Spied: 2009 Acura NSX

[DetroitNut90]

After an arduous day of preparation, Honda engineers have finally hit the race track in their mule for the next NSX. Seeing this prototype in the light of day reveals proportions consistent with Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept, which debuted at the '07 North American International Auto show.

The S2000-based body panels used on this mule don't exactly correspond to the show car, but it may tell us of the direction Acura is traveling with the next...The expansive hood on this mule definitely looks large enough to handle a V-8 or V-10 engine.

Leftlane News

[aaaantoine]

Analyze these pictures all you want. All I see is a funny looking S2000.

[siegen]

Analyze these pictures all you want. All I see is a funny looking S2000.

If you do analyze the pictures, you will see that it is just sheet metal that resembles an s2000 wrapped over a new sports car chassis. Notice how the hood and trunk do not have seems, and how the rear bumper is cut up for 4 exhaust pipes.

Just look at the shear size of the rear tires in some of those shots. This thing has to be packing a very powerful engine, probably a V10. Also consider all the other Honda V10 buzz that has been going around. Just recently Honda announced the target mileage figures for their next V10 powered sports car. See here, and before someone tries to compare that to the Corvette's highway mileage, the figure they are going for is using the Japanese standards and more comparable to our city estimates.

[FAPTurbo]

I'm a bit upset that Honda is looking at a V10. I really, really liked the six in the old NSX.

But, I guess you have to keep up with the competition. Here's hoping it's got a great design.

[regfootball]

holy gawd that test mule is ughhhhhleeeeeeee

[Cory Wolfe]

holy gawd that test mule is ughhhhhleeeeeeee

Holy gawd.. it's a test mule... it's not supposed to be attractive.

[prinzSD]

Despite the camo it seems it will be an ugly slab sided car. Yuck!

[Cory Wolfe]

Despite the camo it seems it will be an ugly slab sided car. Yuck!

Did you even click on the link? There is no camo. It's a test mule... It's a stretched S2000 body over the "NSX" platform and mechanicals.

I swear... Some of you guys... *shakes head*

[Dragon]

analyzing the looks is a waste of time. its like making comments on the Camaro's looks based off the Commodore skinned mule from a while back

[Turbojett]

What you see here is not represantative of the final look of the car...it's a disguise, to make you think it's something else. Seriously, does it take a 10th-level genius to figure that out?

[big blue]

It's a mule. Here is a visual aid.

Anyways, I wonder if that thing is packing a V10 or not, I was kinda hoping for something different. At least the ASCC has been scrapped according to most sites.

[ZL-1]

It's a mule. Here is a visual aid.

:rotflmao:

[siegen]

More interesting news from www.vtec.net.

UPDATE: According to several of our resourceful readers who ran DVLA enquiries on the two plate numbers worn by the test mules, there are two engines being tested. One of them (plate number OU07 EFX) is fitted with a 5.0L petrol motor while the other (plate number OU07 EFW) uses a 2.2L diesel motor. The online search facility is located at http://www.vehiclelicence.gov.uk/ (select "Vehicle Enquiry" on the left hand menu list).

A video is also available at Edmunds, showing the mule going around Nurburgring.

[aaaantoine]

I'm just saying what it looks like to me.

I don't get too much excitement out of spy shots, especially mules. I prefer to know what the final performance numbers are rather than speculate over what we think might power the car. All I get from this is that the next NSX might have a V10, and that there is, in fact, a next NSX coming soon.

That said, the video that Siegen posted says much more to me than any number of photographs.

Edited May 25, 2007 by aaaantoine

[prinzSD]

Did you even click on the link? There is no camo. It's a test mule... It's a stretched S2000 body over the "NSX" platform and mechanicals.

I swear... Some of you guys... *shakes head*

Yes I clicked on the link and with the strecthed out s2000 body it still look SLAB sided to me..."shakes my head"

[Sixty8panther]

the geniuses at Hond-Accura will manage to make the production version

even more awkward & ugly. So much for the mid-engined layout I guess.

Did I ever tell you guys I went to high school with a kid who designs for

Honda now? I beleive he works in Ohio but it might be California...

[Intrepidation]

Holy gawd.. it's a test mule... it's not supposed to be attractive.

Did you even click on the link? There is no camo. It's a test mule... It's a stretched S2000 body over the "NSX" platform and mechanicals.

I swear... Some of you guys... *shakes head*

[Cory Wolfe]

Yes I clicked on the link and with the strecthed out s2000 body it still look SLAB sided to me..."shakes my head"

It's a mule... Nothing about it is indicative of production, so for you to say it will look slab sided is completely retarded.

[prinzSD]

It's a mule... Nothing about it is indicative of production, so for you to say it will look slab sided is completely retarded.

Retarded huh...well what has been coming out of Japan and the rest of the world is slab sided, so indications are it probably will be slab sided just as the concept cars were not that gorgeous or oraganic for that matter. Unless the styling departments do a complete 180 and sudenly move away from crisp lines and revert back to smooth, rounde organic forms, I say it will be slab sided. Time will tell blackviper.

[prinzSD]

hey the Asstek was not meant to be a sports car. I like my sports car better looking then a box. Mid engined cars should look sexy with curves and not a design that a four year old could draw with a set of Crayolas.

[Cory Wolfe]

Retarded huh...well what has been coming out of Japan and the rest of the world is slab sided, so indications are it probably will be slab sided just as the concept cars were not that gorgeous or oraganic for that matter. Unless the styling departments do a complete 180 and sudenly move away from crisp lines and revert back to smooth, rounde organic forms, I say it will be slab sided. Time will tell blackviper.

Regardless... You based that on spy shots of a mule. To make uninformed observations, then lambast the vehicle for it... That was retarded. There is no justifying it.

hey the Asstek was not meant to be a sports car. I like my sports car better looking then a box. Mid engined cars should look sexy with curves and not a design that a four year old could draw with a set of Crayolas.

Curves are not everything. Take a look at the Cadillac Cien. There wasn't a curve to be seen. It was still sexy as hell. If you want curves and smooth, round organic forms... buy a 1998 Ford Taurus.