sorry the video is in japanese, but i think there's an english version out there somewhere.

surprising result. well, maybe not really.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vepil7tRQE

as much as i would LIKE to believe the race is rigged, why can't many people accept that the NSX-R is simply an awesome car on the track. ok, so at about $100k (in Japan) most of us on this board would rather get a GT3. and yes, it has been beaten by a Mk2 GT3 in these BestMotoring battles, so a 997 GT3 would probably pull its pants down.

but the NSX is at this point, an ancient design. it was introduced in 1990, and while the "R" version ushered in a lot of improvements, it is fundamentally still the same car. that it can beat much newer AND much more powerful cars, is a testament to Honda's engineering. the car's chassis dynamics and suspension tuning were, after all, signed-off by none other than the great Ayrton Senna.

also from what i've heard, the driving experience of an NSX-R (unfortunately not available in LHD) is sublime. what it lacks in outright grunt, it more than makes up for in handling balance and braking performance.

any UK 6speeders out there care to comment, if you've come across these cars on track?

 

I don't track but I did totally destroy one in my 03 Cobra. I think they look cool but come on it's underpowered just like all Honda's including their motorcycles. I think Honda is just too soft on HP. Handling is great but I want some POWER to go with it. Thanks for posting the video.

 

good video thanks for posting. man that carrera s really kicked ***!

 

check out the laptimes though, right at the end of the race. the NSX-R was FAST! again, despite having only between 300-320HP...

an NSX-- or any STOCK honda for that matter-- would never be your first choice for shove-in-the-back fun. but man do these things shift on a track!

there's that very controversial video of an NSX-R doing a 'Ring lap in about 7:57. as many have pointed out, the video "cheats" because the stop watch is stopped at a point on the track BEFORE it was started. i've reviewed the video several times (yes, i need a life,) and by my estimate, the "cheat" shaved at most 3-4 seconds from the time. so call the NSX-R's real 'Ring time at right around 8 minutes dead.

that's only a few clicks off a 996 Turbo, which has over 100HP more. i suppose a fairer comparison would be with the 996GT3, which is over 10 seconds faster, with only a 60-80HP advantage. but then again, the GT3 is a newer design...

am not a huge honda fan mind you, but since i'm more interested in laptimes than ET's... the NSX-R has always fascinated me.

 

Already saw it, but still an awesome comparo!

 

cool video

 

The NSX-R's weight is a huge facteor why its so fast on track. It weights about 2780, thats a HUGE difference from the TT.