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May 16, 2008 05:20 PM
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Detroit, 9:23 PM
Tue Feb 9
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The extremely cheap, extremely sketchy (putatively) NSX-engine-powered Acura Legend obliterated the dime-a-dozen turbo Civic in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, which is about what we expected. So what if we could find not just an NSX engine but an entire car for cheap (well, maybe entire isn't the right word here, but you get the idea)- what then? Well, then we have quite a dilemma when trying to find something to stack up against the Acura, a car that's equally cool, in spittin' distance of the NSX's price range, and hideously expensive when it comes to part obtainment. Perhaps it's an impossible task, but let's see how things sort out in today's Detroit-versus-Japan matchup!
You want an NSX, and so do I. It's safe to say that you wouldn't be reading this series in the first place if you were the sort who doesn't want an NSX (unless your brand of garage masochism requires engines with carburetors... lots and lots of carburetors, in which case you most likely still think the NSX is a good idea, even if you wouldn't drive an EFI car yourself). But damn! they're expensive critters, and nobody seems to want to sell theirs. However, we looked and looked and finally found an NSX for just $10,000! No, really! Take a gander at this '92 Acura NSX and then try to offer us the usual lame excuses about how you can't afford your own Japanese supercar. This car is available at "a fraction of the price," though the price isn't defined, because it needs a little work. Actually, all it really needs is some TLC- like so many Hell Projects- in order to repair the damage from what looks like a half-completed ripoff-and-chopshop adventure. The engine appears to be there, and no doubt more than 50% of the rest of the vehicle's parts are present as well. How hard can it be to find a pair of NSX doors? You'll find out!
Say you admire the engineering of the NSX, but you're more of a fan of classic Detroit machinery. In that case, what you need is an early Corvette... but- holy Barrett-Jackson!- the price of nice 50s Vettes is utter madness! That's why you want to try to find a project car and turn oceans of sweat and rivers of tears into a top-notch concours-qualiity restoration, one that will convince even the most sphincterish Corvette obsesso that you don't deserve to be ground into hamburger for defiling such a sacred machine. You'll have your work cut out for you with this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette, because it's actually a '59 frame with a "thick fiberglass" replica '57 body and a 283 out of a '66 Chevy (no mention of the transmission, which means it's probably a Powerglide). But, hey, the car is only $9,100! Hmm... maybe that idea of a restoration isn't really feasible here, but ya never know, ya know? Just put the correct stuff on the engine, find the right 4-speed, and dive into Itchy Fiberglass Land, and you'll be out cruising your '57/'59 in no time!
Send an email to Murilee Martin, the author of this post, at murilee@jalopnik.com.
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