Amid official releases offering a number of additional details about the all-new Acura NSX, the automaker indicated that the previously announced Q4 2015 launch date for its mid-engine hybrid super coupe has been pushed back into next year with "production start-up scheduled for spring." The delay is the result of Acura‘s decision to change from a naturally aspirated transversely mounted V6 behind the passenger compartment to a longitudinal twin-turbo alternative midway through the design process. There’s still no definitive word as to the NSX being a 2017 model instead of 2016. But whatever vintage it does carry, the car still promises to be worth the wait.
Aside from the delay, trial production is underway at the all-new Honda‘s Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio. Acura execs advised that the NSX’s new force-fed 3.5-liter V6 will be hand assembled at Honda’s nearby Anna engine plant by master mechanics using build processes originally developed for Honda racing motors. When completed, the entire NSX drivetrain – engine, 9-speed dual-clutch transmission with electric motor and front Twin Motor Unit — will be bench tested and given the equivalent of a 150-mile break-in before being installed in a vehicle.
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Spaceframe construction
The NSX’s spaceframe will be precision welded with over 900 individual joining points using the world’s first all-robot MIG (Metal Inert Gas) array. All bodywork will be hand-installed at the end of assembly line to ensure symmetry and lasers will measure all edge margins and panel alignments to eliminate the need for post-build corrections. Acura says that every bolt used in the in NSX will be hand started by one of the PMC technicians involved in its assembly.
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Despite the pushback of its arrival, Acura did display a trio of new NSXs in Monterey finished in Valencia Red Pearl, Nouvelle Blue Pearl and Berlina Black. Each was fitted with a selection of options that spanned everything from a Cabon Exterior Package, Carbon Engine Cover and Carbon Roof to color-specific brake calipers that grab the NSX’s high-performance ceramic rotors and unique alloy wheel designs. Pricing for the new Acura NSX has not been revealed, but it’s expected to start around $150,000.
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