Unnamed sources speaking to 7Tune claim reports of the Acura NSX's death may have been greatly exaggerated. Instead, Honda's actually just changed course, giving it a nice healthy green-washing. Can someone say super all-wheel-drive hybrid NSX?
Indeed, the rumor has it development's been killed on the world-ending 600 HP 5.5-liter V10, and instead Honda will drop an advanced new engine into the car, a "valveless throttle" 3.5-liter V6 which gets hybridized with the system from the next-gen Acura RL for a total of around 450 HP. The resulting car wouldn't have quite the colossal performance as the previous version would have, but it will hold that sadly important green trump card against its competition. Since this is a major powertrain change, obviously, the timing on the car will inevitably be pushed back to match the development cycle.
We've got mixed feeling here. Should this rumor prove true, the return to a Honda V6 puts the car right back into the NSX tradition and it'll be potentially lighter weight and more nimble as a result. But at the same time, we already miss the notion of a high-strung Japanese V10 wailing away under the hood. Then again, we shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth. (Thanks for the tip Morgan)
[7Tune]