Sights From Acura's Performance Manufacturing Center

These were two Civic Si chassis, on their way to becoming HPD race cars. The car in front already had its roll cage welded in, while the rear one was still waiting its turn. The bodies in white come from Honda’s standard Civic plant, but they’re worked over by hand at PMC to become track cars.

Or, at least, all the colors offered on an NSX. Body components like these, after paint, are loaded onto wheeled carts for transport around the factory. No robotic assembly line, just people piecing cars together with their own two hands.

That’s actually the exact phrase Acura uses when telling you about NSX assembly. Interiors first, before moving onto the exterior panels. The idea is that nothing gets scratched or dinged — plus, accessing the dashboard is a whole lot easier without windows or doors in the way.

Except, these two won’t fully come together for a while. They’re Insider Experience cars, where buyers can come out to the factory and “finish” the car themselves — applying the rear badge, engine cover, and “XXX/350" number plaque. If you’re wondering why the orange car up top lacked a badge, that’s the reason.

Doors and windows may be inconvenient when assembling a car, but they’re still nice for owners to have. Probably good that Acura installs them anyway, just in case they’re something that the buyer wants.

Engines, however, are almost universally desired in cars. Acura workers use bluetooth torque wrenches for these, so each torque rating on each bolt is recorded for posterity. Personally, I use a torque wrench from Harbor Freight, that once almost had me destroy my FR-S transmission. The Bluetooth ones are probably better.

After final assembly, everything needs to be checked over. Functionality of lights and buttons, headlight aiming, alignment. Sure, a post-delivery inspection at a dealer will likely catch these sorts of things, but why not fix any issues while the car’s still at the plant?

This test and check stage is right up front of the plant, behind the glass doors leading out into the lobby. The PMC is designed to be seen, so why not put your almost-finished cars front and center? You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Of course, to check over a full car, you’ll need a lot of lighting. Those panels in the background will be making another appearance later in the slides. And, oh, what’s that in the corner? A preproduction TLX Type S PMC Edition? Who’s to say?

(I’m to say. It is.)

Hard for a car to leave the factory without those. After Acura puts them on, the entire car gets a full alignment inspection before it even hits the dyno for powertrain testing.

Did I not promise you a return of those light panels? If they let me loose in the PMC with my three little lenses and full control over the lighting, I could spend hours in there just playing around. Maybe days.

The floor of the PMC has a built-in dyno, complete with the coolest fume extractor I’ve ever seen. The car drives over a flat floor, then drops into place on the dyno rollers. After that, this rear section lifts up to catch exhaust gases as they leave the car.

That yellow car is the same one from the dyno photo. Acura kindly “tested” it three or four times for all the car journalists who wanted Instagram content. Thank you, Acura, and I’m sorry to the buyer whose NSX will show up with a few more tenths of a mile on its odometer.

After the dyno, cars are jacked up to eye level so the suspension can be inspected once again. There’s no such thing as overkill, no such thing as too much attention to detail, for the staff of the PMC.

The final stop on an NSX’s journey is this, the shake test. Each wheel is bounced up and down, simulating the worst-paved roads you can imagine, to make sure nothing squeaks or rattles inside. Why is this station lit like a perfect studio? I have no idea, but I’m certainly not complaining.