Good morning, beautiful.
Many Japanese sports cars draw my attention. Any generation Mazda RX-7, SW20 Toyota MR2s, S30 Datsun Zs, and even the odd Mitsubishi Starion gets me itching to whip out my phone and waste a couple work hours on Craigslist Autos.
And yet I haven’t owned any of those. Despite the passing fancy for the above, at the time of this writing my steed is a Honda S2000.
Like the S2000 before I bought it, I have little draw to the Acura (yes, Honda…whatever) NSX when I pass one on the street. Unlike the cars above, the first glance I catch of anything from the Honda Sports camp doesn’t get my heart going. There’s something so normal about them that they’re dismissed like Porsche 911s in Los Angeles or Tesla Model S’ in Palo Alto.
Perhaps that’s the draw, though. When the heavy breathing is done, and the pragmatic voice in the back of my head gets louder, the Acura makes more sense. No turbos, no carburetors, no triangles, and no interiors borrowed from 80’s smoking clubs.
Rather, the NSX accomplishes its goal of being the most practical of sports cars. Its alloy 270hp V6 is mounted amid-ship, it has manual steering, and the roofline is barely taller than a Ford GT40. But it has normal Honda reliability and ease of maintenance baked right in. For all its exotic materials, the engine is just as tractable as your uncle’s Civic, and the interior is comfortable enough for any Bay Area commute.
This particular example demonstrates those virtues. While the exterior gleamed and showed signs of real care, the worn in tires and scuffed driver’s entry bolster showed that it’s been used, maybe even as a daily at one point. I can just imagine some professional plopping into the well bolstered seats every morning through the 90’s, hustling up over the Berkeley Hills then sliding onto Highway 24, winding the 3.0L motor past its VTEC engagement, threading through sleepy Camrys, and dodging the occasional CHP 5.0 Mustang.
The last few years has seen me go through a lot of different cars. But when I think about what could replace the S2000 I draw a blank. Every time I come upon an NSX though, the consideration gets stronger. I wonder if this example’s owner is interested in sharing their experiences caring for one of the most understated cars of the 90’s. Next time, I just might leave my card.