworthy, comfortable, etc). Ferrari completely changed its mission statement after '91, as evidenced by all Ferraris post the NSX introduction.
I kinda wish the next NSX defines Honda rather than Acura. I love how Acuras look now, but the abstract art direction they seem to be going could really ruin them (ie. the sedan concept).
brauch15 says:
11:49 AM, 03/ 4/07
Did anyone but me notice how much nicer looking the HSC concept of 2003 is than the Advanced Sports Car Concept in every way except the back end????? Take a look for yourself: http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/72604,7436,0,0/photo.aspx .
mbartley says:
09:33 PM, 03/ 9/07
Acura has something for everyone. The Acura has a reputation of quality, dependability and affordability and even performance parts of AEM Acura intake that makes Acura a leader in affordable luxury.
jrebelo says:
07:45 PM, 04/14/07
acura sports car? it would probably have a similar engine to the s2000
sketch29379 says:
02:08 AM, 06/ 6/07
Come on, am I the only one who thinks this looks badass? I mean look at it. It's not a Corvette ripoff, it's what the Corvette SHOULD have been. Personally, I think it looks more like a 2000 Camaro anyway, but I digress. I could easily see this bad boy as the Batmobile. The razor sharp lines give it that aggresive feel. The lack of detail is INTENTIONAL. It gives the car that aerodynamic and (I feel) futuristic look. Don' t get me wrong, I'll be one of the first ones to say that old school is better, but, I feel that this is a nice change from the current "shoebox retro" style everyone else is using and I would love to see it come out on the market.
simplyriki says:
05:38 PM, 02/ 9/08
I've loved this design since I first saw the preview pictures in Road n Track (?)
Anyways, to me THIS is what cars in the future were meant to look like.
At the moment I have an 84 Pontiac Trans Am that I would never dream of giving up, especially not an import!--except maybe for this.
I agree that it reminds me of a Corvette, and a Batmobile (especially in black) but most of all I could so have pictured this as the new KITT on Knight Rider instead of that P.O.S. Mustang.